Expectant Divas And Little Fashionistas Find Bargains

Dawn Luepke's consignment boutique Bellies and Babies has barely been open two weeks, but Del Ray moms have made stops at her shop as regular a tick on the daily agenda as filling sippy cups and mid-afternoon napping.

Her store primarily sells higher-end kids clothing, maternity wear, baby gear, as well as boutique gift items like designer onesies.

"The Del Ray moms have been really welcoming," said Luepke between a steady stream of customers in a recent interview.

Little girls will like dawdling through the racks at her location on Mt. Vernon Avenue as much as their mothers. The girls' section upstairs sports a flower mirror, a table outfitted with games and two child-sized chairs for young patrons.

Patterned dresses, trendy, striped sweaters and polka-dot shirts under solid jumpers dangle from hangers like precious purchases in a little girls' giant dream closet. And when little divas tire of shopping, a good romp through the enclosed porch and fenced-in yard is just as good a pick-me-up as a latte for mom.

A former Housing and Urban Development staffer, Luepke was inspired to open the shop after back to back pregnancies in different seasons made her realize that she could fill a niche in the maternity and children's wear market in Del Ray. During her own pregnancies, she hunted good, quality clothes and baby gear, but getting those items at budget-friendly prices required constant visits to church consignment sales and other second-hand shopping outlets in order to stay one step ahead of the fashion police.

"Even in the first trimester of pregnancy, women feel so large already, and you still have two trimesters to go," Luepke said. "You want clothing and fashion to help you embrace your pregnancy. Your wardrobe can really help you feel good about yourself."

What's worse on pocketbooks is that pregnant women and children under 2 years of age cycle through their clothes quickly and clothing and baby gear get very little use.

"When you're done having children, what do you with it? If you've already invested a lot of money into something, you don't want to just give it to good will," Luepke said. "We're in an economy now that makes a lot of sense to buy second-hand. Why not recycle those clothes and put those dollars towards the next wardrobe that you have to buy?"

In addition to the consignment program at her shop, Luepke is testing out a dress rental program.

"In the D.C. area people constantly have nice, high-end events to go to," she said. "There aren't a lot of stores that will stock your special occasion maternity dresses, so we got a couple of dresses to see if people will rent them."

Luepke has been in love with clothes from a very young age, she is also indulging her inner clothing designer at Bellies and Babies. She plans to carry a very small line of clothing that can morph along with expanding bellies. 

"I am actually doing a dress and a blouse for the store," she said. "A jersey knit that can grow with your pregnancy. I'll have one solid and one print. It'll be a nice quality piece of clothing you can wear to work, a dinner party or a baby shower." 

During both of Luepke's pregnancies, she outgrew all of her clothes in the last four weeks.

"I didn't fit into anything and I just didn't want to buy one more piece of clothing," Luepke said. "(As a mom-to-be,) the last thing you want to do is go buy something you know you'll only wear for four weeks."

While Luepke has drawn  on a lot of her own experiences as a mom in starting her boutique, she's very interested in serving the community.

"I'm here to respond to what the moms are looking for," she says.