Introduction

And so it begins...

I've been excited about this idea for awhile now. I can't wait to see where this goes. Who this brings along. How we all grow.

So. What is theOutfit? 

it's me, Angie Rebennack. And my husband Mark. And the other delightfully gifted artists, designers, crafters, and generally cool people who have hopped into the flour sack right along with us.

My vision is to create a shop with a collection of goods for babies, kids and parents, the majority of which is handmade, made by moms who have decided to stay home to raise the little ones but still just can't stop making stuff, or from companies created by and run by the aforementioned group. And other related friends we meet along the way. I am a mom to two very young kids myself, 2 year old Elliette Rose and 8 month old Emmett Saylor. I am constantly in awe of the creative forces also working at parenting, raising responsible and thoughtful young people and also producing happiness, beauty and art.

I realized that I am in no position to open my own store all by myself at this stage, due to my time spent mothering and due to start-up funds. In the end, I hope to have a co-op shop set-up, where myself and other like-minded folk can all share one retail space, share the time spent peddling wares, and share the fun.

For now, I have been fortunate enough to continue my relationship with Maritza, owner of the wonderful shop The Kids are Alright. Her location in Echo Park has been a go-to spot for all the cool kids for almost 5 years now, and the new Long Beach location is just around the corner from home and across from my favorite pizza place, Long Beach Pizza Co. HD Tv's be darned, they make a heck of a pie! So, I thought, hey... maybe Maritza would let little old me set up a tiny little shop inside her shop. To my delight, she agreed. She is always ready to be a part of the community, and to be encouraging and lovely all the while.

I started looking through my list of hand-made baby gear on my etsy page, on trunkt, and everywhere in between. I emailed everyone I had a crush on, and to my sheer delight, some said "YES"!

I had fun creating consignment orders, taking time with each designer to make sure we're both happy with what will be displayed in the Outfit shop. My list grew and so did my heart, I'm just so excited!

Once I get the shop set up, I'll take on my other mission: the traveling showroom. My motivation is to support and promote these talented designers. So, that's next! I'll take line sheets and samples to Los Angeles and Orange County area boutiques to show them how wonderful these hand-made and unique lines are; that they can hold their own next to the big-time boutique brands! 

Next up... the orders are coming, the orders are coming! Hurrah!