I have a bit of a confession to make…
I’m a shopaholic.
As in… Never met a sale I didn’t like. Or a pair of shoes I
didn’t absolutely need.
My husband will never understand…
Having three girls slowed down my mall-browsing days,
though. I mean, packing up my lot to traipse through Nordstrom to find the Fall top or fits-just-right pair of
J Brands? Yeah. No. Not anymore.
And thanks to a little thing called The Internet and promos
like Free Shipping, I don’t need to haul the trio to the mall and tell them all
that I’m not buying every toy they see or Descendants
top they can’t live without.
But there’s the issue of price…
It’s hard to outfit three girls in cute clothes. I mean, if
I could afford everything in the Tea Collection Fall line… Well… Then I would
buy it all. And I’d love to outfit myself in Jessica Simpson’s entire Fall line
of maternity clothes.
But I can’t, so…
So instead I co-op and wholesale shop to keep my crew and me
clad in trendy clothes (yes, even in my pregnant-with-a-surrobaby state, I like
to pretend to know what is currently trendy, even if I will never, ever dress
like a Kardashian or be able to pull off maternity wear like Blake Lively).
Luckily for me, Arlington and Mansfield are home to several
amazing co ops and online wholesale groups that keep me up-to-date in cute
clothes while not totally destroying my bank account.
Intrigued? Read on…
1.
With Joy Wholesale
(facebook.com/groups/withjoywholesale)
a.
This site was started by a wonderful Mansfield mama
who wanted trendy boutique clothing without the steep retail price. Low and
behold, her brand was born: With Joy Wholesale, which carries lots of boutique
name brands below cost. How does it work? She posts one or two
tops/dresses/rompers per day… And you fill out a google form with your size and
email address. Everything is sold in “packs”- 2 smalls, 2 mediums, 2 larges.
When your pack fills, you receive an invoice for the amount of purchase. You
pay, she orders. When your item is in, you can choose to pick it up in Mansfield
or Arlington. Voila! Discounted boutique shopping from your home! My entire
summer wardrobe is lovely, oversized Umgee tops that I paid less than retail
for through With Joy.
a.
This site was started by a wonderful Arlington
mama who was also looking to update her wardrobe below retail. It is run in the
same fashion as With Joy. She only has one pick up location, in Arlington. She
has styles similar to what With Joy offers and has even offered girls boutique
clothing. She’s also done pants and crops and sandals… Summer wardrobe, done! I
can’t wait til all the Fall stuff is out! (See things online that you want her
to feature? PM them to her- she’s happy to try and find them and list them on
her page!)
3.
A Touch Of Love (This is a secret FB group…
Request access here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchAq3L9j0jDuStrWon1u1bCjsMNpa5jAO5wNmJ4TXJxx8Hhg/viewform?c=0&w=1)
a. ATOL
is a co op… Meaning they do clothes and then some! Several buys are run per
month. When a buy is posted, you can look through pictures, read item
descriptions, ask questions. When you are ready to order, you fill out a google
form. When the buy closes, the owners invoice you for the amount you owe. Most
items take 4-6 weeks. You can choose to pick up in Pantego area, south
Arlington, etc. Examples of amazing things I’ve bought on here (below retail,
of course!): character capes and masks, honey sticks, Surf Sweets, boutique
bows and headbands, muslin blankets, matching outfits for my girls, organic
shampoos and soaps.
A word of caution about co ops and wholesale: This
shopping is not for you if you like to have things in your hands instantly. I’ve
had to wait on tops for more than a month and co op items for up to two. So…
plan ahead! You can’t order a top for your son’s third birthday a week from
Friday. But… If you can wait, it’s worth it! The other down side is… All sales
are final. So… If you order a medium top thinking “I hope this isn’t too
big/small,” and then it is… It’s still yours. There is no return policy.
However, most the owners are happy to let you repost the item on the page and
see if another shopper is interested is buying from you. Lastly- please don’t
ruin it for the rest of us! Don’t sign up for 12 boutique outfits and then get
the bill and go… Never mind. These sites are very up front about pricing, so
sticker shock shouldn’t be an issue. But you will be removed from the group if
you order and then don’t pay because it messes up buying for the rest of us.
All this said- happy shopping! Please message me with
any questions J
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