Why I Might Just Move to Abbotsford – The Best Kids Consignment

Having family in Abbotsford, every so often we end up spending a weekend there, this weekend being one of those.

There are a lot of things to love about the Fraser Valley area: no pesky mountains obscuring the view of rainy sky, the year-round smell of manure wafting through the valley… Okay, maybe those aren’t on the “pros” list for the lower lower mainland, but this past weekend I discovered one fantastic thing that Abbotsford does have going for it.

As we would be going to a little one’s birthday party, and we hadn’t quite yet found a gift, we stopped by a children’s consignment store to see if they had anything that caught out eye. Well, Once Upon a Child had more things that caught all of our eyes than we were prepared for. We left the store with a big bag of clothes, grabbed a gift certificate for the birthday boy, and ended up coming back the second day to spend well over an hour excitedly picking through an overwhelming selection of fabulous finds.

I couldn’t believe how many quality items were stocked throughout the store. Toys, clothes, shoes, swim suits, strollers, carriers, hats, bows, puzzles, coats… Everything. Mostly used, but some brand new items as well. Unlike many consignment stores I’ve popped into, the prices of everything in Once Upon a Child were so crazy low that we couldn’t resist stocking up on everything we might even remotely be running out of. $1 for the many many amazing items in the clearance sections??

Apparently Once Upon a Child is a franchise of children’s consignment stores over North America, with others in BC operating in Langley, Coquitlam and Surrey (coming soon). I was advised that the Abbotsford location has lower prices than the others, though.

I love shopping consignment, especially for kid’s clothes. They get worn so little in between the quick growth spurts and the fact that babies generally get spoiled with loads of clothing options in the first year or so from relatives and friends eager to have a reason to purchase the outfits they find that are just too adorable to pass up. Buying used saves materials, saves production costs and wastes, saves the environment, and saves me money. Win, win, win.

Needless to say, the Hubs is probably pretty glad we can only visit every once in a while, as I could easily spend way more money than necessary in here. Although I think he had almost as hard a time leaving when it was time as I did. Just so much great stuff!

Okay, okay. Maybe I originally cast Abbotsford in a plain and stinky light. It’s actually pretty beautiful in the valley, especially if you like farmland (which this Southern Alberta raised girl has to admit she does). There’s Cultus Lake close for summertime fun, Castle Fun Park isn’t far off in Langley, and there’s a fairly rural feel.

But never fear. We won’t be making that move any time soon (or ever, if possible). Everything still pales in comparison to our little island home of Salt Spring.