Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique in Alexandria is open and ready for business.
Occupying what was a former hardware in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood, specialty boutique Bellies and Babies is the creative genius of Dawn Luepke.
Dawn, like many of our local entrepreneurs, was a Capitol Hill staffer before moving to HUD as a project manager.
Marriage, to event planner Tim Luepke, and two children - a boy and girls 15 months apart - meant a lot of maternity and baby clothes, a reevaluation of priorities and the idea for a great new business.
Located in the heart of Del Ray at 1913 Mt. Vernon Avenue, in a two story bungalow, the property is a perfect setting for Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique.
A parking lot right next door and a fenced yard makes this destination easy and safe. Just look for the light green house at the corner of Mt. Vernon and East Howell.
The idea behind Bellies and Babies is two fold. In the downstairs area Dawn is offering select high end baby items at deeply discounted prices along with items made by local artists. Think cloth diapers, onesies, knit booties, changing pads, tutu's, etc.
Upstairs, Bellies and Babies has consignment items in three distinct rooms - Moms (maternity clothes), girls, and boys. Both the boys and girls rooms have play areas and a second floor bathroom has a changing table and potty seats.
In the Moms space there is a dressing room and a large full length mirror. The bonus here is that Dawn is also offering high end maternity rentals for special occasions. What mother-to-be isn't going to love this!
And the consignment items are fabulous - with some carrying original price tags. There are also some furniture pieces including a miniature club chair and rug that almost left with me.
It's not hard to believe that Dawn was a project manager. In addition to the physical store, Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique offers an online search capability through their Web site and inventory (especially consignments) is updated daily. A Facebook page makes updates and news about special events a snap.
We love the concept, the setting is comfortable, and the clothes are wonderful. But most of all, we love the personality and warmth that Dawn and her husband have brought to this retail location.
We know that you are going to love it too.
Want to know more about living in this great neighborhood? Give me a call at 703.927.4554 and we'll take the whole family house hunting.
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