The Story of Kids and More

For many, Kids and More Consignment Store has become more than just an ordinary store. It has become a place where families can find good quality clothing, shoes and household items for a price that they won’t find anywhere else. 

While customers might be familiar with Cheryl Hudspeth and Bertie Phillips, the owners of Kids and More Consignment Store, most don’t know the story of the years of hard work the mother and daughter duo put into making their entrepreneurial dream come true. 

An Idea is Born

Cheryl and Bertie always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Since 1991, they started taking day-long trips to local yard sales with hopes of finding clothes for Cheryl’s newborn daughter. “Those were the days when you had to get out the newspaper, plot your course on a map and head out. It was like a treasure hunt. You never knew what you were going to find,” Cheryl said. 

They both noticed there was a lot of fairly priced children’s clothing in good condition that they didn’t need. They decided to buy the items to host their own yard sale the following weekend. 

Cheryl and Bertie didn’t know if the yard sale would be successful or not, so they were very surprised when they sold everything and made a good profit. That is when they both realized that this was a good business opportunity. People were looking for a place where they could buy high quality children’s clothing that was still affordable. 

Cheryl decided it was time to take the next step by turning a spare room in her house into a miniature clothing store. Pretty soon, the room was filled with clothes for kids of all ages and sizes. Once their miniature boutique was ready, all they needed was more customers. They began to put flyers in daycares, laundromats, and even ran ads with the Greenville News to spread the word. 

Taking a Leap of Faith

One Saturday afternoon, Cheryl and Bertie were given an opportunity that would change their lives forever. Cheryl’s brother had heard of a space that was for rent in downtown Simpsonville. While they were not interested in expanding at that time, they decided to take a look at the place out of curiosity. 

“My mom and the landlady hit it off and she invited us to come down to look at the place that day. It was a perfect location for what we wanted. She made us an offer that allowed us to go on a month to month basis with a very good starting rent,” Cheryl said. 

In 1993, Cheryl and Bertie officially opened The Children’s Boutique. For several years, they only sold children’s and maternity attire. But as time passed, people of different ages and backgrounds started visiting the store. Cheryl and Bertie’s goal has always been to accommodate their customers’ needs, so they started selling adult clothing and household items as well. 

Cheryl and Bertie have faced many challenges throughout the past 28 years of running their consignment store. From not having any experience in running a business to managing a consignment store, they had to learn a lot of things quickly. It has been a road filled with mistakes, obstacles, and rewards along the way. 

“I would say sincerely that it has been by the grace of God alone that we have been able to stay in business for this long,” Cheryl said. 

Where They Are Today

In 2003, Cheryl and Bertie decided that they needed to move to a more spacious location.  They found their ideal location, a 20,000 square foot showroom in Mauldin, SC. 

They decided to change their name to Kids and More Consignment Store as a reflection of how much their store has evolved since they started. They started out selling children’s clothing, but now they sell a wide variety of things. After 18 years, Kids and More is still in the same location and has become the largest consignment store in the Southeast. 

Cheryl’s new goal for the store is for it to keep up with all the technological advancements that the world has to offer. They launched their online store in 2019, which allows people from all over the country to shop online and have items shipped to their home, or easily pick up their order in the store. Kids and More also has an active social media presence. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to see the latest outfits that are currently available online or in the store. 

Cheryl is excited to see what the future holds and hopes that Kids and More Consignment Store will be around for a long time. “By the grace of God, I trust that we have many more years ahead of us.”