Small Threads for Kids

Dixie Bair opened Small Threads for Kids in Issaquah in 2009, and 425 magazine interviewed her about it in March 2026. She was a single parent raising four daughters at the time, doing the arithmetic every parent does on how fast a child grows out of a wardrobe, and the shop is her answer to it.

It is consignment, and the mechanics are easy. Bring clothes and gear in without an appointment, and anything that sells earns you 40 percent of the sale in store credit. What does not sell is donated rather than handed back. The floor runs newborn to size 16 and carries toys, games, books and the bulky items families buy once and use briefly: strollers, bassinets and the like. Bair's own framing is the best description of the model: "Think of it like a library: You're just borrowing the items for a bit, and then you bring them back when you're done."

The Issaquah store is the original of four, with sisters in Redmond, Kirkland and Mill Creek. It opens 9:30 AM to 6 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 5 PM at weekends, on the Gilman Boulevard retail run west of the village.