The Giving Spirit is Alive at Oh Baby!

, an ‘uncommon consignment’ store, has moved just two doors down from its old location and can now be found at 1518 Cole St. in downtown Enumclaw. Cute baby blocks move aside -- Oh Baby is now trendy, sassy and classy with an edgy and modern twist. 

Last week I got the opportunity to chat with the owner of Oh Baby, Chrissy Marlow about her business, the new location and most importantly, her passion for making a difference in people’s lives.

A little known fact is that the second hand business started around 1991 and Chrissy used to shop there for her children.  It started in a little old house next to the Bank of America building. Chrissy started working at the business ironing clothes and performing random tasks around the shop. 

She soon noticed the owner of the shop was getting tired of running the business and basically was getting burned out. This is when Chrissy’s radar went up and she thought to herself, “Now wait a minute—I’m a stay at home mom with three kids, I love the idea of being able to provide a great service to people…hmmm.”

Chrissy spoke with the owner and both agreed that Chrissy would basically take over the business. She soon bought the inventory in the store, moved the business to Cole Street and in June 2003, Oh Baby was born…and a big one it was.

The business was primarily focused on providing second hand children and baby clothes, toys, strollers.  As she expanded her inventory, Chrissy began to take in more women’s and junior’s clothing. Through the years, that savvy business mind kept churning and the thought of a new space with a revamped image came to the forefront but the idea of providing an amazing service still remained as the focal point of the business plan.

That’s when Oh Baby took its first steps.

Just recently, they moved to their new location and while still a consignment store it now offers name brand and more well known brands for women, children and juniors.  There is an amazing selection of designer jeans, cool new accessories like zebra striped purses with hot pink flowers, and of course the usual clothing items such as coats, sweaters and shirts.  Not everything is consignment as Chrissy accepts donations on a quite regular basis and often finds herself knee-deep in piles of clothes—but that’s quite okay with her.

The interior is fun and stylish with decorative modern lighting, crystal beaded accessories, wonderfully styled walls and carries the feel of walking into a store where everything is new and fabulous. 

If there’s one thing Chrissy is sure about with Oh Baby, is that it fires up a passion in her that runs deep. As a native of Enumclaw, she loves to see local families and people come in her store, get a great quality product, and save a lot of money at the same time. Just knowing that people are getting a good deal and that they don’t have to shop at Wal-Mart or big chain stores for name brand items makes her light up inside. For example, Chrissy pointed out that she carries name brand jeans that normally would cost over $100 but at Oh Baby, you might just find them for around $10 or a little more. 

Now that’s a good feeling.  Cha-ching!

Another part of the business Chrissy adores is that it’s fun, busy and people love to shop there.  She gets a great feeling inside when someone comes in and finds the perfect outfit or pair of shoes for a minimal price.  In her own words, “It’s the feeling of giving and expecting nothing back.” 

In one instance she described how a mother of four children came in and picked an assortment of items out.  When she came to the counter to lay out her items, she found that she was $2 short.  Chrissy immediately said, “No problem.”  The woman broke down in tears and was so thankful for the kind-hearted gesture.

To this day, Chrissy still has contact with this woman -- a relationship built from a simple kind deed. This is why Chrissy makes a difference in the lives of others.

I asked her about the inventory that does not move and she said she keeps most items for two months, or some maybe longer if she knows it is an item that will sell. Items on consignment can be picked up from the original owners or donated to the shop. At this point, Chrissy then donates these items to a woman named Jamie Peterson who picks everything up from the store and puts it in her “warehouse” where families or individuals can come in and pick out items to take with them…for free.

The giving spirit continues.

As we sat and talked, we pondered passions and why people do what they do and Chrissy made an important statement that stuck with me.  She basically said that if just one person can make such a big difference in the lives of others, what if we could just get a bunch of good people together to make an even bigger difference.  What if…?

Although Oh Baby is going strong and provides a definite need and service, Chrissy knows that she is destined to do even more for her community and especially for women.  I have no doubt that she will accomplish anything she sets her mind to. 

Oh Baby, what a gal!