Store Info
The Children's Outlet is located downtown at 1024 17th Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
MONROE - The Children's Outlet store opens today with 2,500 new, brand name, boys' and girls' clothing items for half price or less.
Owner Cindy Egger is stocking newborns to young teens clothes with labels from Ralph Lauren, Polo, Carter, Quick Silver, Green Dog, Nike, Puma and other well-known manufacturers. Sizes for boys go up to 20, for girls, size 16 and 18.
Egger believes brand names are made better. And she should know; she has five children of her own ranging in age from 1 to 19.
"The others wear out or come apart too easily," Egger said.
Egger is purchasing her merchandise from overstocks in distributors' warehouses.
"Nothing has been worn before, and our stock is always going to be changing," she said.
In fact, the shipments are a surprise even to her.
Egger said her orders are simply a request for boy's clothes, girl's clothes or a mixture. Shipments may contains hundreds or thousands of items. She never knows exactly what's coming, but hasn't been disappointed yet.
"I especially like the Eyeshadow Girls T-shirts," she said about one shipment.
The shirts are decorated with beads, glitter and sequins.
On another rack are fancy dresses by BCX. A classy black number with satin trim and a sparkling rhinestone broach retails for $58; Egger has it marked at $19.99.
Sleeveless Puma Ts for boys are featured prominently on the other side of the store.
Egger also has Ralph Lauren "onesies" and Carter three-piece sets for babies, Joe Boxers for girls and some toys, too.
Shipments are not confined to this season's clothing either. Some infant Christmas clothes hang on a separate section, and Halloween costume accessories have arrived.
"I'm going to put everything out," Egger said. "You never know, somebody may know someone having a baby in December."
On Monday afternoon, Nicole Trost, who will be working full-time in the store, was sitting on the floor going through boxes of backpacks made by Athletech and Starter; others featured Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean, with manufacturer's tags still attached.
Trost has worked for Egger before, when Egger started the Bargain Depot store in 2001. But Egger sold the store in 2005 when her husband went back on the road as a trucker.
Egger said Trost kept asking her when she was going to open another store.
The idea of starting a party store appealed to them, because they had a party supply section in Bargain Depot. But Egger said she always wanted to sell brand name clothes for half the price.
"That kind of merchandise has to be separate from Bargain Depot," she said.
If all goes well with the store, Egger wants to expand her merchandise to include shoes, more baby learning toys and junior girls clothes.
Owner Cindy Egger is stocking newborns to young teens clothes with labels from Ralph Lauren, Polo, Carter, Quick Silver, Green Dog, Nike, Puma and other well-known manufacturers. Sizes for boys go up to 20, for girls, size 16 and 18.
Egger believes brand names are made better. And she should know; she has five children of her own ranging in age from 1 to 19.
"The others wear out or come apart too easily," Egger said.
Egger is purchasing her merchandise from overstocks in distributors' warehouses.
"Nothing has been worn before, and our stock is always going to be changing," she said.
In fact, the shipments are a surprise even to her.
Egger said her orders are simply a request for boy's clothes, girl's clothes or a mixture. Shipments may contains hundreds or thousands of items. She never knows exactly what's coming, but hasn't been disappointed yet.
"I especially like the Eyeshadow Girls T-shirts," she said about one shipment.
The shirts are decorated with beads, glitter and sequins.
On another rack are fancy dresses by BCX. A classy black number with satin trim and a sparkling rhinestone broach retails for $58; Egger has it marked at $19.99.
Sleeveless Puma Ts for boys are featured prominently on the other side of the store.
Egger also has Ralph Lauren "onesies" and Carter three-piece sets for babies, Joe Boxers for girls and some toys, too.
Shipments are not confined to this season's clothing either. Some infant Christmas clothes hang on a separate section, and Halloween costume accessories have arrived.
"I'm going to put everything out," Egger said. "You never know, somebody may know someone having a baby in December."
On Monday afternoon, Nicole Trost, who will be working full-time in the store, was sitting on the floor going through boxes of backpacks made by Athletech and Starter; others featured Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean, with manufacturer's tags still attached.
Trost has worked for Egger before, when Egger started the Bargain Depot store in 2001. But Egger sold the store in 2005 when her husband went back on the road as a trucker.
Egger said Trost kept asking her when she was going to open another store.
The idea of starting a party store appealed to them, because they had a party supply section in Bargain Depot. But Egger said she always wanted to sell brand name clothes for half the price.
"That kind of merchandise has to be separate from Bargain Depot," she said.
If all goes well with the store, Egger wants to expand her merchandise to include shoes, more baby learning toys and junior girls clothes.