One day a local mom-to-be asked if she could come into my home to try on a piece of clothing, and well…
the shop was born.
Get it? Because the shop sells maternity clothing?
Funny right?
With hundreds of maternity and nursing pieces in stock at any given time, this shop is dedicated to you.
How it all started…
Heya! I'm Anna Ruck. I'm a mama of two boys, aged 2 and 4, and I'm the woman behind this shop.
And I started my adventure of becoming a store owner completely by accident.
One evening I was in a purging mood and decided it was time to part with my vast collection of maternity and nursing clothing. Two beautiful boys later, our family was complete and I wanted to rehome my pieces, especially considering that I’m a fashion fanatic and had far too many of them.
So, I created an Instagram account, snapped a few photos, and started posting what I had to sell. I threw in some cute outfits my kids had grown out of and thought once it was all sold, I’d be done.
But then one day, a local mom-to-be contacted me, interested in purchasing a pair of maternity jeans I had posted. She had just bought some off Facebook Marketplace, brought them home, and to her dismay realized they didn’t even fit. She inquired about whether or not she would be able to come into my home to try mine on, so I obliged.
Back then, my home office doubled as my storage area for the pieces I was posting. It was all in bins, as my shelving was decorated to fit perfectly Pinterestable standards and my clothing rack served as a cute prop. But, I hung up the jeans she was interested in trying on, and anything else I had to offer her and invited her inside.
When she arrived she remarked on just how inviting my space was, and how well-suited it was for trying on clothing, considering I already had a clothing rack, shelving, and even a giant mirror.
She left with not only that pair of jeans but a handful of other maternity pieces.
And then she came back, twice more, to complete her pregnancy wardrobe.
That’s when I realized that I needed to keep going, beyond selling my own wardrobe.
Slowly but surely, I started receiving messages about whether I had this style or that one, another size, or a piece that would be suitable for an upcoming occasion.
And that’s when I realized that I needed to keep going, beyond selling my own wardrobe.
Local mothers in the Kingston, Ontario, area were desperate for a dedicated maternity and nursing clothing store since we don’t have a single one.
Let alone one where you can actually try on the clothing.
So little by little, lot by lot, purchased and donated from local mothers, I started working to keep the secondhand cycle going.
And one thousand loads of laundry later, I’ve kept it going to this day.
That final point…
I’m also a blogging mama who has spent the last 7 years sharing my journey over at @struckblog, mostly via silly videos. I also manage a local meet-up moms group of over 1000 members where I wrangle my kids (but with other mothers) because that’s what I’m often doing when I’m not creating content for myself and others.
This shop allows me to further connect and support local mothers in our community (seriously, directly support via cash in their pocket). I love that this adventure has become a venue through which I can work within our mama-centred community and support organizations such as Mea Pregnancy Support Services, The Doula Support Foundation, the Kingston General Hospital NICU, and individual mothers via donations and fundraising. I especially enjoy inviting mamas into my home and connecting and chatting while shopping because honestly, it’s fun and sometimes even feels like a shopping date with a friend.
As for my home shop? Well who knows, maybe one day I'll laugh about what my home office used to look like.
But for now, I'll just enjoy working away at home amongst all the pretty pieces!
Thanks for being here, and thanks for your support.
- Anna
Struck by Secondhand Today
Today, 1.5 years into this venture, hundreds of pieces have been sold and cycled from one mother to another.
Finally, moms looking for stylish and practical maternity and/or nursing clothing have somewhere to go. Where you won’t be inundated by stuff you don’t need and will only find clothing that has been curated for pregnant and nursing mothers, by a fellow mother.
With hundreds of maternity and nursing pieces in stock at any given time, this shop is dedicated to you.
Pst, the playroom seen here is steps from the shop door and your littles are welcome to use it while you browse and try things on!
