It Takes A Village

They grow so fast. That sentence has few different meaning for the company that I am featuring in this article.

They grow so fast is totally true and false all at the same time. In the day to day of it it doesn't seem fast at all. The sleepless nights, the meals that feel like eternity, Then you blink and they are 15 learning to drive or have seemed to outgrow all their size 4 clothes overnight and you have nothing that fits them.

They grow so fast as in ideas and businesses that started with just a spark of inspiration and a plan.

Watch me grow is a wonderfully clever shop name selected for a equally fantastic small business owned by Tonya Houston.

Watch Me Grow is nestled on the oregon coast in Gearhart , Oregon.

Gearhart , Oregon is situated between the small scenic towns of Seaside , Oregon and Warrenton, Oregon which is just after Astoria.

Maybe overlooked by tourists of the seasons Watch Me Grow is a gem in disguise in the community of clatsop county. A small business that is constantly and consistently offering good quality , clean, used items for babies ,children, and teen's. There selection's often times include mother to be shopping area's and some decor items.

The price's are always fair but that's not the only thing that makes this shop so special.

The owner's kindness and desire to give back.

Tonya Houston is constantly donating back into the community on the coast especially in the most difficult times.

Most recently with her easter offering.

Due to the recent COVID -19 outbreak any non essential businesses had to close their doors. Unfortnatly that includes consignment shops. For many small business owners this time is filled with uncertanity . Commercial real estate rent is held at a different standard than regular rent payments. Even if rent payments were froze for small shops like Watch Me Grow at the end of all of this when the freezes are lifted there will be anywhere from one to three months rent due at once and few small businesses will be able to make that money up in a week, weeks or a month. It will take much longer to recover.

However even still Tonya Houston owner of Watch Me Grow Cosignment is doing what she does consistently.

Thinking of others.

In a facebook post for her customer's or anyone in need she offered free easter supplys. With many families avoiding the store, traditional egg hunts cancelled, and public parks closed. This is such a small but yet big gesture from a business owner.

Tonya has children and knows what most parents start thinking in times like this.

Holiday sales, giving back , and always offering to donate items that are in fair condition that she is unable to accept to sale or lets consigners pick back up.

She has even started posting ideas to keep kids busy during stay at home orders, and helpful links for parents and customers at this time.

My family was extremely blessed to have experienced her kindness back in 2017 when she was introduced to us by a friend of ours after our house fire.

A unfortunate accident that had we not lived in the community we do could of been so much worse. While we lost our home and everything in it .

Our friends and family came together in a way we never could of expected.

My family had never met Tonya personally . I had seen her shop from the road way home several time and always wanted to stop but never seemed to have the time.

Within 30 minutes of receiving the call about our fire she and our friends were at our neighbors house with clothes , stuffed animals and books for our kids and I still to this day can never express the thankfullness and relief that they provided me that day.

Our family isn't the only family or fire accident that she's helped though and that is one huge reason I fully beleive her and her shop deserve more attention and recognition that she has received.

This example , This easter offering is just a small portion of how Tonya's shop Watch Me Grow is truly an amazing small business with the Clatsop County Community.

She provides the cutest clothes for kids and a fun and cute shopping experience ( When shes open if you have young kids she has a small play area). While giving back to the community.

She often hosts cute events for her customers new and old like pictures with Olaf !

Morgan's Closet

Morgan's Closet is a portion of watch me grow named after her daughter Morgan. It is full of teen clothing and accesscories that are trendy and affordable.

Helping Her Community In More Ways Than One.

Not only does Tonya use her business to give back she also uses it to help the community in other ways and has previously allowed girl scouts to sell cookies in her store front. Helping a little girl meet goals while also sparking her own entreneurship skills. Many people aren't aware but finding a place to sell cookies can be increasingly hard for young girls and they tend to get discouraged from alot of nos or finding out the spot will be used by someone else.

Continuing with the giving back Tonya often hosts small store credit giveaways on facebook . Sometimes its $5 or $8 or $15 but at her shop a little goes a long way!

Helping With Waste

A impact that she herself may not be aware of . Shes helping not only her local area reduce textile waste but her community as a whole.

Rubber, leather, and textiles make up more than 9 percent of municipal solid waste in the U.S. according to EPA estimates. That means the average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing every year.

Most of the time perfectly good clothing that has life left in it.

Consignment stores helped to recycle 14 percent of clothes and 17 percent of bedding. Recycling items like clothes or bedding reduces the amount of pollution from agriculture and production. Growing crops, like cotton, wastes 60 percent of the water it uses and pollutes nearby waterways because of the runoff from pesticides. Once the raw items needed for textiles are grown, producing the fabric in a factory releases pollutants like carbon dioxide. Even clothing companies that claim to be environmentally friendly inadvertently pollute if they don’t check the practices of their raw material suppliers or packagers. By recycling textile goods at consignment stores, you reduce the water pollution from crops as well as the emissions from factories.

Clothing Can Be Expensive

Plus let's face it clothes are expensive and when kids keep doing that whole " watch me grow" thing , it really helps to be able to save money when you have to buy clothes again but consigning also helps because you can give the clothes they dont fit for store credit and only pay a fraction of what you would of . However even without trade ins most consignment shops but Watch Me Grow especially is without a doubt very affordable.

This is a outfit my daughter got a couple years ago. She was fresh awake getting ready for school in this but she still was so sad when she outgrew the pants and shirt. The shoes are also from Watch Me Grow. Total outfit cost $22.00

Watch Me Grow & Their owner are by far more than just a regular small business in a small town. They are a small business and business owner with a big heart and a desire to help people while running a business they truly enjoy & love.

So if you are local in clatsop county and have kids, or know someone expecting a new addition or you are just visiting after all of this is over . Definitely check out the shop and see what new colorful window display is up. Right now they have these gorgeous thoughtful hearts up thanking our healthcare and essential workers.

Just another small gesture that shows that Tonya Houston and her consignment shop Watch Me Grow never stop thinking about others and I hope others start to think about them .

You can find Watch Me Grow on Facebook by clicking this box below.