Charlie and Grace

It took me like a year to finally get to this adorable little shop located just off the main drag in Downers Grove. I’ve been following the shop on Facebook and loved the adorable dresses the owner posted. My daughter’s birthday is coming up soon so I stopped in to check out the stock. Tons of Matilda Jane, Mini Boden, Hanna, Jelly the Pug mixed in with the standard Old Navy stuff. I walked out with a few items but the dress I liked for her birthday had spots on it. The owner apologized profusely and took the dress off the rack. She obviously cares about her stock and what she sells to people. I absolutely loved my experience there. My daughter kept busy with cars and a doll house too. I think someone else mentioned the accessories and yes, the bows and headbands are so adorb. I wish my daughter would wear them! So, if you have a small child and you want them to wear cute, stylish clothes but don’t want to pay and arm and a leg you should stop by but be wary of the hours– They close pretty early.

A lovely shop and owner! I love the selection of quality, affordable clothing. I enjoy the Facebook posts of new items and shop news too!

Hard to leave this store without multiple things in hand! I love to buy used for my 15 mo. daughter. What I love about Charlie and Grace is that it allows me to not only find used clothes in EXCELLENT condition, but to also enjoy higher end brands that I wouldn’t be able to afford new. There’s also a selection of shoes, books, and toys. The store is cute, clean, and the owner, Jenny, is very sweet — always willing to chat and let you in on discounts. The store is located near the parking structure and post office in downtown Downers Grove.
Bottom line: this store offers good selection from great brands all in excellent condition, in a lovely shopping environment. My friends are constantly asking me where I get my daughter’s clothing and I happily point them here!

I have been selling and buying at Charlie and Grace since it opened. Great communication from owner and employees about pickup, and like the system for tracking my balance/​items sold. I feel I get a fair price for my items, and it is so much easier to sell there than ebay, FB, etc. My biggest challenge is not spending my entire balance when I go there because there is so many cute things!

Charlie and Grace is an upscale consignment shop that I visit on a monthly basis. There are a few things that keep me coming here. First of all, the quality of the merchandise in the store is out of this world. You can tell that that clothes that are sold in the shop have been beautifully taken care of by their consignors. Also, there are always new things to be found every time I visit. Racks are packed full of high end clothing for both boys and girls. The playful felt board and cute little dollhouse keep my very active 2 year old busy while I shop. Lastly, the owner and her employees are the sweetest as can be. They will bend over backwards for their shoppers and consignors as well. The only downfall is that I leave with more than I should from this adorable little shop, but that is my own problem, not Charlie and Grace’s!

Charlie & Grace is a wonderful shop in Dupage County!
I’ve been shopping and consigning here for almost 2 years. I always sell what I bring in and I always end up walking out with something whenever I stop in.
She has a great selection of boutique brands. It’s hard to find good consignment items for big kids, but she has plenty to choose from. Be sure to check out their Facebook page. She will periodically give you «sneak peeks» of new items that come into the shop!
Stop in, you won’t be disappointed!

If you’re going to visit, plan on some serious cuteness overload. The store itself is small, which helps to keep it from being overwhelming. I’m always blown away by the never-​ending Matilda Jane pieces that come through the door. Be quick though because they also go fast. If you live nearby make sure to follow their Facebook and Instagram accounts because they post new items and holy moly those pieces go FAST!!! Three other cute thing is all the accessories. I think they source from local artists. It’s hard to find well-​made necklaces and stuff that my niece will actually wear, so I love seeing new stuff that comes in. Overall, I love it and would recommend it to everyone!

You know how some childrens resale shops are like walking into a tornado of stained, wash-​worn clothes that would be better suited to donation? The kind you wouldn’t even buy for .25 at a garage sale?
Well, this is NOT that store. In fact, I have never seen anything less than lovely on the racks. Matilda Jane, Janie and Jack, Tea, couture pieces from France, Burberry. Clothes so perfect that you’ll wish they had it in your size, too. You will not see stains or something from 2010. You will not have to tear through clothing racks or bins searching for the one great item that is surely buried there, because it’s all great. The prices don’t reflect the quality, either, thank god, because I would never be able to afford most of this at the retail price.
The shop is pink, and pretty, and immaculate. The owner is a sweetheart, and really knowledgable. It’s a perfectly perfect local business for Downers Grove.

This is one of my GO TO places to shop for my two kids– even before heading to a department or retail store. The quality control is amazing– there are never any stains or tears or piling on the clothes. I’m always impressed with the clothes that make their way to the racks. I also feel the styles are very current; I never come across something that I think of as «old» as is common in other consignment shops.
The shop is somewhat small, as stated in another Unilocal review, however I believe it helps the merchandise move better. I find myself going in to the shop every week, or every few weeks, since the selection changes every day. As I mentioned, I have two kids, and I am able to move around in the store with my double stroller just fine. It may be a little tight but every single time I go, the shop owner, the other ladies who work there and the other customers are nothing but absolutely delightful! You always feel like a friend when you shop there.
The shop is immaculately clean– again, not common in consignment shops. I love that they not only carry clothes (which will change from season to season… i.e.: you won’t find a winter coat in the middle of spring… again, super helpful to find the CURRENT seasons)… but the shop also carries books (we buy one practically every visit), hair accessories, shoes, necklaces and even diaper bags. Remember how I stated that the shop is somewhat small? It makes your shopping experience so much fun because literally everywhere you turn, there is something beautiful you want to buy.
I’ve also recently become interested in more high-​end brands of clothes for my daughter now that she’s stopped staining every piece of clothing she wears. This store mainly carries the «high end» clothing. For example, you won’t find Carters, you will find Gap. AND C&G carries Matilda Jane! There’s even an adorable fitting room where I can have my kiddos try on clothes before agreeing to buy. You’re able to return or exchange if pieces don’t work– which we’ve had to do unfortunately, if I shopped without my kiddos and took a guess on a piece– and the return was a breeze. You don’t have to feel bad for a return like you may at other consignment shops.
There’s always something fun going on too– like now there’s a sale rack where items get marked down every Friday. I found a few super cute t-​shirts for my son off that rack. And there’s also an ADORABLE doll house that keeps my kids entertained while I shop. It’s so much easier than trying to entertain 2 kids while shopping. Oh! And there’s a huge felt board that my son loves to play with while I shop, too! We’ve also needed to use the bathroom while shopping with my 3-​year-​old. It was very clean for those you who worry. :)
I confess– I also follow the shop on Facebook and find myself looking through their newly posted pictures when we haven’t made it in for a while. I often comment on pictures with questions and always get answers. Following the shop on FB helps me know exactly what pieces I want to buy on my next visit. Well, at least a few pieces to start, and then I peruse again and shop some more.
I have nothing negative to state about this shop except that yes, it is on the smaller size– especially if you’re used to retail or department store shopping. If the store was bigger, there would be more options, however I have always been impressed with the fact that they carry sizes from tiny tiny to big kid in both girls and boys. I’m able to shop for my children (ages 2 and 3), my friends’ kiddos (newborn and infant) as well as my nieces and nephews (size 6, 7, 8, etc).
I very much dislike stores like Once Upon a Child. Yes, they’re big in size but their quality control is a joke! Their seasons are never taken into consideration and just walking through the store is difficult with how messy and unorganized the whole store is, let alone trying to go through with a stroller. If you’re only other consignment experience is them, this store is HEAVEN.
One thing you also have to take into consideration when shopping consignment, as I read was a negative in another review on here, is that consignment shopping varies. One day there may be a slim selection of one size. Another day, there could be an over abundance in the same size. And that’s been my experience. It all depends on how many other people are interested in the size and on how many people are consigning in the size. There are some BEAUTIFUL dresses in the shop that are too big for my daughter. Do I hold that against the shop? No. It’s common sense that when you shop consignment, you should visit the shop a handful of times before you give up on it. Some days I feel like I’ve won the lottery when I leave here and other days I tell myself to give the it a couple days, check out their FB page and visit in a week. I PROMISE YOU the selection varies day to day.

Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny. That’s how I would describe this store. It is immaculately put together inside with a few racks of clothes, but definitely small.
I walked in and two lovely women greeted me. It smells like cupcakes in here BTW. I asked to see the shoes and I was directed to two tiny baskets of shoes to choose from. I had come in particularly looking for some baby/​toddler shoes and I was pretty disappointed. They had one pair of shoes in the size I was searching for.
Since I was here I thought I’d take a look to see what they had to offer. There was a shelf with 5 – 7 picture books and some high end purses/​diaper bags. The one that I liked was Coach, but alas I don’t need another diaper bag.
I decided to look at the clothes and again, the size I was looking at had almost no selection. There were maybe 10 – 20 pieces available in 18M. Nothing really caught my eye so I decided to head out.
If you’re in the area it might be worth looking but I didn’t have any luck. Overall not impressed.

If you’re in search of excellent quality children’s clothing you can’t go wrong here. The store is highly organized and cute as a button. They have an abundant selection of higher end kids’ clothing accompanied by barely used shoes, like new books and the most adorable collection of girls’ hair pretties. There’s a giant felt board in the back where my kids play while I get to shop — genius! The owner and her staff are so wonderful. I can always find goodies for my kids’ closets and bookshelves here. It’s worth a drive even if you’re not near Downers Grove because the downtown area is filled with good restaurants and other fun shops. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.

I’ve been watching this shop via its Facebook page since before it opened (maybe a month or two ago), and was very eager to check it out. I love children’s resales — shops and resale events alike. Most of my kids’ clothes have been previously owned, and that’s the way I like it.
So, Charlie & Grace is SO CLEAN! I was surprised by the sparseness of merchandise, but I guess I shouldn’t be, since it is newly up and running. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty to choose from, it is just not the sensory semi-​overload I’m used to in my resale quests.
There are a lot of cute clothes on consignment at very reasonable prices (half or less of new prices is the going standard, I think). Only higher-​end brands are for sale here, so no Carter’s, Circo, Jumping Bean, Old Navy, etc. (nothing wrong with those brands; they are just easy to come by, and there’s not as much reason to buy them at a resale). I saw a lot of Hanna Anderson and Gap Kids, as well as Naartjie and Tea Collection. I’m not a connoisseur of kids clothes or anything, but I’ve started to distinguish the uncommon from common brands and styles after perusing rack after rack.
I posted a few photos of what I found to give an idea of what’s offered. There’s a nice selection of shoes and boots too, especially boys’ Keens. My friend got a pair of like new Keens sneakers for her son for $ 15ish, that typically sell for at least $ 50 new.
The store is nicely laid out, and I was surprised to find that I could actually push my stroller throughout the racks. No toys and just a small selection of books. My inclination is to compare Charlie & Grace to my go-​to shop in Wheaton, but I keep reminding myself to appreciate it for the different shop that it is. There is a small rocking chair and a book basket to occupy the little ones while parents are shopping. The owner mentioned she’s putting up a felt activity board soon, too. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more toys added to the inventory, especially puzzles. 4 stars for nice organization and a very pleasant shopping atmosphere.