Every parent knows the loop of outgrown clothes. Babies change size every few weeks, and each time there's another decision to make: donate, give away or sell? For Sydney mums and To The Moon Kids founders, that mental load became a business idea.

They both loved secondhand shopping, and they wanted a boutique-style kids' store where parents could shop and sell in one spot, with somewhere for the kids to play while they did it. When the shop in Summer Hill came up, they stopped hesitating and went all in. Now with two stores, a fill-a-bag sale that stopped traffic, and a name inspired by a toddler's favourite RuPaul song, they're proving that preloved can be curated, community-led and a little bit magic.

We sat down with them to talk about where it started, what they look for on the rails, and what running a small business with kids really looks like.

Take us back to the beginning: where did the idea for To The Moon Kids come from, and what made you decide to actually go for it?

We have both always loved second hand shopping and once we had kids found ourselves wishing a shop existed locally, like so many second hand boutiques we love to shop for ourselves, but for kids clothes.

This, plus the ongoing mental load of what to do with the clothes our babies were continually outgrowing - constantly deciding what to donate, give away or sell. We became obsessed with the idea of wanting to create a space for local parents that could solve both these problems in one go - a preloved kids clothing store where parents could shop and sell all in once place.

When the shop in Summer Hill became available it, it was such a perfect spot it made us stop hesitating and decide to go all in.

What was missing from the kids’ retail space that you felt To The Moon Kids could do differently?

We found that for us in Sydney the main options for second hand babies and kids clothing were op shops, online and markets. Even though a day of going from one op-shop to the next is literally our dream day out, parents are time poor so we felt there was an opportunity in the local retail landscape for a permanent, dedicated baby and kids clothing space.

We envisioned somewhere boutique-y and curated - secondhand shopping is always a real treasure hunt but we felt there was a need for a space where you’re likely to strike gold each time you visit and know you can find everything you need such as sleep sacks, swimwear and shoes as well as clothing all in one place.

We also noticed that there were plenty of great consignment, exchange and rent-a-rack stores for adult clothing in Sydney but nothing with a similar business model for kids clothing. We were really drawn to the idea of parents being able to buy and sell in-person and in the one place, not just due to convenience but because we believe that connection is so important for parents, especially in those newborn days, so loved the idea of a space where, instead of creating listings to sell items at home on their phone, parents could hang out and chat while they sell their items. We often have new mums in the store who have never met all chatting away to each other and love it so much.

The name To The Moon Kids has such a cute origin story. Can you share it with us?

Thank you! The name actually comes from the Ru Paul song ‘To the Moon’. When Ronnie (Jess’ daughter) was little and I was first dreaming about opening the shop I’d watch Drag Race every week with my friend, Ronnie would watch with us and she LOVED the song To the Moon from it. We had it playing on repeat at her request, I even have a video of her baby monitor of her singing it in her sleep. So I think the name came to me because it was always stuck in my head but we also thought suited a kids store and felt nostalgic which matched the preloved aspect perfectly.

What are you looking for when you choose something for To The Moon Kids?

We look for the things we want to dress our own kids in - comfy, play-ready pieces that are designed for childhood and built to last. We gravitate towards natural fibres, well-made items, fun prints, local and independent brands and vintage and vintage-inspired pieces.

How much has your own experience of motherhood and family life influenced the way you’ve built the business and the products you choose?

So much! For starters it’s really influenced the fit out of the stores. Right from the start when the idea was just forming we knew we always wanted some kind of play area for kids in the store. It’s really important to us that the space is fun to visit for everyone of all ages and we know from experience as mums that if there’s something to occupy the kids it’s a more enjoyable outing for everyone involved.

As most of our team are mums this really influences flexibility around the roster, we all help each other out and cover where is needed so that things like class room visits and Book Week parades don’t get missed. Our experience as mums definitely influences the products we choose, I feel like before having kids every baby shower present I gave was so impractical as I was selecting things based on cute-factor only, now as a mum I know that some things are super cute but just aren’t practical so we are either super selective or don’t buy things that fall into this category.

What has surprised you most about running your own business — either something you’ve loved more than expected or something you never realised would be part of the job?

How much I’ve grown to love data - it feels at odds to the rest of my personality, I’m very type b but I love pulling reports from the store and online store and analysing trends, seeing what sells better at which store, what the top search terms online each week are. I never would have thought data analysis would be something I would enjoy - but here we are!

What has been your proudest or most memorable To The Moon Kids moment so far? The moment that made you think, “Wow, we actually created this”?

Last year we held a fill a bag sale outside our Erskineville store, we expected a decent turnout as there were great bargains on offer but were beyond blown away by the crowd. Before we even opened for the day there was a line so far up the street, it was so crazy and also so cool to see so many people from our community all there at once.

I spoke to a customer weeks later who had been in the line and she said the vibes in the line for the sale were so fun and she’d even exchanged numbers with another pregnant woman she met in the line who was due around the same time - this made us so happy to hear!

What’s the dream from here? Where would you love to see To The Moon Kids in five years’ time?

Once our kids are older we’d love to have more stores but definitely have our hands full for now with the two stores. Until then, we would love to have the time work on more community events and collaborations.