Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique in Alexandria, VA
September 1st, 2010 Categories: Alexandria, Del Ray
Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique in Alexandria is open and ready for business.
Occupying what was a former hardware store in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, specialty boutique Bellies and Babies is the creative genius of Dawn Luepke.
Dawn Luepke
Dawn, like many of our local entrepreneurs, was a Capitol Hill staffer before moving to HUD as a project manager.
Marriage, to event planner Tim Luepke, and two children – a boy and girls 15 months apart – meant a lot of maternity clothes and a lot of baby clothes.
Not surprisingly it was also time to consider a career change – all of which culminated in the idea for a great new business.
1913 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Located in the heart of Del Ray at 1913 Mt. Vernon Avenue, in a two story bungalow, the property is a perfect setting for Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique.
A parking lot right next door and a fenced yard makes this destination easy and safe. Just look for the light green house at the corner of Mt. Vernon and East Howell.
Once inside, cool blue walls and crisp white trim invoke an instant calm. A hand painted mural anchors a back wall and a fireplace and hardwood floors add to the feeling of being in someone’s home.
The idea behind Bellies and Babies is two fold. In the downstairs area Dawn is offering select high end baby items at deeply discounted prices along with items made by local artists. Think cloth diapers, onesies, knit booties, changing pads, tutu’s, etc.
Upstairs, Bellies and Babies has consignment items in three distinct rooms – Moms (maternity clothes), girls, and boys. Both the boys and girls rooms have play areas and a second floor bathroom has a changing table and potty seats.
In the Moms space there is a dressing room and a large full length mirror. The bonus here is that Dawn is also offering high end maternity rentals for special occasions. What mother-to-be isn’t going to love this!
And the consignment items are fabulous – with some carrying original price tags. There are also some furniture pieces including a miniature club chair and rug that almost left with me.
It’s not hard to believe that Dawn was a project manager. In addition to the physical store, Bellies and Babies Consignment Boutique offers an online search capability through their Web site and inventory (especially consignments) is updated daily. A Facebook page makes updates and news about special events a snap.
We love the concept, the setting is comfortable, and the clothes are wonderful. But most of all, we love the personality and warmth that Dawn and her husband have brought to this very special business.
We know that you are going to love it too. Stop by and visit or give them a call at 703.518.8908.
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Greetings! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Many thanks!
I have been visting Bellies & Babies for over 3 years and I had always felt I was paying too much but the clothes were unique so I dealt with it. Although the rudeness of the owner- Dawn had always been tolerable until today.
SHE REPREMANTED MY 20 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER & THEN ME!! Why? Because my daughter removed a stuffed toy the size of my hand!! Her words lacked the simple dignity you should show to humans let alone your customers!! I left her store feeling sad and hurt that mysekf and my young sweet daughters digninty was worth so little to this shop owner.Shocking. I will no longer be giving her my business & unless you are a perfect customer then I would avoid Belies and Babies with rude Dawn too.
I am a counselor myself and I hope that Dawn will re-evaluate how she treats her clients. I would hope that her rudeness had nothing to do with my race.