Photo by Jesse Chambers.
Alison and Ben Smolin with their children, Jude and Sage.
This article has been updated on June 20 to include new information on the storefront closing.
According to Jabberwocky Kids Facebook page, the store is now closed.
Retail is a tough business, especially in competition against online shopping, but husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Ben and Alison Smolin saw a market opportunity recently when they opened Jabberwocky Kids, a secondhand children’s clothing store, on Fifth Avenue South in Crestwood.
That’s because secondhand merchandise is the only retail segment that’s growing, according to Ben Smolin, a Homewood native and UAB graduate.
“The economy is up and down, and there’s just not a need to buy all-new stuff,” he said, who added there are even some national chains selling used children’s clothing.
And the Smolins, who have lived in Crestwood for eight years, saw a niche for Jabberwocky Kids in the neighborhood.
“When we moved in, there were very few kids,” Ben Smolin said. ”Now there’s a zillion kids and families.”
The Smolins also said they’re drawn to retail as a way to encourage the reuse of good clothing, to create a shop with a fun, relaxed vibe and to work with their customers to make the process of buying and selling used clothing a pleasant one.
“We’re not trying to make an easy buck off of you,” Ben Smolin said. “It’s almost a community recycling center.”
To reinforce that community feel, the Smolins offer complimentary beer and coffee and play local music in the shop.
The Smolins have no retail experience, but Alison Smolin, a Hoover native, earned a degree in business from UAB in 2010 and worked as a full-time nanny.
Opening a secondhand clothing store was a natural fit. “I like to thrift,” she said. “We don’t buy anything new.”
And the couple have kids of their own — 3-year-old daughter, Sage, and 1-year-old son, Jude.
