Our Story
I have always had an appreciation for clothing with a story behind it. Growing up, hand-me-downs were part of everyday life. I visited charity shops with my parents and, as the youngest of three girls, I was lucky enough to inherit my sisters’ favourite wardrobe pieces once they outgrew them. Those early experiences shaped my love for affordable, thoughtful clothing choices.
When I had my first child, that love grew even stronger. I sourced most of our baby clothing second hand, along with a preloved pushchair, saving money while reducing waste. I quickly became an eco-conscious parent and began looking for more ways to lower our family’s carbon footprint. Cloth nappies, charity shop bargains and reusing wherever possible became part of everyday life.
One moment that really stayed with me was finding a beautiful vintage St Michael floral dress with an embroidered collar for my youngest. I fell in love instantly. It reinforced my belief that clothing doesn’t need to be brand new to be special — or valuable.
After returning to work from maternity leave, life became increasingly busy. We later learned that our son had additional needs, and then COVID hit our household. My eldest daughter was severely affected, resulting in a hospital admission and long-term health issues. Like many families, everything changed very quickly.
During this time, I began selling children’s clothing across online platforms while sourcing the next sizes for my own children. I was amazed at how many items looked almost new and how much value could still be found in them. Over time, I completed more than 500 sales and received five-star feedback on every one.
The Beginning
In March 2023, I made the incredibly difficult decision to leave my full-time job. My youngest daughter was struggling in her childcare setting and, with three children — two with additional needs — I knew I had to put my family first. It was a hard decision and came with many tears, but it was the right one for us.
Not long after, I took a leap of faith and launched Little Ones Preloved in April 2023. My vision was simple: a website full of high-quality second-hand baby and children’s clothing at affordable prices, making sustainable shopping accessible for more families.
Little Ones Preloved quickly grew beyond what I ever imagined. We stocked clothing from newborn to 14 years, including everyday wear, schoolwear and playwear. Every item was carefully quality-checked, restored where possible, and prepared with care. I loved knowing that these outfits would go on to create new memories for other families.
As a mum of three, I know how difficult it can be to fit shopping into an already packed schedule. That’s why the business was designed to be easy to shop online — allowing parents, grandparents and carers to shop whenever it suited them.
Helping Families in Need
Supporting families has always been at the heart of this business.
During the cost-of-living crisis, I became increasingly aware of how many families struggle to afford clothing for their children. This led to the creation of my Clothing in Deed Initiative, supporting families in need across Norfolk.
What started as donating unsold or imperfect stock quickly grew into something much bigger. Families reached out for help, while others generously offered donations so we could support even more children. Through this initiative, I sent two to three clothing parcels each month, personally covering the postage costs. In total, more than 20 parcels were sent to children who needed them most.
At present, the Clothing in Deed Initiative is temporarily paused while the business transitions and restructures. Supporting families remains incredibly important to me, and I fully intend to reintroduce Clothing in Deed once the business is in a position to do so.
A New Chapter – Back On The Shelves
As the business continued to grow, it naturally evolved.
While sustainability has always remained at the heart of what I do, I recognised a growing need for brand-new, affordable clothing that would otherwise go to waste. This led to the next chapter — sourcing brand-new high-street clothing at outlet prices, giving surplus and excess stock a home instead of it being discarded.
And so, Back On The Shelves was born.
Our clothing comes from trusted high-street retailers and includes items from cancelled orders, excess stock and discontinued lines. These are brand-new, unworn pieces — simply brought back on the shelves for less. While our stock has changed over time, our values have not. Affordability, quality and reducing unnecessary waste remain at the core of everything we do.
Today, Back On The Shelves offers discount outlet fashion for children and adults, with carefully sourced stock, clear descriptions and thorough quality checks on arrival and again before dispatch.
Awards & Recognition
Since launching, Little Ones Preloved has been incredibly fortunate to receive recognition for its work:
July 2023 – Selected as a Small Business Sunday Winner by Theo Paphitis
October 2023 – Shortlisted for Norfolk Small Business Hero of the Year
October 2023 – Winner of the Sustainability Award at The Business Awards
November 2023 – Public voting stage of the World Ecommerce Awards
November 2023 – Awarded Best Preowned Baby/Children’s Apparel eTailer – UK by Lux Life Global Excellence Awards
Being recognised in this way — particularly through customer nominations — has been one of the most humbling parts of this journey.