Name: Kelli Brown
Finalist, Sustainability
Hometown: Hoboken
Business: Bounce Mkt
New Jersey Family: Tell us about Bounce Mkt and what makes it unique.
Kelli Brown: Our goal at Bounce Mkt is to make shopping for pre-loved kids’ clothes as easy on parents as it is on the planet, so that we can help people buy used, instead of new, more often and take a small step towards sustainability. To do this, we buy and sell the best of pre-loved kids’ clothing. We offer a carefully curated collection of pre-loved kids’ clothes that are in excellent condition, laundered, and from the brands that parents’ love. And we make it easier than ever for parents to sell their pre-loved kids’ clothes without jumping through lots of hoops.
NJF: When did you launch Bounce Mkt and what was your biggest inspiration?
KB: Shortly after my daughter was born, I tried to donate some of her used baby things and found that it was surprisingly difficult to give away baby items. I quickly learned that our community was already inundated with gently used baby clothes and gear and, as I dug deeper into textile waste, I was shocked to discover just how big of a toll our fashion choices have on the environment. Climate change is likely to be one of the biggest issues that my kids’ generation will face so I knew that this was a problem that I really wanted to work on. I believed (and still do) that there is an opportunity to rethink our relationship with clothes and reduce our environmental footprint. In November 2021, Bounce Mkt was launched!
NJF: Take us through the process of buying and selling your child’s clothing.
KB: Our goal is to make selling and shopping pre-loved kids’ clothes super easy for parents because parenting is tough enough already. For those looking to sell, we offer local pickups, or you can drop off anytime. We review everything and then email over an offer that lists out the items we’d love to purchase and for how much. We buy outright so you receive the pay-out upfront, and we don’t place limits on the number of items, seasonality, etc., so it is an easy one-stop clear-out. For shopping, we offer a carefully curated selection of pre-loved items that can be bought in our Hoboken boutique or on our website. All items are thoroughly inspected for condition, laundered, and reflect a range of high-quality brands.
NJF: How did you go from idea to actually launching this business?
KB: I spent a lot of time researching sustainability and secondhand shopping, including having conversations with secondhand shop owners across the country and trying out different online platforms to see if there was an opportunity to do things differently. This helped me to turn my idea into a proper business plan, which I then shared with lots of different people to get their feedback. It took a while, but this process helped me to strengthen the thinking behind my business plan and build the confidence I needed to launch it.
NJF: What was your proudest moment as a business owner?
KB: The first time a customer wandered into the shop and then remarked, “Is this a secondhand shop? But everything looks new.” Our big goal with Bounce Mkt is to show people that pre-loved shopping can be as good as buying new, just with the added benefit of being more sustainable. Anytime that we’re able to help someone see pre-loved in a different light and shed the stigma, it is a huge win.
NJF: What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever gotten that you want to share with others?
KB: Total cliché but good advice nonetheless – don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. When you’re starting a business, it isn’t possible to do everything you want to do as time and resources are tight, so you need to be laser-focused on the things that you can do today that will have the biggest impact on meeting clients’ needs and growing the business.
NJF: It’s not easy taking a passion and turning it into a business. Any advice for others who want to do the same?
KB: While starting a business can be incredibly rewarding, it is also emotionally demanding. Having a support network, building relationships with those in similar situations, and taking steps to protect your mental health can go a long way in terms of keeping you from getting burnt out.
NJF: What’s it like juggling the kids and family with running a business?
KB: It’s tough! I’m so lucky to have an amazing group of people supporting me: from my husband who watches the kids when I need to go into work to the women working in the shop that held it all together when I was home with a newborn earlier this year. I’m so grateful for them.
NJF: What’s next for Bounce Mkt?
KB: Our big focus in the short-term will be on improving the functionality of our online platform, including giving parents outside of Hoboken a way to sell their pre-loved kids’ clothes and making it even easier to shop on our website. We will also be bringing Bounce Mkt to other parts of New Jersey with pop up shopping events.
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