Growing pains can come in two varieties: childhood muscle fatigue, often attributed to excess physical activity; and wallet strain, often experienced by parents whose children outgrow clothing soon after purchase.

Pants verging on flood stage and shirts that unintentionally bare bellies often pile up in chests and drawers.

New parents receive so many layettes they often go unworn. Walkers, scooters and bicycles are relegated to basements and garages.

Swaps with friends and relatives and charitable donations can resolve some of the surplus.

Parents looking to reap a financial return, or trade up, often patronize consignment sales or resale or thrift shops.

“We've had several (consignors) who've been with us for all 11 sales. They make money and turn around and buy the next size up (clothes). Then they come back the next year and resell those,” says Becky Klavon.

She and friend Kerstin Herrod met as mothers of toddler sons. Their love of shopping and finding bargains led them to begin organizing their own consignment sales twice a year in 2012.

This weekend, their Kidzsignment is moving to Adamsburg and Community Volunteer Fire Department.

“For sure, clothes are always a big thing. Toys, baby equipment, strollers always go,” Klavon says.

Some shoppers are looking for duplicate gear to keep at a grandparent's home, she says.

“It's one-stop shopping. You don't need to visit (multiple) sales,” Klavon says.

According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, U.S. resale stores have annual revenues of about $13 billion. Estimates show approximately 17 percent of Americans shop at thrift stores each year, and about 13.5 percent patronize consignment shops.

The association says those figures compare to 11.4 percent of American shoppers who visit factory outlet malls, 19.6 percent who shop in apparel stores, and 21.3 percent in major department stores.

Lisa Enlow has staged her Westmoreland Sale for Kids for 11 years at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds.

“Before that I was a consignor, then I bought the business,” she says.

Along with clothes and toys, she finds books and DVDs popular sellers. During the spring sales, outdoor play sets and scooters also do well, Enlow says.

She typically fills her 350 consignor slots soon after the sale site goes live. Sellers and shoppers travel from State College, Ohio and West Virginia, she says.

“I've had consignors with me for 11 years. Some have moved on to the teen sale,” Enlow says.

Items must be in good shape, clean and unstained, Klavon and Enlow say. Toys, puzzles and games must have all of their pieces.

For both sales, consignors set the sale price, with the option of selling at half price on the final day. The profits are split between the seller and the organizers. Items that do not sell are returned or donated to charity.

A local year-round consignment option is the Greensburg YWCA Thrift Shop. Only clothing is sold on a consignment basis, says director Diana Basick.

“You can bring in 12 items every seven days. It's a 50/50 split (on profits),” she says.

After 30 days, unsold items are returned, donated to the shop or forwarded to a charity. The thrift shop, in business for more than 50 years, lays claim to being the area's oldest resale and consignment shop.

It offers sellers four consignment opportunities each year, matching the seasons.

“Most people that shop here call it a ‘boutique,' not even a thrift shop. We are picky,” Basick says. “I think right now people are more interested in getting a bargain. ... People get sticker shock when they go to the mall and then come here. You really can't beat the prices.”

Sellers looking to trade in their items for immediate cash may prefer resale stores like Clubhouse Closet and Once Upon a Child.

Mandi Polites bought the Clubhouse Closet, where she formerly was employed, last year and opened her Mt. Pleasant store in October. Her inventory typically includes clothes, from infancy through young adult, along with children's toys, gear and furniture.

“We've also started doing ‘buy back,' ” Polites says.

Purchasers can return outgrown clothing — still in good condition — and either sell it back or trade up to another size.

“Most of my customers would rather trade,” she says.

She recently swapped one mom an infant swing for a play yard.

“Most of the time it's parents who have more than one child who are open to resale. First-time parents stick with name brands. ... I carry a ton of those. Some have tags still on them, never used,” Polites says.

She has a basic price range for clothing, and uses online searches to determine pricing for strollers, changing tables, etc.

In January, Polites opened Mandi Lynn's Cafe. The cafe draws customers to her next-door business, and vice versa, she says.

Following a career spent in retail management, and a move to Pittsburgh 25 years ago, Susan Hyde began researching business opportunities. After noticing a void in children's retailers, she says, she “stumbled upon resale.”

She bought an existing Once Upon a Child store in Monroeville and later opened a store in the North Hills. Her husband, Fred Hyde, works with her. Fifteen years ago, they opened a Plato's Closet in Monroeville, catering to teen and young adult resale.

“Customers were starting to outgrow me,” Hyde says.

The stores are among national franchises operated by Winmark Corporation of Minneapolis.

“All prices are based on brand, style and condition of items,” Hyde says.

“High demand” items include walkers and high chairs, along with cribs manufactured after July 2011, due to changes in safety standards.

Items often worn only once — Halloween or dance costumes, confirmation suits, holiday dresses — sell well, but must be in pristine condition, she says. Seasonal clearance sales help keep inventory fresh.

Hyde believes any stigma to second-hand shopping, especially for short-term children's clothing, toys and equipment, is vanishing.

“I think the recession in 2008 helped bring to the forefront the resale industry. ... A lot of new shops opened up. It's been much more widely accepted since then,” she says.

Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com.

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