Local Baby and Childrens Preloved Company Grows

Meet Ruby Blaken who turned her lockdown hobby into a business!

If Ruby Blaken had been expecting a girl for her third baby, then things might have been different. But she was having another boy, very firmly her last, and she wanted to make some money and avoid waste at the same time by selling on her toddler daughter’s clothes.

What started as a hobby turned into a business and now, three years on, Ruby has won awards, been named a female entrepreneur to watch, and found a passion in repurposing unwanted children’s and maternity clothes that might otherwise go into landfill. In fact, she has now rescued more than 10,000 pieces of clothing!

So how did Ruby, 32, who has a degree in early years childcare and has worked in nursery, creche and nannying roles, find such success with Second Snuggle Preloved, her online business which sells pre-loved children’s and maternity clothes?

Ruby lives in Wiltshire with husband Michael, an Accounts Director, and their children Isaac, seven, Florence, four, and Archer, two.

Like many others, it was the experience of the pandemic which prompted Ruby to reassess her future. She was also expecting Archer, the country was in lockdown, shops were shut, and she had to work out what she might need for the new baby.

Ruby looked through everything and, knowing she was expecting a boy, decided to sell on Florence’s clothes. Instead of using a forum like Facebook Marketplace, she opted to set up her own Facebook page and then quickly moved to her own website, which she created herself. She was soon selling on behalf of friends too. Second Snuggle Preloved was born.

Now Ruby has a clear business model. She buys in second-hand clothes, paying per kilogram, then reselling. For higher end pieces, she’ll sell on behalf of others and pay a commission.

She’s shown real entrepreneurial flair, achieving her success entirely on her own, with no marketing or technical support. She’s even getting on to the first page of Google for pre-loved children’s clothes.

Ruby is passionate about the positive impact her business has on the environment, by saving clothing from going into landfill. In fact, she often repairs clothes to make them good enough for sale, delighting in seeing them reused. It really is a business with a purpose.

She also runs a community wardrobe project with HEALS, a charity local to her in Malmesbury, to provide warm coats and clothes for people in need over the winter. Again, this is finding a new use for preowned clothes and saving them from the rubbish bin.

Ruby’s business has been noticed. She was among 100 female entrepreneurs from across the country namechecked in the f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign, which celebrates the achievements of women running businesses in the UK. The business has also been a Muddy Stiletto award finalist.

They have also recently started to sell sustainably new, so they have branched out into play and toys – which helps more parents who need to buy new, to choose some great sustainable items.

https://www.secondsnuggle.co.uk/

Photo credit: Judith Parkyn Photography.