03/29/2024
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By Cara Beth Lewis 

In November of 1998, a mother of four girls felt that Bladen County had a need for a store offering children’s clothing, and so Toddlers and Teens Boutique was born. The local boutique is owned by Kim and Billy Thompson and operated by their daughter Kayla Jackson Allen. Since 1998, the store has grown, developed, and evolved from a children’s store to a store for the whole family.

Located on West Broad Street in Elizabethtown, the boutique is in a great location for convenient shopping. Toddlers and Teens now offer clothing, accessories, and more for men, women, and of course – toddlers and teens.

Pictured above: Kayla Allen, Josh Allen, and children Will and Kali Allen.

According to store operator Kayla Allen, “It takes a village. Alison McCollum, store manager, and social media coordinator is my right-hand man, my husband Josh Allen is my handyman, and my sisters are always willing to do anything they can to make everything run smoothly.” Toddlers and Teens Boutique is certainly a family-centered business.

Pictured above: Store Manager and Social Media Coordinator Alison McCollum, with her son Cray.
Pictured above: the family of owners Kim and Billy Thompson.
Owner Kim Thompson (far right) pictured with two of her daughters, Kayla and Courtney, and one of her granddaughters, Trinity.

When it all started in 1998, Kim Thompson (owner), sat down with her father for help in deciding a name for the new business. Her father, James Hester, came up with the name Toddlers and Teens. Even though the store is for more than just toddlers and teens now, Kayla says, “I can’t bring myself to change the name of the business because my Papa named it.”

Hester, who named Toddlers and Teens Boutique.

You can shop the boutique in-store, online, or in-app. Toddlers and Teens is located at 115 West Broad Street in Elizabethtown and operates Monday through Saturday. The staff at T and T says, “Join us in our VIP group for weekly live sales, surprise coupon codes, and loads of fun!” Join the group here:  www.facebook.com/groups/2769600726436360.

Toddlers and Teens created their Facebook group for “VIP shoppers” in 2020, and it now has over 4,000 dedicated members who participate and shop within the group. Kayla and Alison host weekly sales via Facebook Live and CommentSold. For online shopping, you can visit the CommentSold website here: Toddlers and Teens Boutique.

Several months ago, the boutique excitedly launched an app for their shoppers. You can download the app, Shop T&T, on your mobile device.

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