Morning Tea with Bharat Express: Women A Goddess Of Creativity & Inspiration

A Truly Inspirational story of a women from Glasgow Ali Lowrie who opens up second hand clothing store in the east end of the city for kids .

Ali Lowrie, 39, from Broomhouse, opened Hoola Kids at the beginning of the month.

The store sells pre-loved children’s clothes from newborn to 12-years-old, to create a ‘cheaper and greener’ way of shopping.

Ali is hoping to remove the stigma from buying second-hand clothes for children.

“Shopping here is not what you would expect from a second-hand shop. The experience is more like a children’s boutique.

She plans to show people how good second-hand can be.

From long sleeves and wellies to Halloween costumes and pyjamas, Hoola Kids is filled with a range of clothing, all of which are seasonally sufficient.

The store opened on October 1 in Sandyhills’ Ardgay Street and has already gathered up an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ response from ‘mums and lots of grans’.

Ali began the initiative as an online platform, after finding it difficult to pass down clothes between her four children due to their age gaps.

She said: “I found myself with so many clothes and they were so good I decided to sell them online, which I loved.

“I realized this is a problem a lot of people have as kids grow so fast, so I trialed it with a few friends, who gave me their clothes to sell to others, and it snowballed from there.”

After moving from eBay and Facebook Market Place to an online website – which is still available, Ali hopes this new, physical store will convert people into buying second-hand as they can touch the clothes and see them up close, as well as ensure they are intact.

The store also allows people to get rid of their unused clothes, by dropping them into the Hoola Kids shop and getting some cash in return.

Something, Ali hopes, will encourage recycling.

She believes “The environment is 100% part to this”.

“These clothes are already in existence, so I’m there to provide another root for people to help them put outgrown clothes to use.”

The store has not only pleased mums and grans, but important Glasgow figures too.

David Linden, MP for Glasgow East, said: “What Ali has done with Hoola Kids has been truly inspirational.

“The beauty of this business is that folk can buy quality kids clothing at good value and it’s promoting recycling.

“Given that Glasgow hosted COP26 last year, we’ve all been challenged about what we can do to protect the environment and avoid sending things to landfill.

“As a parent of two wee ones myself, I’ll be using Hoola Kids to support a cracking local business and simultaneously help protect the environment for future generations”.