If you’re hunting for a good baby or kid gift, we’ve got news for you: Three Littles, a new pop-up dedicated to all things, well, little, is opening October 5 in Union Market.
The store will be located in the old Sabah stand and focus on sustainably produced and gender-neutral clothes, toys, and accessories—all of which are made by groups prioritizing safe and fair labor laws, says founder Elizabeth Mahon.
Mahon is the owner of District Baking Company and a former nanny. Over her years working with children, Mahon realized it was hard to track down harm-free, well-made things for kids.
“[I mostly saw] a lot of stuff made in places where they don’t prioritize safe and fair labor laws, where they don’t care where the materials come from, and the materials aren’t always safe for children,” says Mahon.
Especially problematic were manufacturers who use child labor. “It was always crazy to me that you’d go in somewhere and buy something for a child that was made by someone else’s children,” she says, hence the store’s slogan for children, but never by children.
Mahon has always dreamed of opening a children’s store. This year, after returning from a stint nannying in San Francisco, she finally bit the bullet. “I figured instead of complaining about how hard it is to find [good stuff for kids], I would just create a place,” she says.
The result is Three Littles, which is named after the three children she spent the last few years nannying. At the store, you’ll find products such as bedding, toys, bibs, clothing, and pacifiers from lines like Wiley Body and Honey Bauble. Mahon wants it to be the perfect place to pick up a present for baby and parent, which is why she’ll also carry candles, face masks, and other pick-me-ups for tired moms and dads.
Also important is the store’s focus on gender-neutral toys and clothing, she says. “A lot more people care less about pigeonholing children into a specific identity,” she says. “Wear what you want to wear and be who you want to be before everyone else tells you what you have to be.”
Eventually, Mahon plans to incorporate children’s music classes and art classes into the store’s offerings, as well. As for now, Mahon signed the pop-up’s lease for one year, but depending on how things go, she says may extend it.
Her goal, though, is to turn Three Littles into a permanent brick-and-mortar shop one day. In the meantime, you can visit the store seven days a week from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Three Littles; 1309 5th St. NE
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
