Children's secondhand clothing retailer Little Duck has opened its second store in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. At about 170 square meters across two floors, it is nearly twice the size of its first store in East Kew, which opened in 2024. Founded by mental health professional and mother Lauren McCaughan, the brand began with a children's clothing "rent-a-rack" concept: sellers can rent racks in-store to sell their own secondhand clothes, while customers shop curated secondhand pieces by theme; for customers who want convenience, the store also offers managed racks and consignment services.

Key points

  • Little Duck's second store is located in Hawthorn, Victoria, spans 170 square meters over two floors, and is about twice the size of its first store in East Kew, which opened in 2024.
  • The business model centers on sellers renting racks to sell their own items and on consignment. Merchandise covers children's clothing from newborn to about age 12, as well as womenswear, maternity and nursing wear, footwear, accessories, toys, and books.
  • The ground floor includes a parents' room, fitting rooms, and a children's play area. The second floor has a workshop and studio for events, masterclasses, meetings, and photo shoots, with a resident hairstylist and makeup artist.

The store continues the three pillars of "shop, sell, connect." Little Duck says the Hawthorn store did not significantly increase inventory volume; instead, it keeps the number of racks fixed to maintain a more curated shopping experience. In addition to three selling options—DIY rack rental, all-inclusive managed service, and Little Duck Curated consignment—the brand also offers a Mystery Bundles personalized selection service, in which the team picks items based on a child's size, style, and wardrobe needs, with a subscription option that follows the child as they grow.

McCaughan says circular fashion can also be premium, and sustainability should not be associated only with market stalls, rummaging, and waste; the value of a garment can be redefined by how it is cared for and how it is presented. She believes people today are easily thrown off by others' pace online, and what is truly scarce is connection and the opportunity to be in the same room—which is what the Hawthorn store aims to provide.

For the secondhand clothing industry, Little Duck's expansion shows that the children's resale segment is moving from market-style selling toward store-based, service-oriented, and community-driven operations: rack rental and consignment lower the barrier for individual sellers, while physical spaces tie secondhand transactions to events and socializing, creating a differentiated position from pure online resale platforms.

Source: Little Duck grows resale footprint in Hawthorn · Originally published 2026-10-13