A decade or so ago Kristine Wimsett was a single mom raising two daughters in the Seattle area.

Baby clothes weren’t cheap and babies outgrow clothes fast, she found.

Luckily, Wimsett found a children’s thrift shop, which proved a lifesaver.

“I literally couldn’t have made it without that store,” she said.

She carried memories and good thoughts about that store with her through the years. And, after moving to Kalispell found a way to have her own version of the store she’d spent so much time in shopping for her girls.

Wimsett named her store in memory of her mother, who died at age 90. Her mom left Wimsett with a bit of cash which she used to start her own children’s thrift store — A Mother’s Blessing.

“I named the store to honor my mom. She blessed me by leaving me some money to open a business,” Wimsett said. A second reason for the name, she said, is “all the moms who shop here are blessed. They can’t all afford everything they want for their kids and this option helps them.”

Wimsett sees a lot of grandparents in her store, noting that many are raising their grandchildren, without a lot of disposable income for kids’ clothing.

Likewise, foster parents find her store a great option. They often need clothes of many different sizes and in a hurry, she said. “Shopping here is a real plus for those parents,” she said.

Wimsett is involved with several teen mother programs in the area, donating clothing and items such as car seats to moms and she has donated merchandise to the Hope Pregnancy Center. She’s also donated clothes to teachers who are picking up items for needy students and to daycare centers.

“This is very much a recycled place,” Wimsett said of A Mother’s Blessing. “We try to give to people who need it and help people who need help.”

The store sells clothes for children ranging from preemie to size 8. Besides clothes, customers also will find boots, shoes, pajamas, hats, socks and gloves.

Dozens of strollers, jump seats, car seats, walkers and swings fill the back room of the shop. Wimsett sells some children’s furniture, including cribs, beds, bassinets and high chairs.

The store is not a consignment shop, Wimsett said. She buys merchandise from people and then re-sells it.

The gently used merchandise she sells hang on racks next to some new items.

Wimsett is excited for next Halloween, because she found a great bargain on new costumes and stocked up to sell them at A Mother’s Blessing.

“I already have 400 costumes,” she said. She shares the pain many parents feel about buying things such as Halloween costumes, which can be pricey and aren’t usually worn as frequently as clothes.

She has a small play area in the store where kids can go while their parents peruse the racks. She plans to expand that area as part of a new year’s rearrangement effort. “I want it to be kid-friendly because most moms have their kids with them when they go shopping.

“I love the shop and all the people I meet,” Wimsett said. “I get to see new babies and I love babies. Parents bring in their ultrasound pictures and it’s just fun to see how excited they are.”

The business, at 805 W. Center Ave. in Kalispell, is barely holding its own, Wimsett said, but she’s committed to the concept. She believes parents need some help especially in this troubled economy, and she offers a bit of that help.

“I keep going because people need the store,” she said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.