Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayley Robertson and Sarah Godshaw.
Hayley and Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
If you want to go way back, it started in design school when we were seated next to each in pattern making class. We became fast friends and haven’t left each other’s side since.
It was after having kids that we decided to get into the children’s apparel space. We were commiserating over how hard it was to find baby clothes we liked. Having spent our careers designing women’s apparel, we know so many brands that offer fashionable, unique clothes at palatable price points for women, but we weren’t finding anything comparable for babies and toddlers.
Price point plays so much more into the equation when clothing is only going to fit for a few months if not weeks. It felt like the children’s apparel market was divided into two categories: fashionable and unique, yet oppressively expensive, or affordable clothes that felt branded and mass-produced. We were scouring the internet and vintage shops for baby clothes that spoke to our sensibilities of style and price and finally decided to try selling the things we wanted to dress our own kids in.
So that’s how All Small Co came about – from us wanting to build the retail space we’d be trying to find. Adorable, affordable, sartorial infant and toddler clothes.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Like so many business owners, we’ve had to completely change the way we run the company because of COVID-19. We’re each working at home with a toddler, so the workday is dictated by when naps, snacks, or Daniel Tiger, will allow some uninterrupted time.
We also try to offer things that aren’t already available in a saturated market, or re-grammed all day on Instagram. It takes a lot of digging and research to find those unique pieces, and we’re searching for them all over the world. It’s challenging, but it’s also among the most fun parts of the job. We stock lots of vintage kid’s clothes too, which takes even more digging. But we’re vintage fanatics when it comes to our own wardrobe and we get just as excited about those one-of-a-kind discoveries for the shop.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
All Small Co. is about adding fun and individuality into the daily —and let’s face it—often mundane task of dressing small children.
We pride ourselves on offering an affordable, fashionable, highly curated selection of clothes that can’t be found anywhere else – whether its the quirkiest, coolest new pieces or super special little vintage items.
What were you like growing up?
Sarah: I was precocious and super outgoing. I was an actor as a kid so I learned early on how to be comfortable around a lot of different kinds of people. I’m still like that to this day – I like connecting with people and helping people connect with each other.
Hayley: I was sort of the opposite. I was shy and artsy and much more comfortable staying indoors with markers and paper than running around on the schoolyard with my classmates. That makes me sound sad – I did have friends! But I was an introvert. I still am, but I’m not shy anymore.
We complement each other really well in that way, both as friends and business partners. There’s a really fun balance to our personalities.
Contact Info:
- Website: allsmall.co
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: allsmallco
Image Credit:
Chris Cantle for the personal photo, All Small Co for all others.
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
