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Local couple starts business described as ‘Netflix for kid’s clothing’

Posted at 10:27 PM, May 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-10 22:40:57-04

SPRING LAKE, Mich. -- John and Ashley Bosch of Spring Lake have started a business that could change the way you shop for your kids. It's called Fitted Tot, and it's like Netflix for kid's clothing, meaning they mail the clothing items to your home and you send them back when you're done.

It started when Ashley Bosch was shopping for baby clothes for her baby son. She had to repeatedly buy new wardrobes as he grew. She had patronized clothing rental services for herself before, but she could find nothing in the market out there for children's clothing. That's when she and her husband John hatched the idea.

"I actually used a service called Le Tote when I used to live in Chicago," explained Ashley Bosch. "I rented women's clothes there, nice women's clothes. And when I got pregnant, I started looking for a similar type of service. I really couldn't find anything, and it seemed so odd to me, because babies grow out of clothes so fast. It just seemed to make sense to rent baby clothes."

So the couple started doing exactly that out of the basement of their home.

"We weren't really sure how it was going to go, but it kind of just took on a life of its own," said John.

Fitted Tot now has about 50 customers from across Michigan and around the country, everywhere from California to Texas. For $45 a month, you get five outfits for kids up to five years old. If you have two kids, it costs $60 a month. For three kids, it's $70 a month.

"Each box has one set of pajamas, three play outfits and a premium outfit," said Ashley. "They can wear them as long as they'd like, usually about a week, and they'll return it when they're ready for a new set of clothes."

Each box caters to a style of your choice. "We have some more urban trends, then we have more of a classier, preppy style, athletic type styles" said Ashley. "So they can choose from those and then we curate their boxes based on those preferences."

John and Ashley say it's perfect for parents who want their kids to be stylish but don't want to buy a brand new wardrobe every time their kids grow.

"It's like having a revolving wardrobe," said Ashley. "You never really have to invest in something new, but you're always going to have something great."

If a customer likes an item enough to buy it, they can keep the item and send the rest back. The customer will be able to purchase that item at a discounted rate, usually 40-50% off.

Parents also don't have to pay extra for any items that are returned stained or damaged. Any damaged or stained items will be donated to Hope Closet, a local charity.