It has been three years since Tiffany Seibert and her family opened Snapdragon Kids, a truly charming children’s apparel and gift shop located on Washington Street within a stone’s throw of the courthouse. Much has happened since then, and when we spoke, Tiffany was just back from market in Atlanta, and especially excited about the gifts she had found to feature in the store for this upcoming holiday season. Snapdragon’s is the only store on the Square that is exclusively devoted to kid’s clothes, and I love going in there. It reminds me of the kinds of places my grandmother used to take me to shop for clothing when I was very young, and the outstanding customer service is a definite throwback to a bygone era.
Tiffany started Snapdragon’s originally as an online shopping service, before she and her husband, city councilman Chris Seibert, along with their sons Brock and Ben, moved back home to Athens. “When the owner of Kids’ World retired, I knew we needed another option for children’s clothes. I wanted a store that was fun for both the parents and the kids to come to for a special outfit, a birthday or baby gift, or a place for grandparents to bring their grandkids.” The whole Seibert clan came together, along with Tiffany’s mother, Debi Davis, and renovated the shop as well as the loft. The result is a wonderful place to shop or just visit, even if there aren’t any kids in your life.
Snapdragon Kids features girls’ clothing for infants to size 16. The “tween” sizes, from 10-16, are displayed up in the loft. They also have a selection of girls’ sandals in the summer, and dressier shoes all year round.
Brock and Ben have both worn the boys’ clothing that is available at Snapdragon’s, and Ben still fits in a size 12. They are involved in selecting what Tiffany is going to feature. “Brock and Ben ok every item of every boy line and Ben is one of our best advertisers,” Tiffany told me with a properly proud smile. The clothing for boys goes up to size 12.
There is an adorable display of Calico Critters, which are miniature animal families that to me look like they were inspired by the Beatrix Potter books. Snapdragon’s also carries Madame Alexander dolls, which were certainly some of my favorites when I was a girl. There are stuffed animals by Mary Meyer and Douglas, and Tiffany says, “We try to carry classic toys, because the quality is just better.” There is going to be a great selection of small stocking stuffers for Christmas, clear up to beautiful holiday dresses.
“We try to be a fun one-stop shop,” she told me, “with a variety of price points.” Tiffany is also committed to carrying clothing that is age appropriate and doesn’t make girls look like they are growing up too quickly. “There are stories about the kids that come in here,” she said. “Sometimes they come in to spend their tooth fairy money. We also have had parents come in with their kids supposedly just to window shop, but the parents stand behind their children, out of sight, and indicate that they want to purchase something desired by their child by pointing to it. We wait until they leave, gift wrap it, and let them come back to pick it up.” That is certainly not a service you are going to find at a big-box store, and gift wrapping is free all year round. “We also offer layaway service,” she said.
We talked about a popular holiday favorite, and that’s matching pajamas for all the kids. Holiday PJs are available for both girls and boys, and some families have even had formal portraits taken in their ‘jammies. Having special PJs certainly adds to the fun of Christmas morning!
The holiday dresses are classically styled in Christmas colors, and some are floor length. Even the gold threaded dresses featured on the cover, which obviously have a bit more glitz, are perfect for a fancy holiday party without making the girls look older than they are.
There are accessories of all kinds– hair bows, jewelry, and more, and again, they are classic, understated, and lovely. The whole flavor of the shop is one where you can find high-quality clothing that is balanced between classic and trendy, with the result being that your kids will look great, and you won’t have to break the bank. Stop by and enjoy the sight of good taste and carefully selected merchandise.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
