An Olympia kindergarten teacher who started selling her kids' outgrown clothes online has built a children's clothing company that she says pulled in more than $70,000 in less than a year.

Ali Daugherty teaches at Griffin School, the PreK–Grade 8 campus on 33rd Avenue NW. After her two children, now 4 and 18 months old, outgrew their wardrobes, she listed the items on Whatnot, a live-auction platform.

The side hustle grew into Evergreen Kids Co., which now sells wholesale children's clothing through scheduled livestream auctions and a separate Shopify storefront.

Daugherty said she skipped the garage-sale route and went straight to Whatnot. "Once I sold their clothes, I was really finding that I liked doing it and, more importantly, connecting with other moms," she told ThurstonTalk in a profile published Friday, Aug. 21.

"Not everyone can afford to spend so much on kids' clothing, so I really try to find quality items that are budget-friendly."

One live auction brought in $1,700 in a single show.

Daugherty said she has hired an accountant and is adding one or two staff members to keep up with demand.

From secondhand to original designs

Daugherty started with pre-made wholesale designs but is now developing original children's clothing with a graphic designer and manufacturing the products in China. Because of the time difference, she said she is often communicating with suppliers at 2 a.m. Pacific time.

Her typical day during a busy stretch: teach all day at Griffin, make dinner, coach her daughter's t-ball practice with her husband, put the kids to bed, then go downstairs to run a live Whatnot show, package orders and invoice customers.

The extra income has funded a family trip to Disneyland and her daughter's birthday celebration. Daugherty said she also reinvests profits back into the business.

The platform behind the growth

Whatnot, founded in 2019, closed a $545 million Series G round in early August, valuing the company at $20 billion, CNBC reported. The platform says it commands roughly 60 percent of the U.S. live commerce market, which it values at more than $22 billion. Sellers apply for access, schedule live shows and can run auctions, fixed-price listings and giveaways during streams.

Daugherty's advice for anyone considering the platform: try it. She said Whatnot lets "literally anyone" press go and start selling, and that connecting honestly with customers is what drives success.

Evergreen Kids Co.'s Shopify site was active as of Monday, Aug. 24, and Daugherty said she is hiring staff to keep pace with growth.