OXFORD — Best friends Israelle Welch and Brittany Oster refuse to pay full price for things — especially children’s clothes — and figured others shared the same sentiment.

This prompted them to open The Peanut Gallery children’s consignment store. The new store is at 1600 Main St., Suite 4, in Oxford, in the same plaza as Subway and opened Nov. 5.

Welch, of Paris, said she began considering running a children’s consignment shop a few years ago, but the timing wasn’t right. In March, the women began discussing the idea in earnest and began doing research, said Oster, who lives in Oxford.

“There is nowhere in Oxford Hills that has a kids’ consignment store,” she said. “When I was a kid, my mom always brought me to the one on Fore Street. That is where she shopped all the time (and) saved a lot of money.

“We both have little people that are growing quickly,” Welch said, referring to her 3-year-old son, Titan, who has a head full curls. He was playing in the store with Oster’s 2-year-old daughter, Hadley, who has red hair like her mother.

Welch said a lot of people have told her that the store was needed in the area.

“They’re only in their clothes for so long,” Oster said. “There is no reason to pay full price for quality clothes.”

The women reached out to family and friends prior to opening to purchase kids clothes for the store. They offer sizes ranging from newborns to juniors 12 and 14 and are able to fit a lot within the store’s walls.

Racks of clothes and winter coats line the middle and back wall of the space. Across the mirrors, including onesies, even a black-and-white tuxedo, are clothes pinned on string. In the front corner is a small rocking chair next to the child-size bookshelf and a play area in the opposite corner of the store. Adult-size bookshelves line the back of the store, filled with shoes, toys, washcloths and towels.

There are various children’s accessories and toys galore – some of which the friends keep for themselves. Case in point, a yellow walkie talkie that changes your voice to sound like a Minion, which amuses Titan and Hadley. A chalkboard behind the register has a list of items customers are looking for: a double stroller, general-neutral Pack ‘N Play, a baby tub.

The Peanut Gallery’s current buying options include outright buys, where the customer is given a percent of the estimated resale of the item, and consignment, which is a fixed percent of whatever the item is sold for.

Eventually they plan to offer store credit, where customers can come in with items and trade them for offerings in the store.

As for their friendship, Welch and Oster have known each other since they were little, as their moms, dads and brothers all were best friends.

“We were kind of destined to either love or hate each other and we kind of love each other,” Oster said with a smile. “And now there is Hadley and Titan.”

“Yes what are they, third-generation best friends?” Welch asked.

Opening the store was a family affair for both women. Their husbands, parents, grandparents and even in-laws helped them get the space ready – from painting the tree and clouds in the play area to building shelving for the clothes and the front desk to everything in between.

“Brittany’s mom and grandmother were here many a days and late nights, tagging and hanging and washing clothes and getting us food and giving us the look of, ‘You’re too tired, go home,’” Welch said. “We’ve done a lot of work but we’ve had a lot of help from a few people.”

As new business owners, the best friends want to be part of the community –which is why they have a community bulletin board in their store and a donations box for people in need. They were able to donate children’s clothes to the victims of the Beal Street fire in Norway.

Currently, Oster still works full-time at A-1 Auto and Welch runs her own cleaning business when she’s not manning their shop.

“Hopefully the shop will do well enough that that’s all we do for a living,” Welch said.

And so far, business has been pretty good.

“The first week wasn’t super busy but it was more than I expected,” Welch said. “I feel like steadily every week it’s picked up a little bit.”

“The word is definitely getting around,” Oster added.

The Peanut Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/thepeanutgalleryllc/ or call 743-0400.

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