A visit with Katie from Le Petite Oiseau

Katie and her family visiting Niagara Falls

Hey all, my name is Katie and my Etsy shop is Le Petit Oiseau. I'm mama to Lyla, my sweet 15 month old who is the reason for my shop! I've been a frequenter of thrift stores since high school, sometimes more than others, and when pregnant, I started to search for vintage baby dresses. I would always come across other vintage kids clothes and be sad that I couldn't "save" them and I tried to convince myself I couldn't hoard the bigger sizes. Soon thrifting became a bit of an obsession and my search led me to ebay and Etsy. One day it was like a lightbulb clicked on in my head and I thought, "I could do this!" and Le Petit Oiseau was created.

 Lyla poses in vintage on Great-Grandma's suitcase

I'm still always drawn to vintage baby dresses, and sunsuits that will fit my daughter are like the holy grail. I'm always looking for vintage Fisher Price Little People too! I'm not gonna lie, some of the things I pick up, I personally don't like at all, but in several cases I've been surprised by customer photos and can't believe how cute something looks on. I also love to find old globes (I have 5), old books and old maps. My favorite vintage things are a set of suitcases I inherited from my Grandma that were my Great-Grandma's honeymoon set.

Fall color in central NY

The only thrift stores around here, aside from a few antique malls, are the Salvation Army. I frequent 3 different ones, occasionally making a trip to Syracuse, NY, 45 minutes away, for a change of scenery. Home, for my little family, is an old factory town along the Erie Canal in central NY. I've lived here most of my life and we just bought a home here. It's not a fancy place to live, but the thrifting is good, and somewhat surprisingly, so is the food. We're one of the top refugee resettlement cities in the US, so there is plenty of diversity just a short drive away. And really, it's a beautiful place with the Adirondack Mountains and several beautiful lakes just short drives away in every direction.

 

Lyla loves her vintage Fisher price toys!

My husband Josh & I have been married for 4 years and he tolerates my endless thrifting and hoarding with good humor, even making post office runs for me sometimes (true love)! Lyla is my thrifting partner and she charms the women at the particular Salvation Army we go to all the time (they recognize her and say hi - that's when you know you thrift a lot).








I love the vintage kiddo community on Etsy and feel so honored to be a part of the group that inspired me in the first place!

A sampling of the goodies for sale at Le Petit Oiseau: