You can outfit a baby, a flower girl or a grandson for family photos at Monkey Barrel of Amelia, a downtown children's shop that has sold classic kids' clothing since 1996. Bonnie Southwick took over as proprietor in 2017 after years as a regular customer (her own children once modeled for the store), and she runs it as both owner and manager, according to the shop's About page. The site describes the clothes as timeless and chosen for quality and craftsmanship.
The store sorts its stock into girls, boys, baby, swim, heirloom and toys, and its brand wall lists more than two dozen labels. Among them:
- The Beaufort Bonnet Company, Kissy Kissy and Magnolia Baby
- Feltman Brothers, Feather Baby and Lullaby Set
- Bailey Boys, Properly Tied, Southern Tide and Blue Quail
- Lemon Lime, Rachel Riley, The Yellow Lamb and Hayden Girls
- Hatley, Tractr and Mustard & Ketchup Kids
Toys and games fill out the rest of the barrel. The shop also has a cartoon monkey mascot, KoKo, whose About page biography has her hunting shark teeth and pedaling a bicycle down Centre Street.
Monkey Barrel is at 23 South Third Street, a few steps south of Centre and on the same block as Violet Bloom. If older girls in your group want something more grown-up, Teak & Ivy has a tween department around the corner on Centre. Call (904) 310-9463 to check on sizes before a special trip.
If grandkids are flying in and you'd like the house stocked and cooled before they land, arrival and departure services can take care of that side of the visit.