Elizabeth Sowers was a stay-at-home mom earning a little extra money by selling friends' and relatives' children's clothing online.

Things went well, and early last year the York resident began thinking about opening a store where she could do consignment selling on a larger scale.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it, and with the costs of living going up, I felt that this was a really good time," Sowers said.

In March 2007, she opened Mommy's Lil' Rascals Consignment Store in Manchester Township. The name came from a brainstorming session she had with a friend.

"We were trying to think of a name, and we both have little rascals," said Sowers, who has two young sons.

But her store outgrew its space almost as soon as she opened it. Sowers found another location of about 1,200 square feet, more than twice the original size. But even so, she's already feeling squeezed at that new Manchester Township site.

Lil' Rascals sells clothing for boys and girls, from newborns up to about age 10. It carries brands such as Gymboree, Limited Too and Baby Gap, but it also will accept other brands from consigners. Rascals also takes items such as cribs, playpens, swings and bassinets.

Sowers has no problem keeping stocked; she said there are about 10 dropoffs each day. The number of consigners bringing clothes has skyrocketed from about 10 when her store opened to almost 300 now, she said.

But despite the big inflow, stock doesn't gather dust.

"We won't keep

She added that larger items such as the cribs and swings go particularly fast.

Sowers said buying at Lil' Rascals saves money because the merchandise sells for far less than retail. The consigner and store split the proceeds.

Sowers said the clothes generally are in good condition even when they've been worn. Often, they are in near-mint condition with the original price tags still attached.

"People buy outfits for the next season, and the child often has already outgrown them when the season arrives. They bring them to us so they can get at least some of their money back." Sowers said.

And since she operates the store herself most of the time, with part-time help from two nieces, labor costs are low.

"People can buy here and save 70 to 80 percent off the retail price," Sowers said.

In addition to cheaper clothes, she believes the store offers something else increasingly more attractive to shoppers; it has a wide selection of children's items under one roof.

"I'm hearing from customers that they can't afford to drive around to a lot of yard sales and other places looking for clothes because of gas. They like coming to one location and getting things at a low cost and in good condition," Sowers said.

Sowers believes her store is the right thing at the right time -- and at the right place. She said that it's the only one of its kind anywhere close. Her area has lots of families with kids, and she's learned that those families are big bargain hunters.

"I didn't realize how many people shop resale," Sowers said.

She believes that thrifty shopping habits, uncertain economic times and rising gasoline prices combine to make a children's clothing consignment shop a good investment. And she wants to keep investing.

"I'd love to open a second store, only larger. But I want to wait a couple of years until this one is established," Sowers said.

Mommy's Lil' Rascals Consignment Store (266-3680) is at 4350 N. George St., Manchester Township.