High-end children’s clothing store opens in SLO — with ties to an earlier downtown staple
A high-end children’s clothing store has opened in downtown San Luis Obispo in its first-ever standalone location.
Sandbox Kids, part of the larger Wildflower Women Boutique brand that has five locations throughout the Central Coast, opened its doors to the public on July 17.
In an Instagram post, the boutique said it was “thrilled” about the Sandbox Kids clothing store opening in SLO.
“You’ll find the same carefully curated selection of stylish, high-quality children’s clothing and accessories that you have come to love from Wildflower, now in a dedicated space just for them,” the post read. “We can’t wait to welcome you and your little ones.”
The store is located in the spot previously occupied by Marine Layer, between Lululemon and Francesca’s.
Wildflower Women and Sandbox Kids owner Amber Lease said the “Sandbox” name came from watching her own three boys play in their sandbox as little kids.
Lease said that shortly after the creation of the children’s line, she saw the opportunity to add women’s clothing.
“I had all these moms in shopping for their child, and I kept hearing the same complaint: ‘You know, we have nowhere to shop for ourselves,’” Lease said. This led her to create the first Wildflower Women in 2012.
The five Wildflower Women stores are located in San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, Orcutt and Los Olivos, and four have Sandbox Kids inside of them.
San Luis Obispo is the first Sandbox standalone store without Wildflower Women attached to it. The SLO Wildflower Women store is just up the block at 874 Monterey St.
Sandbox Kids has a connection to another renowned, former SLO children’s store
Lease came from a retail background, specifically focusing on kids: Her parents were the longtime owners of children’s clothing, accessories and furniture store Johnson’s for Children.
The clothing store was well known to the San Luis Obispo community for over four decades, with locations on Monterey Street, in Paso Robles and Santa Maria until 2009 when it closed its doors for good.
“At that point, it kind of pushed me out and allowed me to create what is known as Sandbox Kids,” Lease said of originally starting Wildflower Women and Sandbox Kids in the Santa Maria Town Center the same year her parents closed Johnson’s for Children.
Now, Lease has come full circle, as the new Sandbox Kids store is located right across the street from the former Johnson’s for Children spot at the corner of Monterey and Chorro streets, where Moondoggies is now located.
“It’s very nostalgic to me,” Lease said of following in the footsteps of her parents, but with her own brand. “Obviously, what I have going in Sandbox Kids is very drastically different than what Johnson’s for Children once was. They were much more traditional.”
Johnson’s for Children carried a range of children’s items from furniture to car seats, Lease said, while Sandbox Kids is a more “whimsical” and “playful” brand and specifically focuses on children’s boutique-style clothing and accessories.
Though Sandbox Kids is already open, its grand opening ceremony will be in August. Lease said there will be different activities and a special guest joining that day, as well as a free gift with purchase.
Sandbox Kids is located at 844 Monterey St., open from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
