With son of her own, ambitious UMass Lowell senior opens baby clothing store

By Bridget Scrimenti, bscrimenti@lowellsun.com

Kristina Grande, a 21-year-old UMass Lowell senior, with her 4-year-old son, Zachariah, at Lil G's, a baby and toddler clothing store that Grande just opened at 122 Merrimack St., Lowell. sun/david brow

LOWELL -- No one expected Kristina Grande to get pregnant in high school.
A straight-A student, Grande lived in an upper middle-class suburb with a supportive family.

But instead of being a barrier, Grande's pregnancy marked the beginning of the many blessings and challenges she would face head-on.

Strong-willed and determined, Grande graduated high school with honors, after giving birth to her son senior year.

Now 21, Grande is an honors student at UMass Lowell, and the recipient of the Chancellor's Scholarship. She's the proud mother of 4-year-old Zachariah and, most recently, the owner of Lil G's, a baby and toddler clothing store that opened less than two weeks ago on Merrimack Street.

"It's really about having the confidence that it can be done," said Grande, who's majoring in accounting and entrepreneurship.

The idea to open Lil G's began when Grande had a difficult time finding boys' clothes for Zachariah. She wanted to create a venue that offered urban wear for kids at an affordable price.

Sporting big urban clothing names like Rocawear, Ecko, Jordan, and Baby Phat, Lil G's also sells books, toys and consignment clothes. While the sizes rum from infant to 4-T, the prices are designed to fit any family's budget, ranging from $2 to $28.99.

"Clothes here are lower than what you would pay in a department store," Grande said. "If I can afford it -- anyone can afford it."

Between juggling preschool, classes and a full-time business, it seems overwhelming that Grande would want to tackle anything else.

But her desire to help teenage mothers is the backbone of her resilient spirit.

She's writing her honors thesis on ways to reform social policies to help teen mothers and eventually wants to open a nonprofit to support teen moms and encourage them to pursue higher education.

Grande says her success is all about attitude, while her son is her greatest inspiration.

"My life is for him now," Grande said. "If I can become successful, anyone can."

This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Thursday, April 30, 2009