modeco kids

Is it a coincidence that the nursing area at O! babybaby perfectly coordinates with their logo? I doubt it! Surprisingly often I find a disconnect between the styling of a brick-and-mortar children’s boutique and its online presence, but not so with O! babybaby. This Berkeley-based children’s boutique specializes in eco-friendly products that are good for your baby - the O! is for organic! I like how you can browse the online storefront by category or by brand.

I admit that it’s a bit self-indulgent to show you this lovely photo of Sweetbeets cards on display in the shop! The orange display tree is cool and obviously very versatile as it’s used in this Spring-themed window display and also to showcase these colorful hand knit hats by Oishii Knits. You can find more photos of the shop on Flickr. There’s a brand new store blog too!

Technorati Tags: children’s boutique, eco-friendly, organic, baby, online store, merchandising, window display

July 3rd, 2008 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, merchandising, retailer spotlights, storefronts 1 Comment »

It’s so inspiring to learn about indie designers who take the plunge and open their own brick-and-mortar shop. After many years of selling her label Cinti does Vintage at craft markets throughout Melbourne, in the fall of 2007 Cintia Gonzalez opened My Poppet, a children’s boutique that showcases independent design for kids with a focus on items that are handmade in Australia. Her shop looks so cheerful and I especially love her creative use of spinning tops in one of her window displays. The sweet bears pictured above are Cintia’s own creations and ‘upcycled’ using felted wool sweaters. They were also featured in the latest issue of LMNOP - a perfect fit for its animal-themed issue! I think it’s very clever how Cintia uses a blog as her online shop where she offers My Poppet merchandise for mail order each week.

While browsing the shop’s blog I also discovered two more independent designers whose work really caught my eye. This amazing sun dress is made of fabric that was hand screen printed by Fiona Roy, the founder of Monstar. This dress appears to have been from an earlier collection as you’ll just find the Fall/Winter 2008 collection at the Monstar website right now. These colorful handmade drums by Dobbin and Drum incorporate some recycled materials. Other items in their collection include play tents and teepees that I’m sure would delight most children. Both the Monstar and Dobbin and Drum brands are designed and manufactured in Australia.

(images via mypoppet.com.au)

Technorati Tags: independent design, kids, children’s boutique, made in Australia

June 17th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, clothes, merchandising, playtime, retailer spotlights, storefronts 2 Comments »

I’d like to share more images showing merchandising ideas and today you’ll find a peek inside Petit Aimé, a children’s boutique in London. I love how the vintage-looking doll stroller doubles as a display.

Recognize this distinctive handmade doll? These photos were taken by Fanja Ralison of le train fantôme and I stumbled across them on her blog. Fanja’s one-of-a-kind creations are available online at her own shop as well as the very cool Enfant Terrible and Little Circus.

image via letrainfantome.typepad.com

Technorati Tags: children’s boutique, merchandising, product display, handmade dolls

May 7th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, merchandising, playtime No Comments »

I love getting a glimpse inside children’s boutiques via photos discovered while browsing online. No doubt it’s for the same reason why sneak peaks into real people’s homes always make an interesting post on design blogs like you’ll find here and here. Anyways, I thought I’d share a look inside two Canadian children’s boutiques.

Via this blog, I’ve been following the preparations underway as owner Nicole Morell gets ready for her grand opening of Honeybunch in Toronto on March 1st. She’s been running her online children’s boutique for a few years and now is also opening a brick-and-mortar shop and studio. You can tell she’s been having fun putting together her product displays! I love how she’s used the vintage suitcase and placed the knitted play food in the colander and on the cake display.

The image below is from Chick Pea on the west coast of Canada in New Westminster. It appears to be one of the boutique’s window displays. Having the apples spilling out behind the red wagon is just perfect! It reminds me of going apple picking every October at a local orchard and brings back warm, fuzzy feelings about spending some family time together on a crisp Fall morning.

Technorati Tags: children’s boutique, window displays, merchandising

February 26th, 2008 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, merchandising No Comments »

Offering greeting cards in your independent gift shop or specialty boutique is a great way to maximize your profit per square foot because card displays do not need to take up much space. However, finding an attractive display can be challenging.

If you are looking for an alternative to white wire spin racks, consider these metal carousel displays from Pottery Barn. They are inspired by old-fashioned postcard displays and would fit well in a gift shop or children’s boutique with vintage styling. The countertop display retails for $89 and the floor model retails for $129.

I saw gift tags displayed using a wire and clip umbrella stand in a specialty stationery and gift shop in my neighbourhood. This unique display caught my attention while walking by on the sidewalk in front of the shop! Umbra offers a countertop model (shown below), which retails for $26.50 CAD as well as a floor model for $73.50.

I’ve also seen cards displayed in a simple wooden box placed on a countertop. A European-styled paper suitcase, like the one shown below from Paper Source, would make a cute alternative for a children’s boutique. The downside is that customers will have to flip through the card display and this may make the cards “shop worn” more quickly than other types of displays.

Displaying greeting cards on a shallow wall shelf is a popular option, perhaps because wall shelves make use of space that may otherwise be overlooked and the front of all cards are clearly visible. Depending on the materials used to make the shelves, they can have a sleek and modern look or a more traditional or retro look, which makes wall shelves very versatile. Below is an example from Kid Icarus, an independent gift shop in Toronto that offers quality handmade goods.

Technorati Tags: greeting card, displays, merchandising, independent retail

November 3rd, 2007 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, merchandising No Comments »