modeco kids

MyWares is a free online marketplace for wholesale buyers. This site showcases quality wholesale products that are created, designed or made by a woman. Retailers, you can join for free and browse many categories including baby, kids, paper goods, green and handmade to look for new products for your shop. You can also download catalogs, linesheets and media kits and contact sellers.

I also wanted to draw attention to the featured seller in the image captured above: Soapylove offers these handmade glycerin Soapsicles that look so fun and unique. Soapsicles are carried by several children’s boutiques including Pink Olive and Mahar Drygoods.

Technorati Tags: online marketplace, wholesale, retailers, wholesale buyers

July 8th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, resources, skin care No Comments »

The latest issue of Small magazine came out last week (I’m a bit late to post about it!) and this is my favorite image. I love the idea of “pack away play” and see quite a few of the products I featured here.

I was also reminded that I really ought to unpack and let my boys play with the modular space divider that I had incorporated into my booth display at the National Stationery Show. Oh what fun my boys had playing with these cardboard pieces that became a castle and a printer and a post office (depending on what the game was at the time). A definite bonus was being able to just take it apart and stack the pieces in a pile when playtime was finished for the day. I must confess that my boys have spent much for time playing with this simple cardboard building system than the fancy geometric wooden puzzle we brought back from New York City. It figures!

(image via smallmagazine.net)

Technorati Tags: Small magazine, cardboard toys, cardboard furniture, pretend play

June 11th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, playtime, resources No Comments »

The third issue of LMNOP came out the other day and it is well worth the wait to download it.   This online magazine showcases children’s design and is based in Australia.  You can sign up for a free subscription so you’ll never miss an issue.  The latest issue is all about animals and I can see the editor has had fun putting it together!  Be sure to check out the new column by Jennifer of Minor Details as she always has great finds.   I was thrilled to see that two of my Sweetbeets birthday cards have been included in this issue! The feature on the owl trend also caught my eye as this motif was covered in the trend alert section of the latest issue of Greetings etc. that I picked up while at the National Stationery Show. 

Technorati Tags: children’s design, online magazine

May 27th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, resources No Comments »

I haven’t updated the retailer resource category for a while, but I’ve got a great tip for you today. abcReps.com is a brand new online service catering to buyers for upscale children’s boutiques. This free service just launched today. Browse wholesale catalogues from select vendors, place orders and track shipments directly from the site. Reordering is easy because you can save your favorites for quick reference. Read more about the benefits including how abcReps.com helps you save time and money. Interested? Click here to register.

Technorati Tags: children’s boutique vendors, children’s industry, wholesale children’s products, online service

May 1st, 2008 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, resources No Comments »

Poppytalk Handmade is a monthly online marketplace curated by Jan of Poppytalk to showcase, buy and sell handmade goods of emerging designers from around the world. Each month has a different theme and you’ll find an eco-themed market on now until April 11th. I’ve mentioned before that this site is a good place for retailers to find new designers. But admittedly you often will not find many items for children. However, the next market opening on April 14th is a Mother’s Day and Kids Market! In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites from Green Pop! that fall in the realm of kids design.

First up is some decor items suitable for children’s spaces. A Little Hut offers limited edition hand cut paper illustrations. I also love this print of original acrylic and mixed media painting by Creative Thursday. Reiter8 makes pillows and other items from recycled sailboat sails!

If you are looking for gift items, I think Annie and Olive’s wool felt heart pendant would make a nice present for a special girl. Just slide the pendant onto a ribbon or chain using the sliver ring tucked into the top of the heart. And of course I have to include my own Sweetbeets letterpress cards for welcoming a new baby or celebrating a child’s birthday.

(images via poppytalkhandmade.com)

Technorati Tags: indie designers, emerging designers, independent design, online marketplace, handmade gifts

March 19th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, art + decor, paper goods, resources No Comments »

I always look forward to each new issue of small magazine. Here are my favorites from the Spring issue: the vintage fabric jumper detailed with a bit of ric rac by smiley jones and the summery dresses by kit and lili and misha lulu. With cardboard on my mind lately, I also couldn’t help but notice the use of this material in the background of the images showcasing wovenplay’s fabulous play clothes.

(images via smallmagazine.net)

Technorati Tags: children’s fashion, online magazine, independent design, children

March 6th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, clothes, resources No Comments »

I discovered an article written by Ali Wing, founder and CEO of giggle, about making better choices when you’re looking for safer and eco-friendly products for baby’s nursery. It covers the materials and ingredients to look for (e.g., wool, hemp, certified organic cotton, solid woods, biodegradable, multi-use items) and avoid (e.g., formaldehyde, azo-dye, phthalates) when purchasing furniture, fabrics and textiles, plastic baby accessories, skin care, cleaning products and toys.

While this is a helpful “cheat sheet” for new parents (and new retailers of baby gear), I also found it interesting from a marketing perspective to see how Ali is positioning herself as an expert in baby gear and promoting giggle by writing columns for The Bump and Modern Mom. She’s also written a book on the topic, “The giggle Guide to Gear”, which will be published by Chronicle Books in 2008.

Technorati Tags: organic nursery, baby, eco-friendly

January 16th, 2008 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, resources No Comments »

The Winter 2008 issue of small magazine is now online! Small magazine features independent design for kids and is created by volunteer fashion designers, artists, graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, and furniture and toy makers. I didn’t realize that one of the founders of Small magazine is also the designer behind Baby Bean. You may recall that I featured Baby Bean in my post about unique children’s clothing made from vintage fabric.

This online magazine covers furniture, gifts, toys and baby care products, but for me it’s the photography and styling of the children’s clothing that really stands out. Here’s a collage of some of my favourite images and designers from the current issue.

(images via Small magazine)

Here are the links to each designer featured in the image, from left to right.

1. Willarie blouse

2. Le Bouton blouse

3. Heart-felt cardigan

4. Trelise Cooper blouse and Neige pants

5. Babyfairies tunic

6. Robin’s Egg Pink jacket

Technorati Tags: small magazine, indie designers, children’s clothing

December 10th, 2007 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, clothes, resources No Comments »

I read Holly’s decor8 blog daily and get excited when she runs her shop talk series. Today she explored the topic of keeping your shop unique and challenged boutique owners to explore alternatives to gift shows. She talked about the benefits of searching online and at indie craft fairs to find emerging independent designers whose products are not already carried by everyone else.

I’ve noticed an increasing number of curated, online buyer’s guides to independent design. Some have categories for ‘toys’ or ‘kids’ but others require searching to find items appropriate for children’s boutiques. Here’s a short list to check out.

Trunkt

Poppytalk Handmade

Supermarket

Indie Collective

What Designers

Technorati Tags: indie design, independent designers, guides

November 27th, 2007 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, resources No Comments »

I love reading behind-the-scenes reports about the various trade shows that focus on children’s gear and apparel. Established retailers are most likely already familiar with the trade show reports found at jamesgirone.com, but I thought it was worth linking here for the benefit of others who may be in the early stages of planning a new children’s boutique and may not yet have discovered this resource. After browsing the highlights from the October 2007 ENK Children’s Club, I found articles with advice from experts about surviving trade shows, opening inventory formulas, and markups and markdowns that may be of interest to entrepreneurs in the startup phase. Retailers can also complete an online form to request a free listing in the retailer directory that is found on the part of the site geared towards consumers.

Technorati Tags: trade show reports, children’s apparel

November 6th, 2007 Lisa posted in RETAILERS, resources No Comments »