Tot to Teen Village: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

It’s fun, it’s cute, it’s high quality…and no returns!”
– Lori Clarke, Owner of Tot to Teen Village boutique (on why she loves Le Top)

1.      What is one special or fun fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Lori: We’ve been in business for 74 years, and owned now by a third generation.

2.      Describe the neighborhood of Kalamazoo, Michigan where your store is located. The name has a great ring to it! Can you name 3 fun facts about your town your store is located in?
Lori: 
Fact #1) President Obama came to our town in June for one of our local school’s graduation because our state offers free college tuition for graduating students to Michigan schools.

Fact #2) The baseball player Derek Jeter was raised in Kalamazoo.

Fact #3) We have lots of lakes for fishing, boating, and water sports.

3.      What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Lori: We offer items that people cannot find at your typical stores. We’re unique!

4.      Where did the name Tot to Teen Village come from?
Lori: The owner designed the inside of the store to reflect different parts of the U.S.A.

5.      Back to school is here – what has been flying off the shelves and this fall’s “must-have”?
Lori: For girls, it is anything purple and “fru-fru.”

6.      Tell us about the school lunches your mom or dad made for you when you were a kid? What would someone find inside your brown paper bag or tin lunch box?
Lori: I seldom took my lunches to school as a child – our cafeteria food was pretty good. If I did take a lunch, it was always a bologna sandwich with Miracle Whip and a Hostess Twinkie…and no fruit because I hate fruit.

7.      What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child for fall? Any hot trends?
Lori: Don’t fight with them! Let them be comfortable, and buy easy-to-care-for items (merchandise). That way, everyday dressing is easier.

8.      If you had one piece of advice for someone trying to break into children’s retail, what would it be?
Lori: Are you insane? Actually I would say: You can’t be everything, so pick a niche and do it well.

9.      What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Lori: Finding out I was having a granddaughter, and going crazy buying clothes for her! (my “bring-me-home” I bought was of course Le Top.)

10.      What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Fall/Holiday 2010 collection?
Lori: My favorites are the Le Top baby Pretty Rosebuds collection and Lavender’s Blue.

Tot to Teen Village
229 W. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, MI 49002
(269) 381-7800
www.tottoteenvillage.com

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Tiny Toes – A Children’s Boutique: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

This little Le Top piggy went to market to interview one of our favorite premier store retailers for this Friday’s “Store Spotlight” – Tiny Toes.  Boutique mother, Tina Lewis and daughter, Karen Jacobs, tell us about working as a mother and daughter duo business, what Karen packed away in her lunch (and what melted), and what’s hot from the Le Top Fall 2010 collection.

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1.     Where did the name Tiny Toes come from?
Karen: A mother and grandmother’s “mild” obsession with my sons little toes. 🙂

2.     How long have you been working as mother and daughter duo in the business? How would you describe the benefits of “keeping the business in the family”?
Karen: We started the store together just over 4 years ago and are still going strong.  We love helping new moms select all the gear and goodies for their new arrivals–particularly when they come shopping with their moms.  We each bring something different to the table, whether it is a different perspective on what moms versus grandmoms like to buy or our skills in merchandising versus marketing. 

3.     What is one special or fun fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Karen: Our fixture system came from IKEA, so by the time we opened our doors we had assembled a collection of over 200 Allen wrenches.  We still have them should you ever find yourself in need of one.

4.     What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Karen: We really make an effort to get to know our customers. We work hard to remember things like grandchildren’s sizes, who loves which brands, what outfits have already been purchased by other family members and more.  We have wonderful customers and we really enjoy going the extra mile to make their shopping experience special and fun.

5.     Describe the neighborhood of Bel Air, Maryland where your store is located.
Karen: Bel Air is a sleeper suburb of Baltimore. We’re a bit in the country, but with great access to both Baltimore and Philadelphia. Our store is located on a historic main street with lots of other independent shops.  The area is continuing to grow and expand and we have been very fortunate to be part of this growth.

6.     Back to school is here – do you remember what you wanted to wear on your first day of school or a childhood memory of your first day at school? Can you share a picture of how your mother dressed you when you were a child?
Karen: Per my mom–a yellow polly flinders dress–I hope the photos have all gone missing 🙂

7.      Tell us about the school lunches your mom or dad made for you when you were a kid? What would someone find inside your brown paper bag?
Karen: One time in kindergarten we were given ice cream for a special treat.  I couldn’t finish mine, so I packed it back up in my lunchbox and brought it home for later. You can only imagine the mess mom found when she opened that lunch box.

8.     What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child for fall? Any hot trends?
Karen: We love separates for back-to-school time. September can still be hot, so we love to find short sleeve tees, tops and dresses that will work for a great “fall” back to school photo but that can be layered later on and worn throughout the fall and winter season.  And we’re always on the look out for lines that bridge the gap between comfort (number one priority for the pre-school set) and fashion.

9.     If you had one piece of advice for someone trying to break into children’s retail, what would it be?
Karen: Ask tons of questions-of your sales reps, other store owners, other businesses in your area.  It’s amazing what you can learn from others experience.  Once you are open ask those questions of your customers–they continue to be our best source of information on what will work in our store.

10.     What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Karen: We have a photo board in our store where customers post pictures of their children in Tiny Toe’s outfits.  We love seeing the children who we dressed for coming home (from the hospital) now come in shopping for pre-school outfits. Having a small part in creating special memories for those families is one of our favorite parts of the job.

11.     What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Fall/Holiday 2010 collection?
Karen: The Pocket Full of Posies dress with tights and coordinating cardigan.

Le Top Pocket Full of Posies ensemble

Tiny Toes
4 North Main Street
Bel Air, MD 21014
410.420.6727
http://www.shoptinytoes.com

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Aberdeen’s: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

Le Top interviewed one of our favorite Facebook friends and top premier store retailers for this Friday’s “Store Spotlight” – Aberdeen’s.  Boutique owner, Megan Needham, tells us about treating a customer right, funny quotes she has heard in her store and her favorite Le Top Fall collection.

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1.     Where did the name Aberdeen’s come from?
Megan: The previous owner’s husband went to Aberdeen’s University!

2.     You probably have seen hundreds of mommies and daddies come through your store and hear them speaking with their children – what is the funniest or sweetest thing you have heard come out of a child’s mouth recently?
Megan: I recently heard a child say, “Mommy, you have to keep an eye on me, I’m very curious.”

3.      What is one special fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Megan: I have owned the store now for 3 years. I take pride that I am at the store every day and have no employees.

4.     What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Megan: Customer service. I put in a lot of time at the store and have gotten to know my customers on a very personal level.

5.     Are you a native? Describe the neighborhood your store is in.
Megan: I don’t live directly in Grand Haven, but I live just north, and would love to move to Grand Haven in the future. Aberdeen’s is located in a great little downtown area that is just a walk away from Lake Michigan.

6.     What type of clothing did you wear growing up as kid?
Megan: I wore a mixture of dresses and casual clothing, and in the summer I practically lived in my bathing suit. (who doesn’t as a child, right?)

7.     What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child?
Megan: Buying higher-priced quality clothing is worth it in the long run – it holds up better, so that it can be worn a lot more and passed down through many children.

8.     Today, kid’s “live for” super heroes like Dora the Explorer or Buzz Light Year.  Growing up I am sure you had some sort of child super hero – For example, Rainbow Bright, Batman, Spider Man, Scooby Doo, etc. Who was your hero and why?
Megan: I didn’t watch a lot of TV when I was a child, some movies… but I never really had a specific hero that I lived for. I did, however, have a grey cat stuffed animal that I wanted to be! 🙂

9.     If you had one piece of advice for someone trying to break into children’s retail, what would it be?
Megan: Customer service! Be sure to treat your customer right, do whatever you can for them, get to know them and what they want!

10.     What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Megan: When we first bought the store 3 years ago, we had very little time to find a location to move the store into. We had only two days to get the space that we rented ready before we moved in! It was a lot of hard work (phew!), but well worth it in the end!

11.     What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Fall/Holiday 2010 collection?
Megan: The Gentle Giraffes (boy and girl) collection!

Aberdeen’s Clothing for Children
207 Washington
Grand Haven, MI 49417
616.850.8820
http://www.aberdeenschildren.com/

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BABY, IT’S YOU: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

Oh BABY! Check out this week’s “Store Spotlight” with Baby, It’s You in Riverdale, NY.  Rose Ann Milo, owner of Baby, It’s You, tells us about her fun feng shui tactics in her store, embroidering heirloom items for kids and making it in the business for 34 successful years.

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1.    What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Rose Ann: My grand opening party 34 years ago! All of my friends and family were there to support me.  It was happiness, and loving and caring people who supported me.

2.    What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Rose Ann: The uniqueness of a store and being able to walk a customer through an entire store and really know your product. After a customer shops, it’s good to individually wrap each item and personally deliver items throughout your neighborhood if necessary. We also hand paint anything that is wood and embroider anything with cloth. For example, for a “baby’s first birth” we embroider on a cute blankie or towel. A unique type of embroidery we offer at our store is when customers buy a christening slip or gown, we embroider the date to make it an heirloom that can be passed down through the generations.

3.    You probably have seen hundreds of mommies and daddies come through your store and hear them speaking with their children – what is the funniest or sweetest thing you have heard come out of a child’s mouth recently?
Rose Ann: What comes to my mind is that a lot of the children don’t speak, they just CRY. Ha!  There are so many babies coming into my store on a daily basis.

4.    Are you a Riverdale, New York native? Describe the neighborhood your store is in for us.
Rose Ann: Yes, I am a Riverdale native!  Hm, how would I describe our neighborhood? Riverdale is one of the most sophisticated places to live. We have the best schools and it is an amazing place for education. There is a great park that overlooks the palisades too. Overall, it is a city with a strong country feeling. You could go 2 blocks off the main road and you will feel like you are in the country.  I really love how it is a melting pot with all different walks of life.

Red Envelope and an Evil Eye

5.    What is one fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Rose Ann:  I had feng shui performed on my store for good luck and good sales!  I have a Chinese red envelope in the back of my store filled with rice for good luck too! I also have a crystal ball in the front of the store, along with an evil eye.

6.    What type of clothing did you wear growing up as kid? What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child? Do you have a picture of you as a kid you can share with us?
Rose Ann: When I was a kid, we wore uniforms at school and after school we switched into casual clothing. I remember on the weekend, we went to Manhattan to buy our coats and fancy clothes. My tip for any parent would be to NOT buy clothing that is too big. So many parents these days buy clothing that is swimming on their children. The parents buy too big to try and get a longer wear out of the clothing, but it just doesn’t look right!

7.    What is 1 tip you would give a parent on how to update your child’s wardrobe this summer?
Rose Ann: Buy 3 or 4 different outfits where you can mix and match them with basic colors.  Accessories can also change an outfit very easily – I always love adding a headband or belt to make the outfit look updated. 

8.    If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?
Rose Ann: Walk away!  Just joking. In all fairness, in this economy it is very difficult to have a great childrenswear boutique. If you are established you are okay [for business], but even customers who have money in this economy want a discount!  But on a more positive note if you do want to start a store, make it as unique as possible and make it a full service store – walk the customer through the whole store, allow them to try any outfit on, and personalize the item. Make your store have things you can’t find on mass distribution type level like a Target. Wrapping is key!

9.    What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection?
Rose Ann: The ducky group [Daisy Duck Collection] is the BEST! Absolutely the best!

BABY, IT’S YOU
3727 Riverdale Avenue
Riverdale, New York 10463
718.548.1134
http://babyitsyou.net

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