JM’s Just for Children: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

Not “just for children,” but JUST TOO cute! Check out this week’s “Store Spotlight” with JM’s Just For Children in Bakersfield, California.  Molly Clifton, owner of JM’s Just for Children, tells us about the new meaning of “Home” for her customer’s kids and pre-choosing a child’s outfit the night before as a style strategy!

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1.     What is one fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Molly: That I taught school for 15 years.  Teaching influenced me in the belief that the customer needs to be educated on why they are buying a product of this kind, and giving them friendly and knowledgeable service.  We are celebrating 31 years in September.

2.     What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Molly: Enthusiasm for the business.  Customer service has earned us 16 years of the “Best of Kern County” award.

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?
Molly: Everyday children cry when mommy takes them out of the play area to go “Home.”  Wanting to come to JM’s is the music to our ears.

4.     Are you a Bakersfield, California native? Describe the neighborhood your store is in for us.
Molly: I was born here, but did not live here until 1979.  My family started the first drug store in Shafter, California in 1919 which is a small town just North of here.  JM’s is in a strip center close to our only enclosed Mall.

5.     What type of clothing did you wear growing up as a kid? What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child?
Molly:  My girls were raised in this store, and now my granddaughters.  My tip to parents is ‘choose the outfit they are going to wear the night before, and then stick to it.’  It stops many arguments.

6.     If you could meet one celebrity mommy or daddy, who would they be and why, as well as what you like most about his or her style?
Molly: Well, I hope all of our customers are treated like celebrities.  I have found that most customers vary their taste.  In one purchase, you can have a twirly frilly dress and a Hurley T-shirt.

7.     As summer heats up – what is 1 tip you would give a parent on how to dress your child for the heat and what would a key closet staple be to dress him or her for the warm weather, i.e. a sun hat, tank top, linen shorts, etc.?
Molly: Le Top of course.  They have great hats and cool cotton.

8.     If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?
Molly: Do your homework.  You need a good population base and don’t pre-judge your customer.  Make sure you have a variety and learn from your sales. What they say and what they buy, may be very different.

9.     What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Molly: Best moment for me is the JM’s Family.  Both Managers have been with us over 27 years.  Most memorable was when a car ran though the window when the elderly driver stepped on the gas instead of the brake.  He went through the entire store!

10.     What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection?
Molly: ‘Daisy Duck’ Collection! I sold out every piece!

JM’s Just for Children
930 Wible Road
Bakersfield, CA 93304
661.834.7277
www.jmsjustforchildren.com

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What is the Deal with Kids and Band-Aids?

Reading Dawn’s post about her school field trip mishap made me think about my teaching days. When I used to be an elementary school teacher, I went through boxes of Band-Aids. And I do mean BOXES! Not because my students were injured all the time, but because they felt that for every little “boo-boo,” a Band-Aid somehow made it all better. Now by “boo-boo” I’m talking about:

• a little scratch
• an insect bite
• an old bump
• a bruise
• a scar
• sometimes, a student would even go as far as picking an old scab just to get it bleeding for a Band-Aid!

Now that my oldest is school-aged, a fascination for Band-Aids has developed. And I was never one to pass out Band-Aids at home so I’m quite intrigued where this Band-Aid interest came from. Could it be because of these bandages now look like fancy stickers? There is quite a range of different characters to choose from—Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Spider Man, Scooby-Doo. Who wouldn’t want to sport one these cool bandages? Because nothing says, “I’m injured but still stylin'” like a Barbie-wrapped finger!

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End of School Year Adventures

Each May, it’s common for those school field trips to come. I recently helped explore the watersheds near our local mountain stream with my daughter’s third-grade class. The teacher, her aide, four other parent volunteers and I split up the class of 26 to drive them up the canyon. Upon arriving in the forest stream area each small group was given things to explore and find out about the environment. Highlights were usually things the third graders found themselves like a dead, half-rotten vole (mouse) on the side of the trail, a garter snake, and deer scat (poop).

Crimson Trail Slope (Utah)

All was going well as we climbed up along a rocky slope trail to sit and look for fossils. Not too long passed and a student cried out. The boy had lost his footing and slid down the rocky slope stopping only when he got tangled up with a juniper tree branch. He called out and a nearby classmate screamed, “He’s bleeding!” The teacher and one of the parent chaperones (who also happened to be a nurse) made their way to the boy while the rest of us calmed the class and kept them from gathering around the injured boy. We could see that he had a scrape on his nose, a cut on his head and was protecting the wrist he fell on. The adults doctored him up then began walking him out to the car where the chaperone would take him back to school to meet the boy’s mother for a doctor’s clinic visit.

The class did fine remaining on their fossil hunt, finishing up only when the chaperones said it was time to go. The class enjoyed their adventures and several students drew get well cards for their classmate as soon as they returned to the classroom. The student did return to school the next day with sparkling eyes and a grin, but he was also sporting four stitches on his head and a cast on his wrist! The teacher of 30 years was commenting it was her first serious student injury on a field trip.

You just never know what will happen next!

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