Behind the scenes at Le Baby Shop

Since opening my brick and mortar baby store in the Fall of 2008 in the West Island area of Montreal I've had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with some wonderful customers. I've received some very kind complements on the original and fun items that line the shelves and certainly one of the most often asked questions is "how do you decide what to carry in the store?" As a mom myself the answer is fairly easy - I try to purchase items that are:

a) useful for moms and dads

- items I couldn't live with out when I was a new mom - like Bumkins waterproof, quick drying bibs. These have saved my life (and my son's clothes) on more than one occasion
- items I've seen and had that "now why didn't I think of that?" moment - such as the My Brest Friend nursing pillow with back support. No more aching back from nursing - now that's brilliant!
- items that make life a lot easier like the My Little Seat portable high chair. Now you CAN make it to grandma's house without filling the van up to the ceiling, just throw this "high chair" in your diaper bag!

b) unique and hard to find in the West Island area of Montreal

- items I ordered online but would have loved to have been able to see in person, such as the lovely Jack and Lily shoes or the very cool Razbaby Teethers.
- natural products generally only found in specialty stores such as Natursutten natural rubber pacifiers and Nellie's All Natural laundry soda.
- cloth diapers. (Why are they so hard to find in brick and mortar stores?) Now parents can see and feel the products before they buy.
- wooden toys. We have a small space but we still carry one of the largest selections of Melissa and Doug toys in the West Island!

c) beautiful baby gifts

- I was tired of shopping at the same old box stores for the same old baby gifts. We have a big selection of unique and gorgeous baby items like The Baby Bunch cupcake onesies. (I can guarantee you will get a big "ooooh" and "ahhhh" at any baby shower with these!)

d) quality and reputable manufacturing processes

- I often test the items we carry myself to ensure that they can stand up to what kids will put them through. For instance the Thermos Foogo straw bottles have stood up to a full year of everyday school lunch use with my 7-year old, who is hard on her stuff - so that's saying a lot!
- I always try to find Canadian or US made products and where this is impossible (since I also have to balance what customers are willing to pay for merchandise) I stick with companies who have long-established reputations as reputable manufacturers.

So there's a quick glimpse into how I decide what to purchase for the store. In September I will be attending the ABC Kids Show in Las Vegas, the largest trade show for suppliers and retailers in the juvenile products industry and I hope to come back with a host of new fun, functional and funky baby and kids items fo you to enjoy. Watch for previews here on our blog!