Filling the Gaps Between Naps,
Baby Shop Realizes Opportunities
BROCKVILLE - A warm welcome and big smiles await you at Luella Charlotte Baby Boutique, a place where you’ll find “the baby things you actually want to buy,” says owner Sarah McGuire.
An aspiring nurse, Sarah moved to Brockville from North Grenville for college. “After becoming a mother to Luella Charlotte, (her first child and boutique namesake), I decided not to return to nursing full time,” she said. Very quickly, she discovered that her need for good baby products was rarely satisfied locally, let alone a single location. Finding her peers shared this problem, she kept this gap in mind.
Sarah's lightbulb moment happened in 2022. Driving in downtown Brockville, "I saw an empty storefront for lease and thought this is the opportunity!” she said. Owning a store was financially viable for her family, so she immediately began procuring her supply chain of clothes, nursery decor and gear, that matched her brand promise. She secured brands that fulfilled her affordable and high quality brand promise such as Bibs, Bunnies by the Bay, ezpz, KYTE Baby, Nudnik, Olli Ella, Small Foot and SnuggleMe Organic.
The store started out with a small footprint and as inventory arrived, left behind cubicle partitions were used to improvise each interior expansion. The plan was that as sales grew the revenue, revenue would expand the inventory and the partitions would move outward to allow the footprint to accommodate more products. The location had ample customer parking that helped customer satisfaction.
The location was in a high-traffic established core, around the corner from the Brockville Farmers' Market. "I knew that Saturdays would be busy so I coordinated my hours of operation to welcome market shoppers here too," Sarah said knowingly. “The Downtown Brockville Improvement Association helped me tremendously,” she added “they supported my grant application for $10,000 to the My Main Street program. The funds purchased ads and stock.” She's just submitted an application for the 2024 round and is awaiting approval. The Digital Main Street program also helped to buy a laptop and a point of sale system.
Luella, her daughter, is also a mainstay at the boutique. “She’s an entertainer and great at sales,” Sarah demonstrates new products online as Lu pulls stuffed toys down from shelves. The boutique is active on social media. There's a hands-on play and a breast-feeding area for customers. Some come from Ottawa and Kingston, ranging from parents-to-be, doting grandparents, friends and family.
The brand's custom embroidered Mama Crewneck line of tops are in high demand with tops for aunts, nanas, dads and more. The shop has its own machine which helps Sarah save delivery time and overhead cost. Her current promotion for Mother’s Day gives 10% off these tops when you use the code MOM24.
Shop ownership is a fulfilling journey for the McGuire family. The ability to flex responsibilities to correspond with family needs is first priority, and her customers agree. The future includes thoughts of expansion; but for the time being, Sarah procures the best items at the best price for her extended family and customers.
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