RETAIL

Continued from page 37

BABY
Reagan Hood must be listening. The
26-year-old recent Texas transplant
and Birmingham resident is readying
her new shop in that city's downtown.
She will sell fine clothing and acces-
sories, as well as handmade furniture,
for newborns and children up to 2
years old.
Hood says there's a complete void
in the local marketplace for the type of
merchandise and services she's going
to offer when her boutique, "baby-
hood," opens later this month: high-
end European infant wear, a cashmere
collection for the discriminating baby,
a nursery design service and clever T-
shirts from Rabbi's Daughters.
Admittedly, while Hood has the
advantage of having grown up in a
retailing environment — her family
has owned Houston's Hart Galleries,
known as the Sotheby's of the South,
for three generations — she's not rest-
ing on her laurels.

BRINGING UP

PUti1171

Check out the selection of Rabbi's Daughters'

slogan lap tees at Birmingham's babyhood.

Angora booties from Yo My Booties, which

have been called "Manolo Blahniks for

babies," are among the offerings at babyhood.

She sought the guidance of the
owners of a similar baby boutique in
Houston, and she's devising a market-
ing program heavy on events, includ-
ing one called Mother's Night to
Whine (complete with wine, hors
d'oeuvres and camaraderie) and pro-
grams for baby's big sister and brother.
Most important, despite the gloomy
headlines to the contrary, she's upbeat
about opening such a high-end store
now. "Even if parents stop spending
on themselves, they'll still indulge
their children," she reasons. And let's
not forget the grandparent factor.
According to Sloan's small-business
manifesto, then, Hood seems to be on
the right track. She's filling a niche.
She's looking to interesting ways to
drive traffic through the door. And she
understands the importance of cus-
tomer service, which, according to
Sloan, is the greatest advantage a small
business has.
"I'm going to offer the best of the

best in an enchanting environment, all
in an effort to expose kids to good
taste at a young age," Hood explains.
A Lilliputian bazaar for a new cen-
tury. A smart idea, to be sure.

THE CHECKOUT

Also filling niches are the folks at
Moosejaw Mountaineering. In addi-
tion to its general store Web site,
www.moosejaw.com , the outdoor
lifestyle retailer has been launching
seasonal and item-specific sites.
This past spring,
campmoosejaw.com offered advice for
parents prepping kids for summer
camp, and the recently launched
www.adventurewatches.com is devot-
ed exclusively to sport watches.
And in downtown Royal Oak, Oak
City Grille in the former Wood-Ruff's
on Sixth, and Java Mountain Coffee
Bar on Washington are hoping, too,
that they've got the right retailing
stuff. Let's wish them well. ❑

Ed Nakfoor is a Birmingham-based freelance writer and retail consultant. Each month he writes about retail news and
trends for JN Platinum. E-mail suggestions or comments to Ed at ednakfoor@comcast.net.

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