Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Here is my opinion, but I am speaking as someone who is not an expert (just a fellow parent of young children!).  Price, quality, and comfort would be the most important considerations for the clothing.  What market would you be targeting?  There are some specialty shops that offer expensive clothing for children that is just not what children want to wear.  Those are what I consider to be grandma/gift clothing . . .things that make the buyer (who has money to spend) feel good but are just not practical.  I think this would be OK in a tourist area with a lot of wealthy older people, but other than that, no.

Then there are the cute but very expensive clothing lines that children would want to wear.  If you live in a predominantly affluent area, this would work.  I do think it is hard to start off this way, to get people to spend a lot of money on clothing without brand recognition.

For me, a place like Gymboree really works.  I find that the clothing lasts through multiple children, the sizing is consistent, the clothing is appealing to both my children and to me (no revealing/trying-to-grow-up-too-soon lines), AND they have really fabulous sales.  The sales are key.  I like Hanna Andersson but the clothing never really goes on sale the way Gymboree does.  I would love an alternative to Gymboree, though, since I would like variety!

Best of luck on whatever you decide!

I`m going to echo MizE. Your target market doesn`t seem well determined yet. You`re not going to sell to kids, so what sort of parents do you have in mind, and how would you persuade them to detour from the malls?

Additionally, although right now you`re interested in 1-4 yearolds, is that because of your own kids? What happens when your kids are 12-16? Would you then want to open a "teens" store? I`m not saying you`ll reduce your passion for the toddlers, but I`m only suggesting that you do some meditation on how much of this is an internal passion versus a reflection of the fun you`re having at the moment, raising your own kids. :-)

In your description above, you haven`t really "sold" an idea, y`see? You`ve described a store in general, but haven`t explicitly laid out your "mission statement." If you haven`t yet seen that core idea, that`s where you`ll want to put your efforts at this stage. You`re looking to write down in 25 words or less, "The Big Idea."

What unique concept are you seeing in your mind`s eye that you`ve had a hard time seeing in reality? That`s the underlying foundation of a big idea.