The Biz

At approximately 5:15 P.M. on April 27, a huge tornado, known as “The Monster,” hit Alabama, destroying homes, property, and lives. To help those devastated by this horrific event, Krystal Branscome, owner of Downtown Baby, a baby clothing, furniture and gift store in North Tuscaloosa, has made her shop a donation center for children’s supplies. Together with Wagner’s Shoes, another local merchant, Krystal and her helpers load trailers of donations and send them to the Red Cross distribution center from where goods are dispersed to shelters, churches and wherever they are needed.

A pop-art sculptor. An entrepreneur. A chemist. A pediatrician. Meet the Monahans: the intelligent family behind DANO2. The idea for DANO2 came after Daniel and Chelsea Monahan’s daughter, Bella, was born. She began teething in 2007, when news of lead, phthalates, and BPA in children’s products was making the headlines. These toxic chemicals were found to be prevalent in the paints and plastic of those same products little teething Bella had taken to enjoy chewing on. Chelsea encouraged Daniel to protect his daughter and countless other infants by creating safe toys — and so he did.

Mother’s Day, a holiday that is second only to the Christmas season for gift-giving, is here. What better way to show moms how much their love, affection, hard work, and sacrifice mean than a special day full of pampering and presents? From delicious culinary creations future chefs cook up courtesy of kid-friendly kitchen gear from Curious Chef and Ann Clark, to artwork and photos captured on mugs, jewelry, and snow globes by Neil Enterprises, to must-have handbags from Trumpette — there are wonderful surprises here that will make every mom sigh with well-deserved contentment.

“High Five” counts down Editorial Director David Gaunt’s personal observations, tips and praise reports about the children’s business. This edition includes five tips about cold calling, The ABC Kids Expo in Kentucky, doing business differently, strollers breaking the glass ceiling again and Coverplay, an example of “Why didn’t someone already think of that?”