Once upon a time is a Successful Retail Tale

Linda Flaherty and her daughter Sarah Bailey are co-owners of the exceptional Once upon a time children’s specialty shops in Birmingham, Alabama. Blessed with personalities that are brimming in Southern hospitality and charm, this grandmother and mother duo now operate two very successful retail locations. With fourteen years in the business, the pair have developed a sensibility and keen eye to what customers crave. They offer an elegant selection of traditional, timeless children’s products, along with the latest mix of popular fashion trends and stylings in nursery decor.

Linda and Sarah tell a wise tale that uncovers the times before, during and after their retail dream started “Once upon a time, many years ago…”

How did you get started in children’s retail?

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Linda: I always say my business was started because I was ready to be a grandmother, but my daughters were not ready to be mothers. The truth of the matter is the business had been a dream for a long time; however, it wasn’t until my children were in college that it actually materialized. I started with what I loved most and that was sewing. In 1994, I started a cottage business out of my home, designing and making custom linens for nurseries. In November 1996, I entered into a partnership that provided me the opportunity to expand my business into a brick and mortar store, and Once upon a time, a baby specialty shop was opened. My goal was to continue to design custom linens, but to also offer new and different baby products that could not be found in Birmingham, Alabama.

Sarah: I joined the Once upon a time, LLC family business shortly after getting married and celebrating my thirtieth birthday. It was August of 2005 – eight years and countless career changes after graduating from college – when I started my real career! My mom’s love of fine fabrics and furnishings, along with her amazing eye for quality and design, provided me with a strong foundation for the retail baby business.

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What was your background prior to this business?

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Sarah: A better question might be “What wasn’t in our background?” My mom’s first job was in retail, but then she went on to work for many years in the insurance industry. When I was little, she also made clothes for my sister and me, and that led her to a group of women in a children’s clothing business designing and making clothing for several local shops. For many years, my mom continued working in insurance and sewing on the side. When I was in college, she decided to go back to school for an interior design degree. While working on a Decorators’ Show House as a design student, she found an amazing crib from London and it was that experience that added importer to her resume. That opportunity led her to become the American representative for the high-end European nursery furniture line that she had found for the show house nursery.

Sarah: My first job was with a retail job in high school and from there I had many different jobs including lifeguard and swim instructor, nanny, waitress, substitute teacher, personal lines insurance appraiser, assistant archivist, and community college English teacher. I always joke around about how many jobs I’ve had but then I think about what my mom told me, “It took me 45 years to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up.” As it turned out, we both discovered early on that what we really loved was retail.

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What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting up?

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Linda: Working in a partnership was by far the biggest challenge I faced starting up. I felt I needed a partner to expand into a brick and mortar since I was still working as an importer and would be traveling occasionally. A year after we opened the store, we purchased a small children’s clothing store as a complement to our store. Soon after I realized it was not working the way I had envisioned. Fortunately, we had the two stores to be able to separate the business and part amicably. The partnership ended up being short lived, only 18 months. A partnership is like a marriage, and if the two people do not grow together and share the same goals and work ethics, the relationship will not work.

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What is one thing you would have done differently?

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Linda: I would have established a strong Internet presence much earlier. Twice, early in the business, we attempted to set up a Web site, and both times the companies we used and the results were disappointing. Then we started working with someone very experienced in the technical end of Web development, and a site was launched, but it just didn’t have the feel or the design we were looking for. However, we did not let that diminish our determination in achieving the site we envisioned. One of our goals for 2010 is to re-vamp the Web site, and we are currently working with a very talented and experienced Web designer. We are looking forward to the launch of our new site within the next month! I subscribe to the motto, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”

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What do you feel are the three biggest keys to your success?

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Linda: a.) My daughter, Sarah, joined the business 5 years ago. Her youth, energy, passion, creativity, and experience as a mother are all assets to the business. Between us, we have both the mothers’ and grandmothers’ interests at heart.
b.) People LIKE us! We are friendly and outgoing; our customers become our friends.
c.) People TRUST us. We share our product knowledge and experiences with our customers, which helps them make the RIGHT buying decisions for their family and their lifestyle.

Sarah: a.) We know that we would not be here without our customers and that they are the most important part of our business.
b.) Customer conscious buying.
c.) We develop our store policies with our customers’ interests in mind so that it is easy and enjoyable for them to shop with us.
(…and what my mom said.)

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How do you evaluate and choose new product lines to pick up?

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Sarah: Quality, construction, and value are the most important factors that we consider when selecting new lines. Our goal is to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations. We look for “good,” “better”, and “best” options in each of our products and/or categories so we can offer our customers great products at many price ranges.

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What types of marketing are most effective for your business?

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Sarah: Because we are a neighborhood store, we have a great response to our window displays. Both of our stores are in communities with families with young children and we often hear that people saw something in our windows on their evening or early morning walks or driving by. We love coming up with fun and different ideas to highlight our products. One of my favorite window displays was for summer reading. We highlighted our great selection of books by “planting” sod in the window and including kid sized Adirondack chairs with all of our favorite stories. It really captured the feeling of spending a relaxing summer day with a good book!

We also find that database marketing is an effective way to reach people. This allows us to stay in touch with our customers who all lead busy lives – many with jobs and families. We try to keep them updated with store promotions as well as new shipments as they arrive.

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How do “green” or eco-friendly concerns weigh into your business decisions?

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Sarah: Over the past few years, we have found that our customers and manufacturers are becoming more interested in “green” products and practices. So, when we are buying, we are always searching for eco-friendly products that are relevant to our customers in their lives. We find that this is an incredible opportunity because we can offer our customers quality products that are great for baby and the world around them. With this opportunity there is a real challenge, too. We are a “pink and blue” boutique, specializing in all the best for baby and not all of our products are organic or “green,” but our focus remains on our customers who are loyal and supportive. My mom and I have made a commitment as business owners, as well as mother and grandmother, to offer our children a promising future. And that is what we keep in mind with each and every purchasing decision.

As retailers, we have also become more eco-aware and try to find ways to make real changes in the way we run our business that will make a difference. I’m very much into recycling at home, and was frustrated that there were no opportunities for recycling at work. One day, I happened to notice that our neighborhood grocery store was collecting their cardboard shipping boxes behind their building. After speaking with the manager, I learned that they were recycling their boxes; now we have the opportunity to do the same. This is just one small way that we can make a difference on a daily basis.

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What is one trend you’re currently seeing with customers?

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Sarah: Our store - as you can see from the photos - is a very traditional Southern boutique. Our classic layette and clothing style is one of the things that we are known for, so in that respect, we follow tradition rather than trends.

We have, however, noticed some trends in our nursery design business. For several years now, we have noticed that our moms want a more sophisticated look for their nursery that is consistent with the style of their entire home. We rarely have a customer come to us with a “theme” for their baby room. Most of our moms would like to invest in a nursery design that can easily transition to an older child’s room.

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How does your business make use of the Internet?

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Linda: In addition to our Web site, www.onceuponatimellc.com, we use e-mail marketing and social media to reach our target customers. Our goal is to provide product information along with store events in an effort to communicate interesting and relevant messages. Our Facebook page allows our moms the opportunity to share their thoughts, and offer advice and endorsements for favorite products with us and other customers.

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What is one change/addition that’s had a positive impact for your business?

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Linda: Well, believe it or not, we have had both a major change and addition in the last year! (No, we are not crazy.) Our first store is nestled in the heart of a village which is difficult to find if you are unfamiliar with the area. We wanted more visibility but did not want to leave the current location. For this reason, we had been researching the idea of opening a second location in a well-known neighboring town with a very popular shopping area. In May 2009, we found the perfect location, secured a lease and opened for business on June 30th. Two days before opening the new store, we received a letter from the landlord of the first location ‘asking’ us to move one block to the front of the shopping area. Our 6-year lease term was about to expire, so our only option for renewal was the new space. In a nutshell, we opened as second store AND moved our original store one block all within a three-month period.

The new location for the original store has had a very positive impact since we are very visible to the street. More people are seeing us and are stopping in. Also, even though the two spaces are the same square footage, our customers’ perspective is we have moved to a larger space. Since we no longer have the restricting walls, they feel it is much more open and easier to shop.

The new second location has been great as well. This store has a lot more out of town visitors and it gives us a chance to refer them to the larger store only three miles away. We are amazed at the number of new customers both stores are experiencing. So as frustrating and stressful as it was initially to be faced with a move we had not planned for, nor budgeted for, it has all worked out very well…and it has also had a positive impact on our bottom line!

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If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?

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Sarah: To be a small business owner, you need to be prepared to work hard and accept change. Those are the only two constants in this business.

Linda:Don’t let the recession discourage you. People will always shop for babies and children. Their buying habits may change which means you need to adjust what you are buying.

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More About One Upon a Time

The Once Upon a Time stores are Certified Baby Product Experts. They specialize in complete nursery design, custom crib linens, layette and toddler clothing.

Two Locations:
Crestline Village · 201 Country Club Park · Mountain Brook, AL 35213 USA · (205) 870-7772
Homewood Central District · 2900 18th Street South · Homewood, AL 35209 USA · (205) 870-7776
Toll Free: 1-888-808-7772
www.onceuponatimellc.com

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