|
 |
|
The
extensive stroller area is manned by dedicated employees who can walk
customers through the more than 200 makes and models on the floor.
|
By Jane
Kitchen
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — This 80,000-square-foot independent superstore has
been operating in the Washington D.C. metro area for 15 years with a
single store.
When
designing Great Beginnings an open, airy feeling when customers walk
in the store was highly desired, and they have succeeded at that. With
22-foot ceilings, the store features neat, open room settings arranged
by manufacturer, with 120 crib vignettes and 50 teen vignettes on the
floor.
Cribs range from $200 to $1,800, and include manufacturers like
Ragazzi, Pali, Munire and Natart. The teen section includes offerings
from Ragazzi, Bolton, Dutailier, Oak Designs and many more. Plus a
clearance center allows good deals to be found.
Around the perimeter, different sections feature apparel, feeding and
safety, toys and developmental products, gear, artwork and child-size
furniture, making the store easy to travel.
The apparel area includes brands such as Kushies and kissy kissy, and
the buying is done by a former Nordstrom clothing buyer. General
Manager Brian Green said the department focuses on boutique brands
with more of a European flavor and quality fabrics.
Great Beginnings works with several local artists who have painted
murals throughout the store in exchange for referrals to customers — a
win-win situation for artist, owner and customer. The latest mural,
which towers over the stroller section, features a Victorian park
setting and adds mood to the store’s tall walls.
The stroller and carseat area is manned by one part-time and four
full-time employees who are dedicated to that section — something that
becomes important when you have 220 strollers on display. “We show
models in every color,” Green said. “If you show it, you sell it.”
The gear section has been a success for Great Beginnings, which has
both installed carseats and conducted carseat checks for the past 10
years. The store is very involved in the community, and Holy Cross
hospital has an office in the back of the store where Lamaze classes
and babysitter certification classes are held.
Also in the back of the store: the Bored Husbands’ Lounge, which
features leather sofas, a copper ceiling reminiscent of old-time bars,
and CNN on the television. Great Beginnings has paid attention to
details; no expense has been spared on the women’s restroom, which
features Italian tile, granite countertops, toddler-sized toilets and
a nursing lounge with leather chairs. The store also employs a
full-time housekeeper to keep the place looking good.
Like most independent specialty operators, Great Beginnings is all
about customer service, but at Great Beginnings, hand-held service is
the name of the game. The store offers personal shopping on Wednesday
and Thursday nights, where customers can set up appointments to walk
through the store with Green or another manager to pick products for
registries. Appointments are booked up six weeks in advance.
He provides the customers with his own suggestion list of must-have
products in each category, and explains his choices. For items like
strollers, he talks to the customers about their lifestyle and needs
and then helps them make their choice. The whole process takes about
an hour and a half, depending on the customer, and Green said it helps
tremendously with inventory, return rates and damage rates.
For customers who want to keep the gender of their baby a surprise,
Great Beginnings offers an innovative program where the parents pick
the merchandise for both sexes, and then the store finds out from the
doctor what the sex of the baby is and orders the appropriate pieces,
so they’re ready to be delivered after the baby arrives.
|
