Knowledge is power
retail
retail
Knowledge is power BY KYRA GEMBERLING WHEN IT COMES TO INFANT PRODUCT knowledge, Selina Aquino really knows her stuff. Before opening Brooklyn, N.Y., children’s specialty store Wee Babe, the mother of three had worked in the baby industry for 12 years. She got to know the ins-andouts of products through her marketing roles at such companies as Babies ‘R’ Us, Giggle and Bambi Baby. “When I worked in marketing, the vendors were constantly giving me free products and asking me what I thought [about them],” Aquino said. “That’s how I became so gear-oriented. It’s amazing how brands have similar price points, but the quality is so different.” BUILDING BUSINESS Though Aquino enjoyed her time working at these companies, one thought was often present in her mind: She wanted to work on her own. So when one of Aquino’s favorite customers approached her in late 2011 about helping her open her own store, she jumped at the opportunity. “[The customer and her husband] gave me a business proposal and said they were willing to invest in
me,” Aquino said. “She said, ‘Let’s open a baby store together.’ I thought it was all a joke, but as a single mom of three kids, I thought, ‘How will I ever know if I don’t
take this opportunity?’” Aquino already had her ideal location chosen: Northside Williamsburg, known as Brooklyn’s trendy artist neighborhood. But when she and her investors toured their first space – the space they currently occupy at 131 N. 4th Street – Aquino was less than impressed. “It was one of the worst locations I’d ever seen,” she said. “I did not like it at all. It needed a lot of work. All I saw was concrete and a big empty space on a side street that had no other stores.” Luckily, Aquino was able to look past her initial concerns and think positively about the future of the store at that location. She knew the power of her knowledge, and she knew that knowledge would bring customers to the store, she said. She and her team signed the lease and held Wee Babe’s grand opening in April 2012. Additionally, Aquino enlisted the help of Beau Kuhn as co-owner of Wee Babe. Kuhn’s financial expertise from her previous career working on Wall Street brought balance to the store, earning her the nickname “Corporate” from the staff. “Beau and I are really great together,” Aquino said. “I’m not a computer person — I’m always on the sales
WHAT’S IN STORE
STOKKE
20
KIDS TODAY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
MAMAS & PAPAS
KIDSTODAYONLINE.COM
BABYMOOV
UPPA BABY
Selina Aquino and Beau Kuhn, owners of Wee Babe. floor with customers, merchandising the store, looking for new products and listening to feedback from customers, whereas Beau is in the back making sure the website is updated, making sure bills are being paid, managing inventory — she does everything that I don’t want to touch.” SUCCESS THROUGH EDUCATION Aquino aims to implement her same sense of product knowledge in every member of her staff, which is what she credits as Wee Babe’s key to ongoing success. “We are all striving for nothing but product knowledge,” she said. “I tell all my customers that we are not pushy, we are not sales people — we are product educators. That’s what we love to do — educate you. I want people to know that we are the book. Come to us — we are the book, and we will tell it to you just like the books.” Another factor in this approach is tailoring the staff’s product knowledge to fit a customer’s lifestyle. Aquino encourages her staff to talk to customers not only about
what they want but also how they live in order to make the best product suggestions. She said this is especially important given the store’s urban location and the specific needs of New York City parents. “There’s the customer that shops by price, there’s the customer that shops by quality and there’s the customer that shops by fashion,” she said. “They may know nothing about the quality — they just know that they love that [stroller’s] color and that’s the one they see on the streets and that’s what they want. Meanwhile, they fail to realize that they have a walk-up [apartment] and that stroller weights 25 lbs. We want them to be happy and buy the stroller that suits their lifestyle. If you’re buying it because it’s pretty and you like the color, that’s the wrong reason.” This is where the staff’s personal knowledge comes into play — in addition to telling a customer about the features of the product, Wee Babe’s staff shares customer feedback and, for staff members who test out the products with their own children, personal feedback. “This way, [customers] buy a product knowing deep down that this is the product for them because we know
the ins-and-outs of it — the pros and cons — and we’ve helped fit their lifestyles,” Aquino said. “I tell my staff our returns should be zero to none.” Wee Babe aims to open its second location in Hoboken, N.J., by the end of 2015, and Aquino said she would like to open several more stores throughout the Northeast in the next few years. But for her, Brooklyn will always be Wee Babe’s home. “We are very happy with the store here,” she said. “We are content with what we have now.” n
KIDSTODAYONLINE.COM
Wee Babe 131 N. 4th Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11249 347-763-0041 415 Washington Street Hoboken, N.J. 07030 201-222-3792 weebabe.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 KIDS TODAY
21
retail
Knowledge is power BY KYRA GEMBERLING WHEN IT COMES TO INFANT PRODUCT knowledge, Selina Aquino really knows her stuff. Before opening Brooklyn, N.Y., children’s specialty store Wee Babe, the mother of three had worked in the baby industry for 12 years. She got to know the ins-andouts of products through her marketing roles at such companies as Babies ‘R’ Us, Giggle and Bambi Baby. “When I worked in marketing, the vendors were constantly giving me free products and asking me what I thought [about them],” Aquino said. “That’s how I became so gear-oriented. It’s amazing how brands have similar price points, but the quality is so different.” BUILDING BUSINESS Though Aquino enjoyed her time working at these companies, one thought was often present in her mind: She wanted to work on her own. So when one of Aquino’s favorite customers approached her in late 2011 about helping her open her own store, she jumped at the opportunity. “[The customer and her husband] gave me a business proposal and said they were willing to invest in
me,” Aquino said. “She said, ‘Let’s open a baby store together.’ I thought it was all a joke, but as a single mom of three kids, I thought, ‘How will I ever know if I don’t
take this opportunity?’” Aquino already had her ideal location chosen: Northside Williamsburg, known as Brooklyn’s trendy artist neighborhood. But when she and her investors toured their first space – the space they currently occupy at 131 N. 4th Street – Aquino was less than impressed. “It was one of the worst locations I’d ever seen,” she said. “I did not like it at all. It needed a lot of work. All I saw was concrete and a big empty space on a side street that had no other stores.” Luckily, Aquino was able to look past her initial concerns and think positively about the future of the store at that location. She knew the power of her knowledge, and she knew that knowledge would bring customers to the store, she said. She and her team signed the lease and held Wee Babe’s grand opening in April 2012. Additionally, Aquino enlisted the help of Beau Kuhn as co-owner of Wee Babe. Kuhn’s financial expertise from her previous career working on Wall Street brought balance to the store, earning her the nickname “Corporate” from the staff. “Beau and I are really great together,” Aquino said. “I’m not a computer person — I’m always on the sales
WHAT’S IN STORE
STOKKE
20
KIDS TODAY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
MAMAS & PAPAS
KIDSTODAYONLINE.COM
BABYMOOV
UPPA BABY
Selina Aquino and Beau Kuhn, owners of Wee Babe. floor with customers, merchandising the store, looking for new products and listening to feedback from customers, whereas Beau is in the back making sure the website is updated, making sure bills are being paid, managing inventory — she does everything that I don’t want to touch.” SUCCESS THROUGH EDUCATION Aquino aims to implement her same sense of product knowledge in every member of her staff, which is what she credits as Wee Babe’s key to ongoing success. “We are all striving for nothing but product knowledge,” she said. “I tell all my customers that we are not pushy, we are not sales people — we are product educators. That’s what we love to do — educate you. I want people to know that we are the book. Come to us — we are the book, and we will tell it to you just like the books.” Another factor in this approach is tailoring the staff’s product knowledge to fit a customer’s lifestyle. Aquino encourages her staff to talk to customers not only about
what they want but also how they live in order to make the best product suggestions. She said this is especially important given the store’s urban location and the specific needs of New York City parents. “There’s the customer that shops by price, there’s the customer that shops by quality and there’s the customer that shops by fashion,” she said. “They may know nothing about the quality — they just know that they love that [stroller’s] color and that’s the one they see on the streets and that’s what they want. Meanwhile, they fail to realize that they have a walk-up [apartment] and that stroller weights 25 lbs. We want them to be happy and buy the stroller that suits their lifestyle. If you’re buying it because it’s pretty and you like the color, that’s the wrong reason.” This is where the staff’s personal knowledge comes into play — in addition to telling a customer about the features of the product, Wee Babe’s staff shares customer feedback and, for staff members who test out the products with their own children, personal feedback. “This way, [customers] buy a product knowing deep down that this is the product for them because we know
the ins-and-outs of it — the pros and cons — and we’ve helped fit their lifestyles,” Aquino said. “I tell my staff our returns should be zero to none.” Wee Babe aims to open its second location in Hoboken, N.J., by the end of 2015, and Aquino said she would like to open several more stores throughout the Northeast in the next few years. But for her, Brooklyn will always be Wee Babe’s home. “We are very happy with the store here,” she said. “We are content with what we have now.” n
KIDSTODAYONLINE.COM
Wee Babe 131 N. 4th Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11249 347-763-0041 415 Washington Street Hoboken, N.J. 07030 201-222-3792 weebabe.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 KIDS TODAY
21
