How to Open a Baby Store

By Cheryl Gorski

You have always dreamed of owning a baby store. You'll have to secure start-up funding, write a business plan, find a location, buy merchandise and market your business. With hard work, resourcefulness and tenacity you can realize your goal of offering unique baby items to the public. Below you will find helpful tips to pave the way for your baby store's success.

Secure start-up funding, a location and market your store aggressively

1. Step1

   Develop a plan to fund your baby store. You will need start-up capital for such expenses as the leasing of retail space, baby-related merchandise, staff, taxes and office equipment. As you will want to decorate your store in a unique, colorful style that will appeal to customers shopping for baby merchandise, estimate design expense, as well. Having a store with an Internet presence will mean factoring in the cost of website design, maintenance and hosting. You can fund your baby store with personal capital, loans from family or friends, bank loans or funding from other investors such as venture capitalists.

2. Step2

   Write a business plan. If you are writing a business plan yourself, books and online resources can offer suggestions on how to create one. Your business plan will need to include specifics such as the need for funding and an outline of your baby store in detail, such as your plan for selling either upscale baby clothing or consignment infant and toddler furniture. Also, reference your plan to market your store to new parents, grandparents and others shopping for baby gifts. Your business plan is a strategic blue print for your success.

3. Step3

   Select a location for your baby store. Open your store in a high-traffic, high-visibility area, such as a thriving downtown or a shopping mall. Consider the proximity of your store to a big retailer, such as Babies-R-Us; being nearby can help or hurt you, depending on your inventory and prices. Consider the type of customers you are hoping to attract when selecting a location. If your baby store will offer better-quality, unique or more expensive items, open your business in a more affluent community.

4. Step4

   Determine which merchandise you will sell in your baby store and where it will come from. A baby store can focus on specific products such as clothing and bedding or expand to include toys and furniture. Your store may carry more exclusive brand names, hard-to-find merchandise and other items seldom found in a department store or chain big-box baby store, such as Babies-R-Us. Research wholesalers and other vendors who will supply your merchandise.

5. Step5

   Market your new baby store specifically to those who may be purchasing baby items. Your target market includes women who are expecting or have infants, new or soon-to-be grandmothers, godmothers and people purchasing gifts for baby showers or first birthdays. Place ads in local publications frequently read by women and if permitted, put flyers or brochures in cafes, gyms, yoga studios, child care centers and other places where women gather. Offer coupons and discounts to draw in first-time customers.