retail
BABY MOON BABY SHOP
Totally over
the moon!
This month Nursery Today had the pleasure to question Grace and Barry Mooney on their bold decision to open their first nursery store, Baby Moon Baby Shop (located in Tullamore, Co. Offaly) at the start of a global pandemic. So far, they are ‘over the moon’ with joy at the response from customers, here we find out more. Firstly how are you and the team? We are all well and so far so good. We have just had a spell of really hot weather which wasn’t great for our ladies who are expecting but hot weather is rare in Ireland so it was nice for everyone here.
Can you tell us a little about Baby Moon Baby Shop. What was the inspiration behind the store? When we began our journey as parents ourselves, we found it really difficult to find a dedicated nursery store with a personal touch and ended up travelling further than we would have liked. We moved to England seven years ago and Barry worked as head of sales for a leading nursery brand. For family reasons we decided to move back to Ireland and made the bold decision to open our own nursery store in Tullamore.
You opened your doors in 2020, which was certainly a difficult time for everyone in our industry, what do you feel was your largest challenge? 16
nursery today
To have survived the first year in business in the middle of a global pandemic has by far been our biggest achievement. We have doubled our staff members and the volume of people that have come through our doors through ‘word of mouth’ is so rewarding.
Yes there were plenty of challenges but none we shied away from. The first biggest challenge and still is, was building our brand and getting our name out there. Juggling a new-born and opening a store was a close second!
And of course, what has been your biggest achievement? To have survived the first year in business in the middle of a global pandemic has by far been our biggest achievement. We have doubled our staff members and the volume of people that have come through our doors through ‘word of mouth’ is so rewarding.
Are you active on Social Media and if so, how important is this for your business? Social media is very important to us and in current times I think every business, even outside of the nursery industry, knows how valuable social media is.
What type of reaction to your store did you receive from
brands? Have you found them helpful in assisting you in establishing your business? Absolutely, we have been very lucky with the brands we have chosen to stock in our store and they have been nothing but supportive to us since opening. It wasn’t just a difficult time for retailers, it was also a difficult time for suppliers.
How have you positioned yourself as a destination store for parents in your area? We are situated outside of the town centre and have dedicated parking right outside our front door. Which makes it easily accessible for parents to be.
What type of floor space do you operate from and how do you manage this? Our floor is maximised. It can get busy on the weekends with demos, but we manage well and customers are more than satisfied with our intimate setting.
