Retailer of the Year

Imagine your local music, art, dance, and cooking classes for children were housed inside an upscale boutique that did triple duty as a parenting community center. Alana Oxfeld and Cheryl Gonzalez did. In 2019, these business partners opened their first concept shop State of Kid in Miami. The retail destination, which has since grown to three locations in Southern Florida, is all that—and a bag of healthy chips (or something made in the Petit Chefs class). That would be an impressive accomplishment in any economic climate, but powering through a pandemic and growing your business 300%? Well, that’s why State of Kid is this year’s Retailer of the Year!

Oxfeld previously led brand communications at Bai Beverages and Gonzalez spearheaded operations at Fridababy and littlehipstar. The pair wanted to turn the traditional model for classes on its head while offering a place for caregivers and children to congregate—think Central Perk meets a Montessori Pottery Barn Kids.

State of Kid combines play-based classes, enrichment for children and educational workshops for adults along with curated apparel, accessories and decor for ages 3 to 8 in one space. The clothing concept sought to serve as an antidote to e-commerce; many parents prefer to shop in-store due to size variance among brands and avoid the hassle of online returns. State of Kid offers a range of American, European and Australian clothing, including brands with cult followings such as Rylee + Cru, Louise Misha, Hux Baby, and Munster and mixed with smaller, discovery brands like Miki Miette, Mer St. Barth and La Lovie. For their classes, Oxfeld and Gonzalez incorporated flexible booking with dropin programming. “We had spent countless hours looking for solutions to our personal parenting needs. We figured we weren’t the only parents who shared these ‘pain points,’” they say. “We love seeing the community we’ve built in such a short period of time.” While State of Kid’s exponential success is clearly the proof in the proverbial pudding, Oxfeld and Gonzalez believe that there’s always room for improvement. Their business mantra is to “think like a kid” and conduct their professional lives knowing that not everything has to be perfect. The owners say, “Perfectionism can be the downfall of many businesses and particularly startups. Make it work, no matter what and don’t let the obstacles get you down.”