Culture Club

Victoria is wearing a T-shirt and pants by Molo, sweater by Nono and a vintage hat. Opposite page: Wyatt is wearing a bodysuit by We Love Colors, overalls and sweatshirt by The Animal Observatory, socks by Puma, shoes by Cape Clogs.

Wyatt is wearing a sweatshirt by Puma, skirt by Numero 74, jacket by LSN, hat by Little Lids, glasses by French Gangster. Opposite page: Vivian is wearing a dress by Kenzo, cardigan by Tia Ciabani, socks by Puma, boots by Western Chief.

Kayla is wearing a top by SLS, pants by DKNY, a trench coat by Lanvin. Opposite page: Kayla is wearing a turtleneck by Mayoral, leggings by 92.5, shorts by KatieJNYC, jacket by Gabriel & Valentin, hat by Tia Ciabani, shoes by Dr. Martens.

Nicolas is wearing a green and yellow sweater by Misha and Puff, a striped hoodie from Feather 4 Arrow, a rust orange hoodie by Lemon, beanie by Wynken. Opposite page: Nicolas is wearing a sweatshirt and pants by Molo, sleeveless and orange jacket by Andy and Evan, a hat by Little Lids and shoes by Dr. Martens.

Vivian is wearing a dress by Feather 4 Arrow, suit by Appaman, collar by Il Gufo, a polo shirt by Me & Henry around her waist, hat by Little Lids.Opposite page: Victoria is wearing a top by Mayoral, skirt by RaspberryPlum, jacket by Appaman, shoes by Dr. Martens.

Hair and makeup by Clelia Bergonzoli/Ray Brown Pro. Models: Kayla Ogorzalek, Vivian Guthrie, Victoria Joliddie and Nicolas Roche/ State Management; Wyatt/ Generation Model Mgmt.

Bakehouse, Creamery, Candy Manufactory, and Coffee Company, which became the Zingerman’s Community of Businesss. But Zingerman’s didn’t stop there–the company opened up their unique sales training program to other business owners.

Pope wanted her newest salesperson to attend the program, but the woman was too young to travel and attend solo. She called Zingerman’s and they offered her a two-for-one deal for the three-day program. Those three days became the platform on which The Red Balloon sales strategy is built. “Everything we do at the store is adapted from that training. It’s so easy to follow that I was able to implement it all within one week, and it’s what we still use today,” Pope says.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE That can-do approach has carried Pope through lots of challenging times over the last 20 years, including 9/11, the 2008 economic downturn and of course, the pandemic. Her solutions are often based on good customer service. The morning of 9/11, for example, people were looking for a place to gather and find comfort, and Pope had her doors open not for sales, but for a sense of community.

In 2008, she contacted each one of her vendors and expressed her loyalty but her economic challenges and they negotiated discounts that would allow both parties to continue doing business. During the pandemic, Pope sent handwritten notes to customers, telling them that she was thinking of them and their families and wishing them well—a simple gesture—that meant so much. And therein lies some of the lessons that she learned

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Co-partner Marlene Culhane maskedstore’s pride and joy.

during COVID: “Take care of those around you—it will always serve you well.”

One of those enduring relationships is with her business partner and store manager, Culhane, who has been on board since 2011. Culhane went to school for fashion design and worked in fashion manufacturing before bringing her expertise to The Red Balloon. After a decade of passionate commitment wearing multiple hats, always ensuring that customers would return again and again, Pope promoted her. This all speaks to Pope’s personal and professional mission to mentor women and help lead them to achieve bigger and better goals; when her team succeeds, everyone succeeds.

COMMUNITY COMES FIRST The area in which The Red Balloon is located, Bucktown, is a special one that has evolved over time from when the store first opened. “Our community here truly believes in supporting the small businesses in their neighborhood,” explains Culhane, “We have a diverse mix of customers from grandparents to first-time parents. We have aunts and uncles who shop for their nieces and nephews who look to us for assistance.” Those customers, especially the repeat ones of which there are many, are like family. The Red Balloon strives for that personal connection every single day. “I think maintaining our valued customer relationships and providing them with great customer service is one of the unique things we do here,” Culhane says. “When returning customers walk in, we greet them by name, we remember who their kids are and remember brands and styles that they like.” She derives so much satisfaction from

matching her smaller clients with the right apparel and accessories. “I enjoy helping our customers wardrobe their kids and seeing their little ones grow up,” she expresses.

Speaking of merchandise, the store carries apparel and accessories for sizes newborn to 6x for girls and newborn to 7 for boys. Brands include apparel from Appaman, Paz Rodriguez, Angel Dear, Mayoral, Rock your Kid, Coccoli, Hatley, and Quincy Mae; accessories from Doe A Dear and Ce Ce Co; toys from Plan Toys, Plus Plus, Baby Jack and Hape; and gift-worthy items such as their exclusive Chicago T-shirts and personalized pillows.

A great deal of thought goes into the buying process. Pope says, “I never look at just the item. What is the company about? Do they seem to have a vision? Do they have an organized approach to business?” Culhane adds, “We take into consideration design, quality, uniqueness and we always listen to customers’ feedback.”

As part of the store’s modus operandi, they reach out—not just via email or text but also by phone—to inform their clientele about new merchandise. With this established way of conducting business, the connection became reciprocal, especially during the difficult phases of the past two years. “I learned the value of our relationships with our customers. They showed up when we needed them and that was so heartwarming,” Culhane says. “When the pandemic began, I still reached out but this time, to check in on them and their families.”

This culture of connection from the store’s leadership down to its sales staff is palpable. Like the entrepreneurs shaped through Zingerman’s training program, Pope aims to do the same for The Red Balloon employees. “We are all about collaboration and mentoring —no one wants to be an island unto themselves.”

Timeless toys and charming gifts entice customers

MAKING CLOTHES THAT MAKE MEMORIES

DALLAS Annette's Showroom annettesshowroom@att.net @Levbabybrand levbaby.com

LOS ANGELES The Dressing Room lisa@thedressingroomla.com ATLANTA Lizzie Anne's Showroom lizzieanneshowroom@gmail.com

in our design and manufacturing process. We believe in continuous improvement, and we leave no stone unturned when it comes to quality.

ER: What are the qualities of your proprietary fabric,

AS: Pima cotton is a sustainable fabric, and our commitment to sustainability goes beyond the word. So many brands today claim to be sustainable because they use sustainable fabrics or because they simply “ask their factory.” That wasn’t enough for us. We worked through our supply chain all the way back to the seeds of our cotton. We wanted to know the who, what, when, where, why, and how of each step of our process. Our dream was to curate the softest and most natural clothes for our baby and yours, sewn with love and created with genuine and sincere care.

In the process, we invented our own fiber and fabric, TRU-Pima Cotton. TRU-Pima is genetically verified Pima cotton, engineered to be a super-soft, organic, all-natural fiber that retains the purity back to the original pima’s from decades ago. This guarantees the long-lasting durable nature of our fabric and garments. This special fiber is perfect for creating first-class quality fabrics, second-to none in brightness, softness and durability. The fabric has high resistance to pilling, so you can use our clothes for your first, second and third babies.

Market Week March 7-11th

Owners Martina Carafo and Alexander Soler with their muffin, Leonardo

ER: How else are your business practices impacting

AS: We donate 10% of all our revenue to non-profits that

February 13-15th Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th St New York, NY 10011

BE SURE TO SHOP OUR NYC SHOWROOMS

34 West 33rd St

(just blocks from penn station) MONDAY – FRIDAY: 9 – 6pm

Call a participating showroom to schedule your one-on-one shopping experience.

NYKIDSMARKET

serve orphan children and orphan animals. We have several specific SKU’s where 100% of the revenue is donated. Also, we practice zero waste manufacturing. We do not throw anything away—it is all upcycled.

ER: What market trends have you seen

AS: We definitely see a push towards sustainability, transparency, shorter lead times and reliable suppliers.

ER: How did you navigate business during

AS: Just three months before our scheduled launch, the pandemic struck in Italy. Our garment factory had been producing for nearly a decade and it serves many top global brands. We also have our flagship women’s line that serves haute couture orders from Italy. When the pandemic struck, 90% of our private label manufacturing orders were cancelled in the span of three days–imagine how that can destroy a company.

We did prepare for a rainy day, but we never expected a tsunami like COVID. It was time to put our money where our mouth was with all this ‘work-family’ talk. We strongly felt as a work family and organization that it was time to support one another more than ever. We spoke with our entire team and agreed that we would band together, sacrifice a bit and make keep making our clothes. This has become a common thread and expression of the relentless hard work and commitment of everyone at our clothing factory.

We were super excited to broadcastour message to the public and take our product to all the trade shows in the United States.

ER: How do your three factories differ? AS: Each one has its own character. In Italy, I have never seen a population so creative and so entrenched in quality. Made in Italy is not just a country of origin, it is a way of life. Our garment-makers there are born with a relentless passion to make top quality sewn

ATLANTA, GA 678-249-9293 wholesale@monami-designs.com scan for wholesale application

WHOLESALE.MUDPIE.COM | @MUDPIEGIFT 800.998.1633 | REPRESENTED BY ONECOAST goods. Peru is an up-and-coming country. Our Peruvian team has lived up to the moniker of one of their war-time heroes Colonel Francisco Bolognesi, who said ‘Luchare hasta quemar el ultimo cartucho’ that translates to: ‘I shall [fulfill my duties] until the last cartridge is burned.’

Even during the horrors of the pandemic, our Peruvian team demonstrated a culture of resilience, never giving up, no matter how dire the situation became. Our Peruvian team was so motivated to work and deliver their Muffin products because they really felt that this brand’ was theirs—that allowed us all to keep our families stable, even when all else seemed lost during COVID. In the United States, we know that America has an amazing ability to innovate, create and push the boundaries of tomorrow.

ER: What’s the inspiration behind the designs and col-

AS: There’s no doubt Martina takes her inspirations from nature, architecture and interior design, and the childhood pleasures we all know and love. I think what makes Muffin different, though, is that we constantly seek inspiration from our customers, because we don’t feel that this is our vision alone. We really feel that A Muffin in the Oven is a community. Families need to be able to buy quality, long-lasting products, without breaking the bank, so we have balance and promote the well-being of our children across the board.

ER: What do you and Martina love most about what you

AS: Muffin is our “creative baby” and I just love the journey of watching the company grow. Making clothes is a tough craft. So much goes into making a simple garment. So, whether it’s the fun moments, the tough ones, or the stressful ones, I just love the entire package that comes with the journey of growing our brand and our team. I am grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love with amazing people.

I think the biggest challenge today is centered around the pandemic. Uncertainty is everywhere and governments are considering shutting down entire economies again. I think this is causing emotional instability at the individual level, and this is going to cause long-lasting effects on our societies, ones that are rooted by the love of community and socializing.

Martina Carafo: I love seeing my baby and other babies in our clothes. I love knowing that we created a product with passion to give back to families and seeing them enjoy it. As for the most challenging, being on time with products. The pandemic has really flipped the world upside down.

ER: What are the company’s future goals? AS: We dream of serving more families in the USA, Europe, and worldwide. We hope to sell enough clothes to begin a scholarship fund for underprivileged kids in Peru, for them to travel to Italy and learn fashion—or their trade—firsthand. If we can do this for just one child, that would be a real dream come true.