‘Baby Habit’ offers clothing for refined little people
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
There's a new boutique in town ready to outfit area thumb suckers, carpet crawlers and cuddly crib dwellers.
Not only can the local under two-years-old crowd sport some swank new duds, they can do it in harmony with the environment - while they spit up on bibs made out of organic material and bottle feed in T-shirts made from recycled soy matter.
Less than two months ago, The Baby Habit, at 122 S. Broadway in Siloam Springs, opened its doors.
Since its first day of operation, local customers and visitors have trickled into the new shop to slide credit cards across the counter and peel cash from their wallets to claim infant-dedicated treasures.
The business is owned and operated by John Brown University graduates, John and Miriam Lein, who married eight years ago.
The Baby Habit offers infant and toddler clothing and accessories ranging from quaint traditional-style to funky-unique.
"We really wanted to open some kind of store that we could do together," said John Lein, while somewhat distracted by the chore of folding an airy baby blanket. "We launched our online store on May 4 and opened this just a few weeks later."
John Lein, who graduated with a degree in digital media, operates his own web development firm and designed and maintains The Baby Habit's Web site.
His Web office, shared with a few other independent contractors, is located just behind the space that the store uses.
"I've been working in this building since March so the space was a natural fit for us," Lein said.
The online store, www. thebabyhabit. com, features many of the same products that can be found in the local shop, and more.
Available both online and in the store are infant and toddler clothes, bedding, toys, diaper bags, sock, shoes, blankets, organic items, jumpers and caps.
Clothing sizes range from infant to 4-T.
"This really all started with burp cloths and eventually developed into a store," Miriam Lein said motioning to bundles of plush, multicolored cloths. "I designed thes."
An embroidery machine at the Lein's home allows Miriam Lein to personalize items, develop designs and customize to customer's taste.
Several of the products lining the store walls feature recycled materials and are made from eco-friendly substances.
"When I looked around Siloam Springs I didn't really see anything like what we have here," Miriam Lein said. "We have some items, like our BabySoy line, which is made from 50 percent cotton and 50 percent soy bean fiber."
The line, which despite its natural origin looks anything but rustic, is available in six colors that allow the pieces to be interchangeable.
"This stuff is nice because no matter what you get, they match," said John Lane. "It all goes together."
Also available in the store and online are several items from the Shooshoos product line.
The tiny decorative shoes are made of soft leather and have a flexible sole which helps with mobility for new walkers, John Lein said.
"They're cute but they're also really good for development," Lein said. "Our one year old at home wears them and they're so much easier for him to walk in than heavy, flat soled shoes."
Having had three children of their own, one of which died in infancy, the Leins are familiar with products that work well with babies and stock their store accordingly.
Miriam Lein, currently pregnant with the couple's fourth child, due in November, plans to purchase several of the store's products for use at home.
"I really like the BabySoy stuff and the shoes," said Miriam Lein. "I like most everything really - because, well, I picked it all."
In the rear corner of the store an inviting display includes a pristine white crib with colorful bedding and richly colored stuffed animals on a baby-sized mattress.
Several of the blankets sold inside the store are locally made, John Lein said.
"This offers people an alternative to going to Wal-Mart or somewhere like that," Miriam Lein said. "When you take something from our store to a baby shower you aren't likely to have the same gift as someone else."
Sticking with the local theme, the Liens asked recent JBU graphic design graduate, Mar Cruz, to tailor-design a window scene for the storefront.
The vividly colored wraparound scene includes playful animal characters, cartoon flowers and blooming trees.
In addition to being a spot to find unique, custom gifts, The Baby Habit also offers baby shower registry.
Free gift wrapping is available for items costing more than $ 40.
Thursday through Saturday this week, during normal business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Baby Habit will host its grand opening celebration. Special sales and item close outs will be available to visiting customers.
"During the grand opening we plan to introduce some items with images from a local artist," Miriam Lein said. "He created the images and we digitized them for embroidery."
Lein said that if the items from artist Vance Reeser prove to be popular, more will be made available within the store's stock.
Shirts and blankets featuring Reeser's personal designs including mermaids strumming guitars, toy trucks and octopus' with hula-hoops are among the Lein's favorite designs.
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