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Photographs by Sarah Carmody
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collection of high-end kid stuff
Even with just the bare-bottom basics, rearing a baby to adulthood will cost the average two-parent family a hefty six figures, according to federal estimates. And that number skyrockets once you take into account such modern-day “necessities” as $135 toddler jeans made of premium denim, a $78 swimsuit for a 6-month-old or a $253 Juicy Couture diaper bag (perfect for packing a small jar of $16 diaper cream, a $125 sterling-silver rattle and a cream-colored cashmere blanket for $125).
Do the babies know the difference? Nah. The fabrics might feel softer, that’s about it. But for parents, there’s a strong draw—a mix of adoration, availability, frivolous fun, a little forgivable showing off and the unindulged fantasies of their own childhoods.
Bedrooms no longer stop at pink or blue walls with sentimental wallpaper borders; they’re themed. Pottery Barn Kids sells a $1,499 boat-shaped twin bed for a nautical-style boy’s room, or a $549 dollhouse headboard for the ultimate in girly-girl décor. For walls and ceilings, professional artists create murals to inspire the imagination or use decorative painting techniques to soothe a child to sleep. One project can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
And once baby starts walking, he or she will need a playroom with shelving systems, monogrammed canvas bins for organizing tons of toys and beeping baubles, a beyond-Crayola craft station, plush chenille chairs and a multmedia entertainment system for all those Baby Einstein tunes and Disney DVDs.
These extras are pricey, but they aren’t reserved for kids born with Tiffany spoons in their mouths. In the past few years, St. Louis—where once a doting parent’s main options were St. Louis Woman’s Exchange and the high-end department stores—has welcomed one baby boutique after another.
“Our customers wanted it,” says Jennifer Dunaway, who last summer opened Queen Bee in Clayton and now sells baby accoutrement—including a $22 leopard-print diaper cover with a $65 matching blanket—as well as maternity clothes. Dawn Jensen opened Sassy Pants in Ladue last summer, too, after becoming engaged to a father of seven and realizing how hard it was to find hip clothes for the youngest. If you don’t count her Armani Junior for boys, the average price is $80–$100—“which is still high for children, but in New York you’d be spending hundreds,” she points out. “I’ve toned infant and toddler down, trying to watch the price points, because babies grow so quickly.”
Susan Lynn’s boutique, in Chesterfield, just opened Mary’s Corner to sell baby and toddler clothing and accessories. Jillybean Children’s Boutique in Ladue carries Diesel, Lili Gaufrette, Luna Luna Copenhagen, Petit Faune ... For toddler boys, Burberry has a $67 collared shirt and a pair of $93 coffee- colored cargos (each bearing the brand’s popular plaid). For toddler girls, there’s a $100 Luna Luna Copenhagen princess tutu dress with lace, tulle and beads and $100 turquoise-beaded sandals by Naturino.
In 1995, when Lisa Schofield moved back to St. Louis from California, she doubted that the area would support a children’s specialty store like Ginger Pye, the shop she now owns in Chesterfield. Her clue that the time was right? The sidewalks. St. Louisans had to be shopping online for those supersize $879 Bugaboo strollers, the infant SUV.
Now four years old itself, Ginger Pye pulls customers with handpainted murals, displays of vintage children’s books and unusual merchandise, from a $43 Piccino Piccina knit onesie to a $67 House Inc. fitted poplin crib sheet (in pink and green confetti print) to $36 Brazilian Havaiana sandals.
The store also carries small-scale offerings from Juicy Couture, Lilly Pulitzer, Lucky Brand Jeans and 7 for All Mankind (a.k.a. “Sevens”). The Juicy line features a $253 pink-and-green messenger-style diaper bag that comes with a changing pad, burp cloth and bib (don’t serve beets).
At least St. Louis’ pampering parents remain more prudent than those in New York and Los Angeles, who often think nothing of buying a dozen pairs of $200 toddler jeans. Here, a mom might buy one expensive pair and supplement her child’s wardrobe with considerably cheaper jeans from Target.
Local interior designers and decorators are also tapping into the infant-and-toddler market. Elizabeth Maxson launched little Bit Elizabeth House Baby late last year with reproduction antique cribs and cradles and custom nursery bedding in silks and high-grade cotton. Squint and you can imagine the display—a $999 weathered black-and-gold crib—in 1920s Paris. Cashmere baby blankets cost $125; baby rosaries adorned with Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls start at $75. The store also sells unusual nursery accessories, such as a $30 German student slate board (pencil included), an $80 antique baby scale (Hanson model 3025) and the yellowed sheet music for “Baa! Baa! Black Sheep Part I and II,” framed, for $30.
Local artist Ana Maria Hartenbach credits Pottery Barn Kids with boosting her business by 20 percent over the past five years. Customers ask her to paint PBK catalog images on playroom walls, and PBK nautical sheets once inspired a regatta-themed mural in a boy’s room in Chesterfield. Hartenbach created sailboats, blue waters and a wharf that appeared three-dimensional, transforming the room into a Cape Cod retreat. “Pink and blue walls just don’t cut it anymore,” she says. “Kids today are too sophisticated for just the basics.”
