Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn (Kate) Peck.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kathryn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The store opened in 2014, and I had really only been considering opening up a baby store for a year or so prior to that. When my son was born in 2011, I very quickly realized how difficult it was to pack up and drive, particularly living in the city, to buy something as small as a sippy cup: you get baby bundled up and in the car seat, don’t forget the stroller, pray baby doesn’t fall asleep in the car and ruin nap-time so bring plenty of snacks, don’t forget an extra diaper, and then you worry about street parking in Charlestown when you return because you lost your spot.
And when I did venture out, I found the large stores nearby were overwhelming; there was a staggering amount of products available and finding help from someone who really knew the products was always a challenge. It didn’t take me long to start wishing for a baby store in the neighborhood. I wanted a place that carried essentials; a place where I could, this being my first child when everything was new and unfamiliar, ask questions and get honest feedback; and a place to just walk to with my baby on a warm day. I half-heartedly joked with my husband about opening up a store in the neighborhood, My background was journalism, I knew nothing about retail, let alone running a business.
But when a location on Main Street opened up, THE location that I had pointed to many times before and said ‘that should be a baby store,’ my husband and I decided life was too short not to try. So I did.
I read everything I could about opening up a retail store. I talked with other business owners and even met with the business advisors at SCORE. My husband and I built the fixtures ourselves and scoured antique stores for tables, mirrors, and other décor, and before I knew it, our second child had just celebrated her first birthday and Mockingbird Baby & Maternity was open for business.
What I’ve found in the four years since the opening is that my store is everything I wished for, and more. Yes, it’s a place where you can find the essentials. There’s not a massive selection, but everything I carry I’ve used, and there’s a reason why I carry what I do. I’ve had some amazingly honest conversations with new moms about everything from nursing bras and postpartum depression to sleep training, allergies, and so on.
With my first child, I distinctly remember being up in the middle of the night and finding comfort in seeing a few neighbors’ lights on, a strange comfort in knowing that others were awake as well, that I wasn’t alone. I’m a mom, and having an open dialogue with other moms can be very liberating.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Like everything in life, it has its bumps. And coming from virtually no retail background myself, most of what I have learned over the years has been learned through trial and error. I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way, but they are mistakes I don’t make twice. It’s always difficult when you don’t have what a customer is looking for, of course. And I’ll admit, it’s very difficult to balance this business with home life (I have three children and a fourth one arriving in November).
It can be very taxing, like any working parent, to feel that your time and your attention are divided. If you’re like me, you feel like you have to do it all, and that’s not always possible. But there are moments in the store I will never forget, moments that make all the little everyday stressful things, like noticing that SKUs aren’t correct that the receipt printer isn’t working, just melt away. My absolute favorite memory is when I had first opened and a fully-dressed police officer walked in. I was in the middle of hosting a storytime and had to excuse myself from a group of 2-year-olds.
My mind was racing about what permits I hadn’t completed or what codes I might be violating, and the policeman pulled me aside and told me that he and his wife had a new baby at home who just wouldn’t sleep and he’d asked me if there was anything I could recommend that might help or any advice I could offer. It was one of the sweetest moments, and a moment when I also realized that having a new baby, for everyone, is hard work. My store was exactly what I had hoped it be.
Please tell us about Mockingbird Baby and Maternity.
Hm, I think my story about the policeman in the previous question answers what I’m most proud of about my store: the fact that it has become a store that carries the essentials, people often refer to it as their “go-to place for baby gifts,” but it’s also a place to find comfort, guidance, and even support in parenthood, because being a parent is not easy.
Now the basics. The business is a retail store (brick & mortar as well as online) that specializes in baby (newborn up to size 4t) clothes, toys, books, nursery items, gifts, and baby gear like Uppababy strollers, carriers, scooters, and more. We also have a small selection of maternity clothes and nursing bras, which sets Mockingbird apart from many other baby stores in other neighborhoods. Buying maternity clothes online is tricky because clothing sizes can be difficult and you’re body changes each week.
There just aren’t many good options for shopping for maternity clothes, and every pregnant woman needs just one really good pair of maternity jeans.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oh my goodness, this is a tough question. There are so many! I had a wonderful childhood. I’m one of 4, so I know big families with lots of activities going on all the time. I fondly remember our family trips to the New Jersey shore each summer, and the summer we ventured to a resort in the Poconos; I remember concerts and recitals, basketball and field hockey games, and horseback riding and sailing camps.
I remember late summer evenings in our backyard catching lightening bugs – a point I raise also because living in the city, I hadn’t realized until just this summer that my own children had never seen a lightning bug before.
Contact Info:
- Address: 219 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Website: www.mockingbirdstore.com
- Phone: 617-242-0210
- Email: info@mockingbirdstore.com
- Instagram: @mockingbirdstore
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mockingbirdstore
- Twitter: @Mockingbd
Image Credit:
Charlie Little Photography
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