Sugarplum Dreams dance in their heads at this Texas store

Sugarplum Dreams dance in their heads at this Texas store

By Gerri Hunt -- Kids Today, 5/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

As a child, Ellen Dean Cotton spent hours rearranging her room and coming up with countless ways to design clothing, doll bedding and repainting everything in her parents' home, often to their surprise. Staying true to this love, she grew up to work in marketing and interior design. She married an architect, had four children … and opened a children's store.

Sugarplum Dreams laid out its welcome mat in April 2000, as a children's clothing and gift store. It has expanded three times in the past six years — both in size and product offerings. The store now carries furniture, and more recently strollers and other gear.

“It's centrally located in San Antonio close to historic Alamo Heights, and has a neighborhood charm with an updated sophistication,” said Cotton. This latest expansion wasn't even her idea.

“The landlord approached me to be the corner anchor shop in a redevelopment of a 20-year-old neighborhood shopping center that was seeking to redesign its tenant mix to an upscale mix of local boutiques and national restaurants with a sophisticated appeal,” said Cotton. “The excitement of the project appealed to us so we agreed to work with them to redesign the center that we had grown up with. It's been an exciting transition.”

She calls Sugarplum Dreams “a destination store, where you come to enjoy what dreams are made of.”

“Our customers come to get personalized attention and enjoy being treated like a celebrity whether they are driving a Rolls Royce or a Pinto,” she said. “They know that we are there for them to hold their babies, coach them through the do's and don'ts, and what they really need vs. the baby book mumbo-jumbo of what is really just frills but fun to have.”

The staff — known as the dream team — helps customers who walk through the double antique doors to find anything from an heirloom silver cup for a baptism to the perfect crib for their first baby. Youngsters are always offered a box of Texas Alamo shortbread cookies and a Sugarplum Dreams balloon in pink or blue. Older children can pick out a Sugarplum Dreams pencil in their choice of colors.

“We love being the one-stop-shop for the college girl who is getting married and is coming to us to pick out her flower girl dresses and their gifts, who then comes in for her first baby bed, then for her baptism outfits and many birthday dresses and gifts in the future.”

Like many baby stores, Sugarplum Dreams designs nurseries for parents who choose for the newborn's gender to be a surprise.

“When I get the call from the mother-in-law or husband that the day has come, we swoop in and deliver and set up the entire nursery and have fresh flowers for the mom as she comes home from the hospital,” she said.

“It makes moms very happy knowing that yellow and green aren't their only choices. They can have the nursery of their dreams and not have to spoil their surprise either. It is truly a win-win situation.”

And customers can shop the store knowing every product hand-picked and good enough for the staff's own children and grandchildren. “We try to find the very best products on the market and we love representing them,” she said. “We are extremely picky about making sure that each and every product meets or exceeds safety standards of ASTM and JPMA.”

And just what does it take to run this 6,000-sq.-ft. store behind the scenes? With more than 400 vendors, Cotton said it would be impossible to coordinate everything without the advanced technology of the store's computer systems, Web site and IT department. “They allow us to continually grow our operations with ease as we add new products. This allows us to serve our international customers as well,” she said. “We also have a large Web business that is continually growing and expanding.”

The top three categories are apparel, furniture and accessories. The store also sells toys, textiles and accessories. “Our exclusive merchandise is the result of my collaboration with many artisans and craftsmen who create specialty products for Sugarplum Dreams, ranging from clothing and jewelry to custom-embroidered bedding and specialty artwork.”

Cotton said she feels a sense of loyalty to the products and vendors she features, and that it's often difficult when relationships are no longer beneficial. “I always root for the underdog and truly want everyone to succeed. We put our hearts and energy into supporting every single product on our floor. It is a very personal decision for me when I choose what lines and products to support in my store and I expect nothing less from their manufacturers.”

Sugarplum Dreams plans to add to its furniture, gear and metals categories, as they have had tremendous growth. “We will continue to expand our store's opportunities as we see fit, without ever compromising service or quality,” Cotton said. “We are often approached about expanding and franchising and I am always keeping my options open.”

So what advice does Cotton have for retailers just entering the industry? The same advice her grandmother-in-law gave her when she started: Don't drink the champagne, keep drinking the lemonade.

“By this she meant that even when you're successful, don't get overindulgent too quickly and start getting frivolous. Reinvest in your business and watch it grow. Be cautiously optimistic and true to yourself and your customer. Keep drinking the lemonade … you never know when you will hit a recession, and be glad you don't have a big warehouse full of stuff you can't sell.”

While Sugarplum Dreams started out as an apparel and gift retailer, furniture helps fill up the 6,000-sq.-ft. store, and is very popular with shoppers.

Apparel, furniture and accessories are the top three categories at Sugarplum Dreams.