Building a Better Experience at Moms to be...and More
Jane Kitchen -- Kids Today, 8/30/2011 5:42:37 AM
TORONTO - Like many in the industry, Karen Judd got her start in the business when she was pregnant with her son and couldn't find what she was looking for. But rather than a product or a style that was missing, what Judd found lacking was all in the shopping experience.
"I found it the most miserable experience of my life," said Judd. "No one wanted to celebrate your pregnancy."
Judd knew she could do better, but with no cash to start a business, she began in the second-hand market, buying used baby clothing from area moms until she had enough to open a small retail store.
At just 600 square feet, her initial store was a "lucrative little business," and soon Judd began adding in new product when she couldn't find what she wanted used. The store quickly became about half new and half used, and Judd moved to a bigger 1,000-square-foot location, and then again to a 3,000-square-foot location.
| Moms to be...and More: Information station Extraordinaire Karen Judd has said she wants her store to be an "information station," doing more than just selling goods, and getting to the heart of creating a total experience for new and expectant moms. Read More. |
When she moved again in 2004 to a higher-end area, she was faced with a Once Upon a Child down the street.
"It took me about a day to realize the neighborhood wasn't going to support a second used store," said Judd.
As it happened, Bugaboo was just entering Canada, and Judd was pushing to get the line in her store. But Bugaboo had a stipulation that Judd had to drop her used program in order to sell the high-end stroller line.
It was a no-brainer: Moms to be...and More became an entirely new store - in both senses of the word - and Judd's business took off.
As her business grew, so did the store - expanding into neighboring stores and apartments both next door and upstairs.
"I had one store on the block and now I have all of them," said Judd.
The now 12,000-square-foot store is a complete head-to-toe baby outfitting experience, starting with maternity clothes at the front of the store.
"It means moms feel a connection right away without feeling overwhelmed," said Judd.
Judd said there is always someone greeting customers at the door to help them find their way, and for first-time visitors - usually the overwhelmed, newly expectant mother - employees offer a helpful goodie bag, complete with free samples, a shopping list, frequently asked questions, instructions on how to register, information on how to save money, and timing on when they should buy things.
"And then we leave them alone," said Judd. "...It's enough to let them know we do know what they're going through."
She knows it's an overwhelming experience, and that usually the first-time customer will want to go home and think about it all for a while before returning with more focus.
The maternity section also features a wall of Bravado nursing bras, and certificates of employees who are certified fitting experts (everyone who works in that section) are displayed proudly on the walls.
After the maternity section, the store then moves into sleep sacks, layette, and everyday clothing for babies from newborn to size 3.
"We don't do anything too fancy," said Judd. "You can do all your basics and get everything you need."
A section of educational and wooden toys (Judd did away with battery-operated toys around the time BPA became an issue), as well as books and toys for older kids follows, and then a full customer service desk that handles registries.
The carrier section features samples of each make and model out and ready to try on, in lines from Ergo, Baby Bjorn, Hotslings and more. There is a wide assortment of diaper bags from fashion-forward companies like Petunia Pickle-bottom and Skip Hop.
Strollers and car seats are their own section, taking up a large footprint and offering a myriad of choices, from 
Bugaboo to Chariot to Maclaren. And customers who buy their car seats from Moms to be...and More are given free car seat installation - something that Judd feels is important, and that gives customers peace of mind.
A 30-foot section of feeding products features everything from Avent, Born Free and Medela to mixers, blenders, high chairs, and pumps. And Moms to be...and More does a huge business in pump rentals - another service to help expecting and new moms feel comfortable and save money.
Swings, bouncy chairs and play yards are all grouped together just past the "Chill Lounge," an area midway through the store with a flat-screen TV and a black leather sofa for resting.
Upstairs, furniture, room décor and glider rockers are all featured, with nurseries set up in former apartment rooms for a true feel of how the pieces work in a room setting.
Her 45 staff members each work a specific department that they are experts in, but everyone must know the basics of each department.
"They're total experts in each of the departments," said Judd. "A customer should be able to ask you about the content of a rubber in a nipple."
Staff spends two weeks in training when they start work at Moms to be...and More, so that when a customer comes in, they get the same information every time.
"Sometimes when stores get bigger, you lose that consistency and that personal touch," said Judd.
Judd said she spends a lot of time talking with her staff - many of whom are young and have not had their own children yet - about the emotions of pregnancy.
"It's such a huge thing," said Judd. "You don't have to have had a child to be nice, you just have to be understanding. And we're nice - we'll carry your things out, we'll hold your child if you need to go to the washroom."
And everyone - including Judd - must work on the floor.
"That's where the important people are - the customers," said Judd.
Judd said her staff is never and will never be on commission - she doesn't want to create the pressure for her staff or her customers.
"We pride ourselves on being an information station - we don't just want to take your money," said Judd.
As a natural extension of that philosophy, Moms to be...and More runs regular seminars on everything from baby safety to nutrition (see sidebar).
Providing customers with useful information is one reason why Moms to be...and More is growing, even in a recession. It all contributes to making shopping at Moms to be...and More a pleasant experience.
"With the size of the store now at 12,000 square feet, we really provide the experience," said Judd. "It's all about building the experience."
And because she feels like the store provides a complete experience the way it is, Judd has set her sights on franchising rather than expanding.
"There are several areas of the city that could do with a Moms to be...and More," said Judd, though she envisions the franchise program with smaller satellite stores, around 3,000 square feet.
But regardless of the direction her growth takes, Judd is just happy to be doing what she's doing.
"I love what I do because it gives me a great joy to be a part of what people are going through," she said. "I understand that joy that they are going through. It is the best thing you will do in your life."
Moms to be... and More at a Glance
Owner: Karen Judd
Number of stores: 1
Square footage of store: 12,000, plus a 9,000-square foot distribution center and a 1,500-square-foot outlet center
Year opened: 1994
Major furniture vendors: Natart, Munire, College Furniture, Netto, Stokke
Major bedding vendors: Dwell, Auggie, Olli & Lime, Oilo, Lambs & Ivy
Major accessories vendors: Oopsy Daisy, Petit Collage, Adzif, Wall Candy, Lambs & Ivy, Walleez, Rug Studio
Major gear vendors: Bugaboo, Uppa Baby, Maclaren, Delta, Orbit, Mamas & Papas, Valco Baby, Phil & Ted's, Mountain Buggy, Chariot, Peg Perego, Britax, Graco, Clek
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