 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
Nowadays it’s not just about buying something because it’s cute. Our buying habits have evolved
—for the better. Thanks in great part to the surfeit of information propagated by the Internet and
the strained economic times, the wanton consumerism of yesteryear has been traded in for a new
and improved model, driven by our desire for oversight, disclosure, accountability and fact-finding
on all fronts, from vetting owner ethos to scrutinizing product quality.
THE FAMILY GROOVE shines the spotlight on rising entrepreneurs and their businesses to bring you the goods on the who, what, where, when, how and why behind the best and the brightest brands on the market today. It is our hope that these interviews will not only give you some insight into the passion, spirit and values that fuel these companies, but just might inspire you to follow your dreams, too.
We guess that compared to giving birth, there’s nothing that a mom can’t do, right? And compared to dealing with a tantrumming 2-year-old at the apex of the witching hour, well, just about anything else is a day at the spa. Anything else except perhaps opening a business in the height of the worst financial crisis the world has ever seen. Unless, of course, you’re a fearless momtrepreneur (kind of a redundancy, huh?) like Rajani Kapu, who boldly and bravely didn’t let anything get in the way of her dream of owning a high-end, European-flavored online children’s boutique. One part positive attitude, one part gumption and one part great taste equals Mon Petit Canard, thriving just seven months after it opened.
| This month’s Top Shop: |  |
Here, we catch up with the jet-setting founder of the chicporium and talk tributes, travel, toys and more in the brave (and exciting!) world of parenthood today.
THE FAMILY GROOVE: Mon Petit Canard means “My Little Duck” in French. Where did the name come from?
RAJANI KAPU: Our daughter has always loved ducks and stories about ducks. The name is a tribute to her. I wanted the name to be cute and whimsical.
TFG: During your many trips abroad, you fell in love with the children’s boutiques in Europe, especially the ones in Paris. How are these boutiques different from their U.S. counterparts?
RK: Style is a way of life for Parisians. They make style look easy and casual. Their shops and displays are beautiful without being fussy, and their products follow the same philosophy: cute and playful but uncluttered. Clean but not austere or severe. They somehow manage to pull together “stylish” and “kids” without looking like they’re trying too hard. It’s an art.
TFG: How often do you get to travel now that you have a business and a daughter?
RK: As often as possible, but not as often as we’d like. We still try to travel abroad once or twice a year and domestically a few times. It is definitely more challenging when you have a 24/7 business, but we have made it work by hiring an assistant and taking much shorter vacations. Our daughter always travels with us. She’s currently looking for flights to Mars.
TFG: Where would you like to travel next?
RK: Morocco is high on the list. Montenegro and Southeastern Europe as well. My daughter is debating between Disney World and Puerto Vallarta, and it is looking really good for Mexico, believe it or not. Sorry, Mickey.
TFG: You were inspired to start your own children’s boutique when you were buying a baby gift for a friend. Now that you’re an industry insider, what is your favorite baby gift to give?
RK: The classics are always tasteful, useful and appreciated. Buy something they need and will make life better for them and their baby: a blanket, bedding, onesies, eating or changing items—but make them beautiful, well made and unique. My favorite and my daughter’s favorite is The Little Giraffe chenille and satin blankets. She is 4 and still uses them. They have stood the test of time. Every first-time mother I have given this blanket to just loves it. I can see them thinking about cuddling with their little one in this blanket.
TFG: Since the launch of your business just six months ago, what’s the greatest lesson you have learned?
RK: It is all harder than it looks. I had no background in IT, so it was all from scratch. When you open a business you love, you will think about it all the time. I found it much more difficult to separate work from home life. Also, try to time the opening of your store so that it doesn’t coincide with the onset of a global financial crisis. We launched in the beginning of April 2009.
TFG: Mon Petit Canard has everything a new parent needs. What do you look for in the products that you carry?
RK: Stylish, well designed and well made. Quality is something that is hard to show on the Internet. Our items are chosen because we and our daughter have used them and have appreciated them. The products must be beautiful and real-world durable. They stand up to bicycle wipeouts and frequent laundering. I love it when a stranger asks where I got something for my daughter, and I get to say, “At my store!”
TFG: The toys that you offer are ones that your daughter loves to play with. What are her favorites right now?
RK: She’s more into dress-up than anything else right now. She is the princess of her own tiny kingdom, like every other little girl. She also likes her Nerf swords, but my husband and she can’t be trusted in the house with them, so the swords are in time-out now. We are currently looking for dress-up clothing that is to the high standards our website is based on.
TFG: For the upcoming holiday season, what are the trends in girls’ fashions? In boys’?
RK: Well, we tend not to purchase much clothing that follows the trends in fashion. Most of our designers have their own unique style. I really try to find small companies that have made their own style. For example, Pink Chicken has the most unique dresses, skirts and bloomers I have seen. Most of my customers come to our site looking for a specific Pink Chicken dress or skirt. These dresses have such a unique style, they can be worn year after year—daughter after daughter. My philosophy is that if a customer is willing to spend $60 to $100 on a dress, they want it to last more than one season and they don’t want it to look dated.
TFG: There’s a lot to know when buying furniture. What advice can you give us for buying furniture online?
RK: Get the dimensions right. Understand shipping procedures and carefully inspect the items when they arrive. Buy well-respected brands to ensure quality, safe materials and safe construction. It is amazing to think that only a few years ago people would have been very hesitant to shop online for furniture; now it is the norm. The Internet has opened so many new possibilities for baby furniture. Consider purchasing online for high-priced items to avoid sales tax.
TFG: Let’s talk about your gift registry. What are the top three things new parents should most definitely have on their registry?
RK: Clothing: onesies, footies (Petit Bateau makes the best, and babies are the cutest in footies!)
 |
 |
Stuff: Babies need stuff in inverse proportion to their size; the smaller the baby, the more stuff they seem to need: blankets (soft, fuzzy, warm, cuddly), burp pads/cloths, towels.
 |
 |
 |
Furniture: Changing table (really saves your back) and crib
Mom and Dad: Sleep…
TFG: Mon Petit Canard is an online-only boutique. Any plans for a brick-and-mortar store?
RK: Never say never.
TFG: Where do you go from here?
RK: We’ll continue to expand our lines and grow our customer base. We’re always looking for interesting, well-made new lines to carry. We want to spread the word that unique, stylish and affordable children’s clothing and furnishings are only a click away!
For more from Rajani , go to www.monpetitcanard.com.
What the heck does "Special Section" mean? Well, it means that these businesses paid a small (like, pretty darn small) fee to be included. THE FAMILY GROOVE strives to support mom and pop businesses by giving them a venue for their super cool sites, ideas and products—and, quite honestly, we strive to pay our bills, too. So we've taken seven articles a month (out of 25+) and made them fun and exciting ways to promote the next best thing, much like in the way a publicist would. We believe in the companies we feature. We research, vet, scrutinize, analyze and obsess over every single solitary company that is included in this section to bring you the grooviest of the groovy. We're all in this brave new world together, right? And so we've got to support each other in any and every way we can. We hope you dig our finds as much as we do.
HOME | ABOUT TFG | CONTACT TFG | FREE TFG | ADVERTISE TFG | SHOP TFG | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS
