Children's Orchard - Manhattan Beach Owners Celebrate Fifth Anniversary

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Mar. 15, 2015 -- When Carol Mintz retired in 2008, she and her daughters sought a family business. They had deep experience in marketing, public relations, advertising and retail merchandising, and the daughters were new moms. That combination led to the Children’s Orchard store in Manhattan Beach, then available for sale. They bought it, energized it and transformed the store into a South Bay children’s shopping magnet.
Today, Carol Mintz, Carrie Rosenblum and Cindy Kehagiaras (The C’s) can feel proud. They doubled store sales and customer counts, attracted thousands and thousands of social media followers, forged deep links to local schools and charities, and built a reputation for great children’s shopping.
They’re celebrating five years of store ownership with $25 gift cards through the Beach Cities VIP program and a March 15th event with 50% off all resale clothing, crafts with UrbanSitters and a bounce house. Children’s Orchard is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach, 310-546-8823.
Children’s Orchard sells quality resale merchandise at 70%-90% below retail prices and buys excellent-condition children’s clothes, toys, books and equipment for store credit or cash on the spot. Clothing (newborn to size 12) includes outerwear, play clothes, shoes and accessories. Furniture and equipment includes cribs and cradles, changing tables, bassinets, strollers, baby swings and high chairs. There are hundreds of toys and books.
Children’s Orchard – Manhattan Beach focuses on quality upscale-resale merchandise in great condition with popular brands like J Crew, UPPAbaby, BOB Strollers, Gymboree, Janie and Jack, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, Splendid, True Religion, Luna Luna, REI, Fisher Price, Little Tikes, Playskool and more.
Before buying this store, Carol Mintz spent nearly 40 years in newspaper ad sales and management and was senior vice president of a national newspaper advertising firm. Cindy Kehagiaras has a merchandise marketing degree, sold newspaper advertising on Rodeo Drive, became west coast ad manager for Women’s Wear Daily and manager of the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine. Carrie Rosenblum has expertise in local and grass roots marketing as marketing manager of Wild Oats LA stores and running the 2001 Salt Lake City Olympics Committee Western States Torch Relay promotion for Chevrolet that involved hundreds of dealerships, mayors and athletes.
When scouting businesses five years ago, they parlayed their marketing, merchandising and management experience, new-mom revelations and bargain-shopping passions into Children’s Orchard. They all live near Manhattan Beach store -- Carol in Playa Vista, Cindy in Hermosa Beach and Carrie in Westchester.
Applying their past marketing knowledge, they built strong social media platforms and followers, forged a rewards program and reached out to target customer: nearby moms who like to save money, are social media savvy and have two- to eight-years old kids.
Regarding charities, they work exclusively with the Exceptional Children’s Foundation in Culver City donating clothes, toys and equipment they’re unable to buy from customers (offering tax receipts). They donate bins of shoes to school-children in Haiti through Links Inc. in Harbor City. They support local school fundraising events with donations and silent auction items. And they won the Waste Management 2014 Green Business Award for excellence in green business practices.
During March, they welcome everyone to enjoy fifth anniversary festivities at Children’s Orchard – Manhattan Beach.
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