In a move designed to better reflect its mission and range of services, Isis Maternity, the pregnancy and parenting resource located in Arlington Center, has changed its name to Isis Parenting: Parenting Starts Here, and unveiled a new logo to reinforce its brand.
Isis – which derives its name from the Egyptian goddess of motherhood, fertility and protection – has offered products and services to expecting and new parents since opening its first outpost in Brookline in 2003. The Arlington location opened in 2006 and shares retail space with Wild Child and Helena's.
According to CEO Johanna McChesney, Isis has long provided more than maternity services. "This change aims to capitalize on what Boston-area consumers already know," she says. "Isis had tremendous brand awareness and familiarity in the marketplace, but we heard feedback that the word 'maternity' was limiting," McChesney says.
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The change to Isis Parenting reflects the company's desire to appeal to a modern demographic of parents and caregivers. The previous name "unintentionally excluded dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other caregivers and made the parents of one-, two- and three-year-olds think, 'we're done with that' – which isn't true," McChesney says.
In fact, some of the most popular classes at the Arlington location are its new moms (and dads) groups, which cater to parents of newborns up to age three. Local parents have expressed particular gratitude for these groups, saying they provide vital information and support.
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"I'm an emergency-medicine MD and loved being able to learn about my infant with other new moms," says Arlington parent Alison Sisitsky Curcio, a self-professed fan of the store. "I took the Great Beginnings course when my son was just 4 weeks old. I thought that being a doctor had prepared me to take care of a baby, but this course taught me so much."
Expecting and new parents will find classes in everything from prenatal fitness and massage to lactation consulting, sleep support and CPR. Equally important to new parents, it offers a sense of community for the early – and often challenging – days of new parenthood.
The center has also expanded its offerings for those experiencing parenting the second time around. Its popular "Take Two" classes are geared toward parents of an infant and a toddler, providing support for the challenges of an expanding family.
The company has been widely recognized for its role in the Greater Boston community with awards from the Improper Bostonian, The Boston Globe Magazine and Working Mother magazine, which named Isis one of the best 25 small companies in the nation for working moms.
Boston-area parents seem to agree according to CEO McChesney, who says her company is currently looking to open locations in communities on both the North and South shores.
"The top response we receive on our end-of-class survey to the question, 'What can Isis do to serve you better?' is 'Build one closer to my home!'" says McChesney. "We get requests from all over the country and even around the globe. We plan to take the warmth, education, support and access to the great products of Isis as far and wide as the world's new parents will let us."
