Baby Chic: A Tiny Shop for Tiny Folk

Just walking by the window of makes any woman want to have a baby. Or a niece. Or, maybe best of all, a granddaughter.

The tiny shop, established on Tanner Street almost 11 years ago, is filled with attire for newborns, infants and toddlers that are picture perfect for parties, family celebrations, or a visit to the photographer. 

It’s not all ruffles and polka dots and fluff. There are outfits for baby boys, but the selection for girls is beyond any in mall stores.

Owner Dana Feigenbutz always has one rack filled with christening gowns, some bejeweled, with prices ranging from $60 to $300.

Feigenbutz has been a shopkeeper in Haddonfield’s downtown area for 14 years, first as owner of on Kings Highway East, a business she sold in September 2010. For almost a decade, she operated both businesses, which luckily for Feigenbutz, were around the corner from each other. 

“I also did catering and this was a little easier for me,” she said from the one-room shop.

Feigenbutz was hooked on classically “special” dresses and play clothes from children from the time her own three daughters were babies and toddlers. Her youngest daughter now is 25. 

At that time she shopped at My Child, a Haddonfield children’s shop that closed several years ago. When customers at her gift shop and tea room would bemoan the lack of a shop for specialty children’s clothing, she saw an opportunity, but knew nothing about retailing clothing. 

Feigenbutz, who lives in Riverton, educated herself by visiting New York City’s clothing district and establishing connections with manufacturers’ representatives. She still goes to the children’s shows in New York twice a year to check out new trends and to one in Philadelphia, and welcomes sales reps to the shop. One representative drives in for an appointment and parks her van in a lot, where Feigenbutz will look over new stock and placed orders.

For fall and winter holidays, Baby Chic carries pajamas and robes, but at this time of year, that space is filled with bathing suits and cover-ups. Birthday shirts for 1- and 2-year-olds are a big seller, she said, and special hats adorned with pom-poms and feathery trims are always available, as are light-weight hand-smocked dresses.

Specialty socks, manufactured by MudPie, are a favorite because they’re cute, and stay on. 

The shop also stocks jewelry items for babies including bracelets and pearl pendants with a cross often worn by girls for their christening. 

Feigenbutz says she prefers to buy her stock from American manufacturers like Lido but the prices often are out of reach of many of her customers. Kissy Kissy items, designed for infants, now are made in Peru, she said. 

Many customers visit the shop for clothing designed especially to bring home a newborn, soft cottons with minimal fussiness.

Her favorite designers are Isabella and Chloe, Haute Baby, Le Top playwear and bathing suits, and Biscotti.

“My stock is conservative and classic. I don’t change much of my stock with items that seem to be designed for older children. Grandmoms love this shop,” she said.

Baby Chic, at 3 Tanner Street, is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also is open First Friday nights and some Sundays. The shop phone is 856-795-3434.