Premiere Designer Wear for Your Little "Brats"

Fashionistas: Owner Liana Yuacova and manager Belle Santous

What’s In Store: Aristobrats (440 Central Ave.) is a high-end designer children’s clothing store that offers everything a kid could need from toys, to well-known brand names, to even decorative wall decals. All serve to make this store unique in the sea of children’s stores found in Cedarhurst's Central avenue.

The store carries designer everyday wear with a sprinkling of more dressy selections. Santous said that the store is currently looking to add more evening wear to their stock. The reason being, according to Santous, is “when people walk into our store, many times they are looking for a designer boys suit or brand name dress for a special occasion.” Come September, shoppers will find an array of both dressy and casual designer children’s clothing.

Some of the many high end brand names offered include Moschino, Galliano, Fendi, and Juicy Couture. It also offers Mona Lisa and IKKS, which are some of the most popular brands Aristobrats sells.

“Everything is personally selected by the owner to complement the store offerings,” Santous said. “Not just to sell, but for aesthetic purposes as well. Every product here goes together.”

The attention to having everything “fit in” goes along with the upscale boutique theme. The showroom is expertly styled with a clean, tasteful appearance. The racks of clothes are ordered in a colorfully pleasing way and in the center of the store lies a boutique-esque couch in case your tired feet need a rest while shopping for your little one. There are also whimsical touches peppered throughout like the bookcases that are filled with adorable designer trinkets that a mother would be hard-pressed not to buy.

Style Guide: Because of the fabulous list of designers who are known for both their expense and exclusivity, the store is able to offer products for children and infants that you won’t be able to find anywhere else in the Five Towns.

Popular items include Juicy Couture bibs, Fendi ties and shoes, and adorably covetable onesies by Fendi and Moschino.

Currently, the store has both spring/summer 2011 and fall/winter 2010 designer collections in stock. Spring/summer is on sale for 30 percent off and fall/winter is 50 percent off, because new collections will be coming in once September rolls around.

Fitting in the local scene: Founded by Yuacova, Aristobrats opened its doors in October 2010. She said she saw a niche in the community where mothers often walk around in designer clothes bought locally, but then have to travel far — often to the city — to buy their children high-end clothes.

Although the high prices may turn some away, many of Aristobrats’s customers are regulars. “There is a lot of traffic.” Santous explained, “It’s not busy every day, but our customers really like us and the products we offer.”

While most of the customers originate from the Five Towns, people do come from all over the tri-state area to shop. The store's clientele also includes customers worldwide who purchase wares via the Internet with Aristobrats’s website that is aptly named spoilyourbrats.com.

When asked about her customers’ demographics, Santous said, “Grandmothers are definitely our best customers. We don’t often see young mothers because of our prices, but grandmothers love spending money on their grandchildren, especially if it’s a high-end brand name designer.” 

Customer service and bringing in more customers is of paramount importance to Yuacova. She directs customers to the store’s website if they can’t find what they are looking for in the store. She has also begun collecting email addresses of both regulars and new customers so she can send coupons and deals to encourage more business. 

Interesting Facts: In the fall of last year, Yuacova found out that she was pregnant. She already had one child — a boy — but the new pregnancy made her think about opening up her own shop to cater to the sophisticated taste of the Five Towns community. So she decided to make it happen and by October of last year, Aristobrats became a reality.