My Urban Toddler to open new store on Washtenaw Avenue
Rosa Lee opened My Urban Toddler in Pittsfield Township in 2006.
Photo by Lorissa Farr
Lee signed a lease to open a new, retail-focused My Urban Toddler store in the under-construction Arbor Hills shopping center on Washtenaw Avenue.
“Now that the store is starting to have an upward growth, this is the time to (expand),” Lee said. “It’s such a great collection at Arbor Hills; it’s a destination.”
My Urban Toddler offers a children’s play space alongside a boutique-style children’s and maternity retail shop, as well as classes geared for parents and kids.
The second location, Lee said, will be a 2,170-square-foot retail shop offering maternity, baby and toddler clothing; shoes and hair accessories; nursery furnishings; nursing apparel and nursing pumps; and toys and other gift items.
“There’s going to be some overlap, but we’ll bring in different collections of high-end clothing and then we can drive traffic down to the play space (at the Pittsfield Township store),” she said.
Lee opened My Urban Toddler at 7025 E. Michigan Ave. near Moon Road after becoming a parent and looking for local places to make connections with other parents while her children played in a safe and clean environment. She wants to create long-term relationships with customers and make parents feel comfortable.
The store offers car seat technicians for car seat selection and installation, breastfeeding support, and lactation consultations. Lee also hand selects the store’s inventory, often after trying items with her children.
“If we don’t love it, we don’t sell it,” she said in a news statement.
Arbor Hills is under construction on Washtenaw Avenue. It's expected to open on Aug. 22.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Katie Nadig, the manager of the Pittsfield Township store, will also manage the store on Washtenaw Avenue. They hope to open the new store in August.
The 90,700-square-foot Arbor Hills shopping center, on Washtenaw Avenue between Huron Parkway and Platt Road, is expected to open on Aug. 22. Max Reiswerg of Chicago’s North Shore Properties Group, one of the project’s developers, said construction is on schedule.
Other tenants in the center include: lululemon athletica, Sur La Table, Madewell, Running Fit, and more than a dozen others. (See the list here)
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
jrigglem
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
Yup, this "high-end" clothing store is not targeting single mothers in any way. From changing the hours of the play room to the cost of the clothing. Plus, no one on a budget would be buying "high-end" clothing for a toddler. Kids outgrow clothes way too fast to spend 25 bucks on a t-shirt. I shop the clearance racks at Target and after my daughter barely wears them and outgrows them I pass them to another friend. Clearly people in Ann Arbor have money to blow while others can't even find a job to make ends meet. Ridiculous
Barb
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 : 6 p.m.
I hear ya. But if you look around, you'll notice us working single moms are in the minority in A2. The SAH moms with disposable incomes make places like this thrive. In the meantime, you and I can keep hitting up resale shops. :)
Brad
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 : 1:29 p.m.
Not even built and it's already a "destination"?
zigziggityzoo
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 : 1:48 p.m.
Well, they're pretty popular at their first location. And given the lineup of stores coming into this strip mall, I'm pretty sure we're going to get people coming in from out-of-town just to shop there.
zigziggityzoo
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 : 1:28 p.m.
Oh great... Just in time for my daughter to be about 8 months old. I can feel my wallet getting lighter already. ;)