UPDATE: Sadly, Nurture Nest is no longer in business. If you know of any other amazing, organically oriented children’s boutiques nearby, be sure to share in the comments to this post, or through my contact form!
As a mother to three young children, a military spouse, and a full time business owner of a photography studio, busy is an understatement for my schedule. At this chaotic stage of our lives, trying to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle can be such a challenge. In an ideal world, I’d buy all organic, never feed my kids fast food, go to the gym three times a week, and only shop local. But we don’t live in an ideal world, and I fed my kids Wendy’s twice this week, soooo….yea. Organic food is expensive, and with Amazon available 24/7, living convenient over well can be really tempting. When we first got stationed here in Groton, Connecticut the only local place I could find that sold cloth diapers, or earth-conscious dinnerware for my kids was Fiddleheads CoOp in New London, Connecticut, a smaller supermarket with a rather limited inventory for my shopping list.
Enter Nurture Nest. As tempting as Amazon can be when you’re lying in bed at 2am nursing your baby, quality and green products aren’t exactly easy to come by, despite their wide variety of options. I found Nurture Nest on one of my session scouting trips through Niantic Connecticut a couple years back, and let me tell you, it was love at first sight. This store has so much to offer! And the owners (Becky and Korie) are so friendly and knowledgable about all things baby! These girls know their stuff and go to great lengths to provide the service and expertise you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else locally.
I love to brag about my favorite places to shop, and there’s no shop or owners more worthy than Nurture Nest. Scroll down for an in-depth peek inside their adorable store, and read their responses as I picked their brains about their business.
Can you share with our readers a little about you and your families? Where are you from originally? How did the two of you meet and end up opening shop together in Niantic, CT?
Nurture Nest is a company founded on the principle of parenting naturally. Offering parents the essential products and tools needed to raise their children in a “modern natural environment.” Korie & Becky both grew up in southeastern Connecticut and are passionate about providing support to families in such a community-based town. Korie is the original owner of Nurture Nest, and Becky started as a (very loyal) customer and became a partner.
Can you share with us your “why”? What inspired you to open your store? What is your mission as business and store owners?
Our focus with Nurture Nest is to provide a community-based parenting approach, focusing on more eco-friendly, natural alternatives to mainstream baby products. We believe in the value of one-on-one education to ensure families choose the best products for them! We are passionate about helping other moms feel good about the choices they make, and providing that safe space to come visit.
What is your ideal demographic? What type of individual do you feel would benefit most from the products and services you offer?
We cater to families from pregnancy through preschool-age, but we have products for everyone in the family! We are proud to now offer most of our inventory on our website, and families can register with us for baby showers! Our customers find us because they are conscious of their impact on the environment, and want to find safer/more natural alternatives without losing quality and performance.
In reviewing your website, it’s obvious you offer a great deal of products for purchase online. Do you have a preference for in store purchases versus online ordering?
We love the ability to reach families all over the US (and abroad!), but nothing beats being able to give a customer one-on-one consults! It is still fun for us to see where our Nurture Nest packages get mailed out to, but being able to form personal relationships with our customers is an experience we cherish.
What is your favorite product/service you offer?
We are both passionate about our locally-made items that are a special and unique baby shower gift! We feature products from several talented local women, and we love knowing the story behind a brand. What did bring us together was bonding over GroVia cloth diapering-still a favorite class to teach!
What items are your hottest/hard-to-keep-enough-in-stock items?
Jellycat stuffed animals are whimsical, unbelievably soft, and just so FUN. Our customers also love all our reusable feeding items like snack bags, stainless steel bottles, and recycled dinnerware.
Tell us a little bit about how you vet your product lines. What factors help you determine the best fit for your store and brand?
Materials used are very important, as we strive to find products that are better for the planet and for our families. We also value getting to know the story behind a brand, and why the owners are so passionate about their product. Not only does it help us to sell to others, it sets us apart from bigger stores.
What types of classes/events do you host? What’s the most popular?
We provide classes to further educate families, including cloth diapering 101, babywearing, how to make natural remedies, childbirth preparation, and more. Korie is CPST certified car seat technician, and performs both car seat installations and checks.
As a store front in close proximity to a large military town, do you offer any type of perks/discounts for military customers?
We offer 10% off all purchases (except car seats and furniture orders). We love our military families and are so grateful for their service!
How do you find your amazing class instructors and vendors? Are you open to accepting new vendors into your store?
We always welcome the opportunity to host new classes and events! Some instructors have sought us out, but providing classes (for fun and education) is so important for us-our events set us apart from being just “retail.” We have enjoyed meeting some amazing, talented locals who are as passionate about their classes as we are!
Do you stock a lot of big name brands? Or more small business goods?
We like to have a mix of recognizable brands, up-and-coming, and local vendors. It keeps our store interesting, and we value those unique items you can’t find elsewhere.
nIs there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Korie and Becky joke that Nurture Nest is their happy place, and coming to the store often doesn’t feel like work. We appreciate every customer who has supported us, and are grateful to keep offering our knowledge!
If you’re local, do yourself – and your family – a favor, and stop in to meet these amazing ladies, you won’t regret it!
