Grant Avenue is about to get just a little bit sweeter with the opening of Village Child, a new children’s clothing boutique. This is the first brick and mortar location for owner Emily Rich, who started the business in 2017 with Village Children’s Boutique, a mobile store in a converted camping bus. The bus has been a popular fixture at farmers’ markets and festivals, and continues (now also under the new Village Child name). Meanwhile, the new Grant Avenue location gives Emily and her business partner Mary Pryce a permanent location to grow their business and their community of fans a permanent home.
For Emily and Mary, transforming the 2,500 square foot store into a multifunction space was a critical to attracting the young families of Novato. Emily describes her goal as “Creating a space, and also business culture where everyone is welcome. We wanted to show the community that being a mother to young children can in fact be an asset to launching a new business.” The front of the store welcomes foot traffic to browse their selection of clothes for little ones. Behind that, a Montessori inspired cowork and play area is surrounded by tall tables, allowing the kiddos to play while the adults get some work done. Further back, Village Child is putting the finishing touches on a gathering space which will be available to rent out for birthday parties, yoga, meetings, and more.
Together, Emily and Mary fill Village Child with sustainably sourced and ethically produced children’s clothes. The duo prioritizes small, family run producers and hand selects each piece that they stock.
You can visit Village Child as they make their debut this weekend with a soft opening Friday, November 16 2018. The official Grand Opening will be on Small Business Saturday, November 24.
Welcome to Downtown Novato, Village Child!
