It was just four years ago that Bella Baby came into the world, going from a tentative crawl to a flat-out run within its first few months of business, soon becoming a hit with mums and dads, in Galway and beyond, looking for value and quality products for their precious little ones as well as exceptional service and advice.
Bella Baby is the brainchild of Evelyn Garvey who in 2007 opened the first store in Oranpoint Commercial Centre in Oranmore where the business has flourished and grown, so much so, that there has been a new addition to the Bella Baby family, with the opening of a second store in Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin, in February of this year. The secret of this success? Well, building up an impressive array of the most sought-after nursery store brands such as Bugaboo, Maxi Cosi, Quinny, Joolz, Baby Jogger, Phil&Teds, Mamas and Papas, icandy and Maclaren has a lot to do with it but there is also the added ingredient of a great atmosphere and independent advice; the layout, placing of the products, and the soft decor of the Oranmore store all combine nicely to make fretting mums-to-be more at ease when faced with the daunting task of kitting out the nursery or getting the car seat, buggy, or stroller that is right for them, and there are plenty of friendly and experienced staff on hand to help. Constantly striving to make the nursery shopping experience more convenient Bella Baby has also maintained a strong presence online with a website that is eye-catching, informative, and user-friendly, providing details of the full range of products available and options for fast delivery nationwide, which is free on all orders over €69.
Taking time out from her busy schedule Evelyn Garvey explains that Bella Baby is certainly doing well, but it certainly has not been child’s play getting to this point, and since the opening in 2007 there have been plenty of seven-day working weeks and late night sessions with the laptop, and that is on top of rearing her two children Ella (four ) and Charlie (two ), however with the support of her husband Paul Shaughnessy, and other family members, the hard work paid off. It was while pregnant with her first child that Evelyn spotted a gap in the market and Bella Baby was created.
“It all started when I had my first little girl Ella, and my sister had her son Ben, we saw a gap in the market, and myself and my husband decided to open Bella Baby, which is named after Ben and Ella. Before this, there wasn’t much happening in Galway, I was pregnant and I just couldn’t find the stuff that I wanted and was going to places like Dublin and Cork. There wasn’t much in terms of equipment like different buggies, push chairs, car seats, service, and all that. Bella Baby is really competitively priced, I think there is a perception that we are high end but we do across the range, there’s something for everyone.
“In 2007, it was completely nerve wracking, you would see a car coming and hope that it is coming to the shop but it might be going to the pharmacy. It was a lot of hard work, it was seven days a week for two full years straight and I became pregnant with my second child then, Charlie, and back to work three weeks after having him. You do what you have to do and times are hard, it is just about keeping your head above water, and it is also about the team you have as well, the people here are absolutely fantastic. It is a nice place to work, a nice environment, it is a nice business to be in as customers are generally happy coming in. I love what I do, now I’m only starting to take a day off a week in the past six months or so, but now my day off is now spent in our new store in Dundrum. It is starting to become a little bit easier. I’ve put my heart and soul into it, so that it represents me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want customers, who are spending their hard earned cash, to walk away and think that the staff are really nice and appreciate it.”
Regarding the overall layout and atmosphere of the store Galway city native Evelyn explains that there was a conscious decision to ensure that customers felt welcome and relaxed during what is a happy time and also that products satisfied customers’ needs. “It is a daunting task shopping for a baby, and I don’t want anyone to feel like that. When you’re an expectant mother you’re suddenly expected to know what to get, that you should know all this stuff, but most don’t know, especially if they have never done it before, and that’s what we are here for. The customers that we have are so lovely, by the end of the few months we get to know them really well, we get to see the children, and then they might have another, so it’s the whole cycle again.
“When I started, I knew what products I had used myself, because I found them brilliant, so that is what I started off with initially. We started with well-known products like Maxi-Cosi, Phil&Teds, Mamas and Papas, Bugaboo, and icandy. We built up from there through sheer determination and now we have all the brands and suppliers that we want. Bella Baby is exclusive in the west of Ireland for the Bugga Baby Vista buggy which is really big in the US and it is set to really take off over here. It suits modern mums as it is just so easy to use, you don’t want to be fighting with a buggy out in the rain. We would be really safety conscious when it comes to car seats. A car seat can’t just be sitting in the car for the sake of it, it has to be fitted properly. We would always fit people’s car seats, making sure it is the right product for them,” said Evelyn, who added that Bella Baby has grown in to a new generation of nursery stores with customers driving from Cork, Waterford, Wicklow, Wexford, Donegal, and Sligo to visit the Oranmore store, and others nationwide logging on to the comprehensive website to browse the full catalogue of products and use the convenient ordering facility.
This year has been a big one for Bella Baby as a second store opened its doors at the Dundrum Town Centre, a brave step, considering the hard economic times we find ourselves in. “We went to Dundrum Town Centre one day and just saw a place that was there, we were just mesmerised by Dundrum. It is really brave in the middle of a recession, it just didn’t fall into my lap or anything, it is really hard work. The footfall in Dundrum is just amazing so hopefully we can do there what we have done here. The customers that come in are lovely, and they were so happy that we opened up there as they often ordered from us online. It is nice to build relationships with people as well, even though they’re not your friends, you still feel a connection because again, this is a really important time in their lives, having a baby is the most overwhelming experience anybody will ever have and nobody can describe it at all. The love is unreal that you have for your baby and for your child, you will never feel anything like it. It is such a lovely lovely time for most people and we are with them on that journey, even just for a few minutes.”
At Bella Baby quality and value is paramount as well as good service and independent advice. Strolling through this very welcoming shop, or indeed logging onto the website, you will find a large variety of products, some of the most popular include travel systems - made up of a pram, car seat, and a set of wheels to put the car seat on - starting at €399. Baby Jogger is also very popular at the moment which can start off as a single buggy and convert to a double, perfect for those thinking of having a family close to age. Bella Baby staff are very excited about the launch of the new Bugaboo Donkey in September, it is expected that this single buggy which converts into two will be a big hit. As well as buggies, strollers, and car seats Bella Baby supplies all kinds of other products including monitors and other equipment, potions and lotions for mother and baby, changing bags, play mats, eco-friendly nappies, bouncers, highchairs, moses baskets, and many more. The shop also contains a number of small display nursery rooms to help customers in creating their own haven for their little ones.
More information, including catalogues of all products, is available by logging onto bellababy.ie Alternatively visit the store at Unit 3, OranPoint Commercial Centre, Main Street Oranmore, or phone 091 483718/email [email protected].
