At Infant Interiors in Newport, you can buy a crib for $299 to $1,350, depending on the style. Add a four-piece linen set, a upholstered glider and a changing table, and the price for a high-end furniture set for a nursery could add up to $4,800.
“It’s all custom – you can specify if you want the headboard one color and the footboard a different color,” said owner Roselle McConnell, adding that most popular cribs are in the $600 range. “It’s made to order, top quality.”
Retailers such as Infant Interiors, which as of this month, also has a store in Osterville, Mass., are catering to a growing market of older, more financially well-off parents who want high-end furnishings for their nurseries.
“I’m finding that moms are older now, so they’re a little more established and they can afford a little bit more than back in the day,” said Maria Disimone, co-owner of Providence’s Bambini store. “Their nursery is an extension of their home – it’s not just a little room. The nursery is a part of the house, and they want it as nice as their bedroom, their living room.”
Bambini and Infant Interiors act as consultants of sorts to the parents, helping them put together the perfect room – at Bambini, the average cost is $4,000 to $5,000, with girls’ rooms generally costing more than boys’.
“In girls’ rooms they want a chandelier – pretty pink crystal chandeliers – and in girls’ rooms we end up getting more accessories,” explained Disimone, who said one customer spent $40,000 on a nursery. “But it could range anywhere from a few thousand dollars all the way up.”
The trend toward high-end baby products has also spurred the creation of the Rhode Island Baby Business Owners Network (RIBBON), a six-member group. Disimone said the group works as a referral service and hosts events for parents.
“If somebody comes into my store, I treat them with respect. If we’re going to refer a customer to one of those members, they’re going to treat them as well as I do,” said Disimone. “We make sure that we all have the same vision for our services and customers.”
RIBBON member Candita Clayton, owner of Rumford-based Your Life Organized, which helps clients with closet design and uncluttering, said the group formed about a year and half ago and hosts events to help parents who are busy professionals.
“I think that parents are very selective now – a lot of parents have waited longer to have their babies and are in a different economic stage in life,” said Clayton. “So they can afford more high-end services, and we want to bring the best of what’s out there to them.”
The best includes not only furniture, but a whole array of designer products, including the Lela Rose-designed Quinny baby carriage that hit the market last week, retailing for $1,000. The first 300 strollers relased are available only through four New York City outlets and California, Florida and Texas locations, but there’s another Quinny stroller, the Buzz model, that is available at Providence’s Mod Moma, on the East Side, and retails for $500.
A lot of parents buy the best for their first child and then less – not necessarily lower quality but lesser amounts – for any other children that follow, said Disimone. But she said the draw for high-end infant merchandise is the same as for any high-end retail product.
“I think that parents now can afford a little more, and they want the best of the best. And I also think, just like with kids wanting the best sneakers, it’s marketing,” said Disimone. “It’s a niche – it’s really been a niche business lately. There’s been a baby boom.” •
