Half-Pint Chic is an online outlet that sells a great range of designer clothing for children and babies at fantastic wholesale prices, very often at up to 80% off RRP.
Founder Nicole took time out of her busy day to give us the lowdown on her boutique…
- How did you come up with the idea for Half Pint Chic?
Nicole: I have always loved clothes but after I had my children, like a lot of Mum’s, I stopped shopping for myself and started shopping for them. However, the labels I loved were invariably expensive and given they were never in the clothes for long I always felt a little guilty about the price tags. So for me personally,the idea of being able to dress your children in beautiful designer clothes at a fraction of normal RRP had enormous appeal – kids clothes never go out of fashion so who really cared whether they were this seasons or lasts?
- How do you choose the brands to work with?
Nicole: We spend a lot of time researching what is out there and we now also have a very good idea of what sells well amongst our Half-Pint Chic customers. Quality is absolutely key – kids love to play and get dirty and the clothes we sell need to be able to withstand lots of wash and wear. In addition, we love brands that stand out form the typical high street offering and we get lot lots of feedback from Mum’s who say they are always being asked where they buy their clothes from – we like to offer something different.
- What are your best selling items / ranges?
Nicole: Coats are definitely amongst our best sellers, as all Mums know a coat that is properly warm or waterproof makes all the difference and this is an area where we really focus on delivering high quality at fantastic prices, we even have customers trying to pre order now for next year. The other best seller for us is dresses; we have found some beautiful European and UK brands that do gorgeous prints and these are hugely popular – especially at the price we sell them for.
- What has been your biggest challenge so far, business wise?
Nicole: As with all start ups funding is a huge issue. I started Half-Pint Chic in the recession and as we all know this has been a time when lots of big retailers disappeared from our high street so the retail climate has been tough. However, we have built a strong reputation for offering Mum’s great brands at fantastically discounted prices and as a consequence, we now have a very loyal customer following.
- What do you feel sets Half Pint Chic apart from other online children’s clothing retailers?
Nicole: There isn’t another retailer out there who offers the same high quality brands that we do at these prices. We work only with premium brands like No Added Sugar, Marie Chantal, Bonnie Baby and Tartine et Chocolat and we also aim to ship every order placed the next day – so you aren’t waiting forever for your parcel to arrive. We genuinely feel that what we do is unique.
- What do your own children like to wear from the range?
Nicole: My girls are quite different; one of them is very girlie and loves all the very pretty florals and delicate dresses. The other is much more edgy, so she likes shorts, bomber jackets and more graphic prints. Both of them definitely love to shop!
Our SM pick of the store: we love this after-swim all in one for boys, retro cute and only £15
