Bundle of Joy
Here's one entrepreneur's idea for a one-stop shop for baby gifts and bouquets for new moms.
What: Clothing for newborns packaged as a bouquet for the new mom
Who: Bryony Boxer and Simon Martin of The Baby Bunch
Where: New York City
When: Started in 2006
Startup costs: $250,000
Before visiting a new mom in the hospital, family and friends often get flowers for her or a gift for the baby. Thanks to The Baby Bunch, they can do both at once.
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When Bryony Boxer, 33, was pregnant with her first child, she says she noticed a "shortage of products in the market that were gifts for the mom and the baby at the same time." She also saw people becoming increasingly busy and putting less thought into gift-giving. So she and her husband, Simon Martin, 36, came up with a practical, convenient gift idea: infant clothing packaged in the form of an attractive bouquet that could be purchased online and sent directly to the recipient. Offered in various sizes and styles, the bunches include bibs, socks, T-shirts and onesies. The filler flowers, made from wood and paper, can be saved for display, and the gift box is reusable.
"The idea of using everything in it--not just having superfluous packaging--is important to us," says Boxer.
Expanding on its practical, economical and eco-friendly thinking, The Baby Bunch recently launched a line of organic bouquets, which earned the company the 2007 Innovation Award from the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association.
Although the couple's 2-year-old son has outgrown the line's infant clothing, the company still has lots of room to grow. Projecting $1 million in sales for 2007, the couple plans to create gift bouquets for other occasions and age groups.