USA Baby Promises To Outfit Your Child ‘From Crib To College’

By John Voket

Coming from a corporate background providing electronic connectors to vendors for the military, Newtown resident Curt Hopkins admits he did not discover his true career niche until he became his own boss. As former owner of Stop & Save Liquors in the Sand Hill Plaza, and more recently along with his wife Ellen and daughter Allyson operating USA Baby / Child Space in neighboring Brookfield, Mr Hopkins said he is where he belongs.

“In the manufacturing field I traveled all over the country and down to Mexico supporting the sales force and building up my customer relations skills,” Mr Hopkins said. “But you really don’t get that kind of complete customer service experience until you are right out there on the floor, dealing with people during some of the most joyous days of their lives.”

Referring to the many customers who venture just a few hundred feet off busy Route 25 to their store at 117 Old State Road, the Hopkins family and their staff assist parents, grandparents, and the many friends and relatives who are either celebrating the arrival of a new child, or assisting in outfitting and furnishing space for that child, “from crib to college.”

“That motto is our own invention,” Mr Hopkins said while standing in the front lobby of the clean and bright USA Baby shop. “Maybe the entire company will begin using it.”

As he transitioned from his executive career into retail, the Newtowner said he enjoyed the prospect of staying local after doing so much globetrotting in his previous job. And after enjoying success in the liquor retail industry, where he undoubtedly supplied a lot of celebratory spirits to families welcoming new babies and milestones in their children’s lives, he decided to search for other opportunities.

That is when he and his wife discovered the “open-minded and flexible” franchise they now own. The Hopkins USA Baby shop is only one of two in Connecticut, although Ellen admits she would eventually like to operate at least a few more in the region.

Upon deciding on this infant and child product and furnishing outlet, the Hopkins were thrilled to learn that the franchisers provided expert support, access to the highest quality and most popular product lines, but also allowed the Hopkins family the freedom to brand the shop with their own ideas and creative influence.

“First and foremost, USA Baby distinguishes itself from other big box stores by our personalized customer service,” Mr Hopkins said. “I’m the owner, but I make an effort to interact with every customer.”

Daughter Allyson Story said that in keeping with her family’s commitment to service, each customer walks out of the store with products that are customized precisely to their needs.

“We try to be helpful without making customers feel like we’re pushing them toward any particular products,” Mr Hopkins said. “We try and chat with them, get an idea of their lifestyle, and then give them some ideas where to start.”

And with a product line that includes furniture customizable to virtually any color and any pattern, more than 50 different child safety seats, three dozen styles of strollers, and thousands of safety devices, newborn care items, toys, games, crafts and cradles, it is just a matter of helping customers “make the most informed and economical decisions.”

Although the company is growing its brand in Connecticut, thanks in part to the Hopkins investment, USA Baby is a well-known retailer in the Western and Midwestern US. And it draws from an international marketplace of suppliers, as well as a few vendors located right down the road.

“We’re the largest Northeastern retailer of the Melissa & Doug line, which are what I call high value play products that will occupy your child for hours,” Mr Hopkins said. “And they are based right down in Wilton.”

While the USA Baby part of their business is obviously for the very young, they live up to their “crib to college” credo with an abundant supply of play spaces and furnishings that combine classic separates like beds and nightstands, with integrated furniture systems that combine functionality of beds, dressers, desks, and study nooks.

“Our most popular product right now is a line of well-built cribs that convert to toddler beds and then again to a double bed as the child grows,” Ms Hopkins said, demonstrating how easily the configuration can be upgraded in just a few seconds. “They outsell conventional cribs 12 to one.”

Another intriguing product, the Ultra Mobile Cam by MOBI, takes bedside monitors to the next level, providing live audio and video feed from crib side to a small, pocket-sized video screen a caregiver can carry around the house as baby sleeps or plays.

Anyone who is expecting can open her own registry at the store, or through the franchise website, www.usababy.com. And the Hopkins recently launched a promotion called “E-mom Rewards,” where registered “e-moms” get Internet coupons and special exclusive deals at the Brookfield store.

“Anyone who registers automatically gets a free baby blanket on their first visit, no purchase necessary,” Mr Hopkins said.

While the Hopkins family has worked hard to maximize their floor space to carry many of the company’s products, they only can accommodate about 25 percent of the line available through the USAbaby.com website and catalog.

“But we get to select what our customers say they want in the store,” Mr Hopkins said. “The company carries 40 furniture manufacturers, and we chose the seven or eight that are most requested by our customers.”

The next step for the Hopkins family, as their USA Baby / Child Space empire grows, is to begin doing in-store demonstrations, classes, and workshops. The Newtowners are also planning to be seen showcasing their USA Baby merchandise at several local family and child-oriented trade shows and events.

For more information on all the products and furnishings available from the Hopkins family, visit their store website at USAbabyswct.com or the Brookfield location at 117 Old State Road, or call 740-1011.