Lilycuddles – Wellingborough
Shopping with small businesses is more than just buying lovely products, it’s about the whole customer experience, and that’s just one of the things we love about all the local businesses that are right on your doorstep!
We’ve been out to meet another fantastic one in Wellingborough which is the perfect place for parents-to-be and new mums and dads. Let us introduce you to Lilycuddles, the biggest independent retailer of baby goods and equipment in the area.
A business with family very much at the heart of it, a trip to Lilycuddles on the Park Farm Industrial Estate is an experience carefully curated by owners Sol and Yetunde, with support from their dedicated family team. They cater for the needs and dreams of their customers, and pretty much sell everything but the baby (as one of their brilliant slogans says!).
The story of Lilycuddles began with Sol and Yetunde's personal journey into parenthood. Faced with challenges while selecting baby products at a big national shop for their firstborn, they saw the importance of personalised guidance and advice, which was something they sadly didn’t receive.
Together they decided to channel their experiences into creating a new business that prioritises understanding the unique needs of each customer, considering important aspects including their lifestyle, tastes, and budget.
We always had a dream to open our own baby goods showroom that would be full of well-known and quality brands, and after setting up a successful online business in 2016, we decided to go for it. It was daunting, but we have such passion for what we do, and we wanted to give it a try. Our mantra was ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ and we stand by that today!Sol - Lilycuddles
Since opening in September 2022, we haven’t looked back and it’s wonderful to see what we’ve achieved and how far Lilycuddles has come.
At Lilycuddles, our focus is not only on selling products but on providing an entire experience. Customers can explore a variety of high-quality items from leading brands, including travel systems, pushchairs, nursery furniture, accessories and more. We have a lot of fun along the way getting to know people, with mums tending to look at products from a practical perspective, whereas the dads are more interested in the wheels and suspension of the travel systems!
Named after our daughter’s love for the lily flower and her appreciation for cuddles, the Lilycuddles showroom is in an ideal location with enough space for customers to demonstrate the products to make sure they are buying the right items to suit their needs. We have ample parking and you will often find our customers trying out different prams, pushchairs and travel systems, and the team fitting car seats and making sure everything will go in the car! It’s all part of the service we provide.
We stock a huge variety of quality and popular brands and have built strong relationships with our suppliers who have entrusted us to stock their products. It’s a great feeling that they have chosen to support an independent business, especially big brands such as Oyster, Egg, Prestige, Peg Perego, Cybex, CuddleCo and more!
With my sister Vicky’s creativity, interior design skills, and experience and passion in this area, we have built a welcoming environment that’s more than just a retail space. It has a lovely atmosphere including cuddle corner and a cosy children’s play area, as well as a huge variety of products on display and even ideas for how to set up and design a nursery.
We want our customers to feel comfortable and aim to give them the wow factor as soon as they step through the door, and it’s lovely that Vicky has been able to put her expertise to such good use to create the wonderful space we work from.
We believe in the importance of building connections with families, providing expert advice, and facilitating hands-on experiences. We have met a lot of characters, and we love it, especially seeing from bump to baby when parents bring in their bundle of joy to meet us and pick up more products for the next stage, it’s very rewarding to be part of their journey.
There are regular events at the showroom including product demonstrations, and talks on a variety of baby and parent themed topics. These offer a platform for our customers to interact with brand representatives and gain valuable insights and guidance into different aspects of parenting.
As busy parents ourselves, we understand the challenges of balancing work and family which can be hard when you are running your own business. We work hard to prioritise this and it’s great that we have built a business that our children and wider family can be part of, and be proud of.
Lilycuddles continues to grow, and we hope our hard work will keep it flourishing. We are always thinking ahead, staying on top of trends, and have exciting plans including working with more well-known and quality brands, collaborations with local businesses, and community events are on the horizon too. We’re excited to see what the future holds for us.
We asked Sol what he would say to anyone thinking of starting their own business, and he said:
It’s a bold and exciting step, and you’ve got to embrace the challenge. The reward of trying far outweighs any potential setbacks. Instead of thinking ‘what if it doesn’t work out’ think ‘what if it does work out’. You do have to weather the storm with so much happening in the world, but positive thinking, together with your skills, abilities and expertise are strong foundations to build a great business.Sol - Lilycuddles
Support this wonderful local business by:
- following the Lilycuddles Facebook page and Lilycuddles Instagram channel
- visiting their beautiful showroom at Unit 5 Faraday Court, Park Farm Industrial Estate in Wellingborough (open from Tuesday to Sunday - see their website for opening hours)
- visiting the Lilycuddles website
- leaving a positive review online
- telling your friends about them
Last updated 25 January 2024