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Children’s boutique opens in Hunters Point

Located at 10-50 Jackson Ave

June 3, 2013 By Bill Parry

Hunters Point has its first upscale children’s boutique.

Tiny You, which sells children’s clothing and toys, opened Saturday morning at 10-50 Jackson Avenue.

Jill Callan, the owner, expects her store to do well since it is the only one in the neighborhood that is dedicated to children’s garments. Furthermore, she believes she has an edge over the big-box stores and online retailers.

Callan said that her store sells designer clothes and toys that the big box stores don’t carry. Furthermore, she said, people don’t feel comfortable buying such items online.

“When it comes to clothing, people want to feel the fabrics, especially for babies,” Callan, who has designed clothes for 20 years, said. Furthermore, she said her merchandise is more unique than what the big box stores carry since the big retailers buy in bulk.

There is one other local retail business that offers children’s clothes—namely LIC Living, which is located at 5-35 51^st Street. However, Callan said that LIC Living is geared “more to women and the home, while Tiny You is dedicated to little people.”

Callan plans to carry her own designs as well as items from other local designers. “People like to buy local,” she said.

Callan, who also operates a children’s store in Sunnyside Gardens, did not disclose how much she is paying in rent for her 700sqf space on Jackson Avenue. However, she said “Vernon Blvd was way beyond my budget.”

However, she is satisfied with her location, since it is next to the Jackson Ave. #7 subway station. In addition, a bus stop is likely to be located next to her store, when the B32 line is introduced—which will go from Williamsburg to Court Square.

However, she is not certain that Jackson Avenue rents will stay reasonable for long.

Callan expects all the residential development in the Hunters Point and Court Square area will drive up commercial rents.

Callan is planning a grand opening for June 15^th with wine & cheese and giveaways to draw more attention to her store. “Plus it will give me a chance to meet more of the community,” she said.

“We had a pre-opening party for a LIC parenting Meet-Up group and nearly 70 people attended,” Callan said. The group has 700 members so she thinks it might have created an early buzz among the area’s young families.