Celebrating 15 years of playtime in Nelson

If you’re a parent who raised your child in Nelson, chances are you’ve met Judy Banfield more than a couple times.

As the owner of Mountain Baby, Banfield holds a special place in the heart of many parents.

She is a person they’ve turned to for parenting and breast feeding advice and her store is where they’ve gone for quality products for their children or just time out from a hectic day.

“Over the years, Mountain Baby has become more of a community centre than a retail store,” Banfield said.

“We often have tons of kids in the store playing together. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

On November 14, the store will mark its 15-year anniversary and Banfield is inviting all her customers to drop by the store and help celebrate.

There will be a party in the store, with live music, face painting, cupcakes and gifts for all the kids.

“We want to thank everybody who has supported us over the years. They’re helped make the store what it is today,” said Banfield.

Mountain Baby began as a small store in the back of Central Bark.

It used to be called Comfort and Joy. From there it moved to Baker Street in the place where Pixie Candy is now. Three years ago, the store changed its name to reflect its focus on outdoor gear for youngsters and moved into the current location at 636 Baker.

“The products we carry aren’t just miniature versions of adult gear. Everything is designed with kids in mind,” said Banfield.

Before she’ll carry an item, Banfield personally researches it and makes sure it seems like something that will enhance a child’s life. Then she relies on her customers to let her know if it stands up to their active lives.

“I’ve pulled products from the store because they aren’t the high quality our customers expect,” said Banfield.

To find what she’s looking for, Banfield gets products from a number of small businesses and single product manufactures. She has more then 300 suppliers.

While somebody with a business degree might look at that as inefficient, Banfield doesn’t care. She didn’t go to business school. Her background is in Early Childhood Education. She’s a certified breast feeding coach. When she opened her store, she wasn’t thinking about how she could turn a huge profit.

“I just wanted to have a store that put children first,” she said. “It wasn’t so much about making money, but being a needed resource.”

Today Banfield’s expertise reaches people beyond the store and outside the city through her website mountainbaby.com, which continues to grow as a resource for parents around the world. But that hasn’t kept her from working shifts in the store and meeting all the new babies in town.

“I’m looking forward to many more great years for Mountain Baby,” she said. “The store, and all the people who come through it have been a real gift.”

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