I am a busy mum of 2 and launched award-winning babye in 2003 in Ealing, West London – selling stylish maternity & baby products locally as well as wanting to start my own business to juggle my family life – we were one of the first UK retailers to sell Bugaboo!
I opened babye when I was pregnant with my daughter – our first sale felt amazing! The online shop was launched in August 2006 and our customers (especially our celebrities who loved our discreet approach) just kept coming back.
We then expanded and opened another shop in Chiswick. We were ahead of our time and specialised in designer brands such as Baby Dior, Ralph Lauren, Bugaboo and Catimini but also products produced by mums just like me who had launched their own businesses as a way of managing the constant juggle of having a family. Our shop was truly beautiful (ask anyone in Ealing) and thanks to my fab staff who included Kris, Eilish, Anna B, Katie R & Katie H, Rachel, Clare, Clarissa, Beth, Francesca, Anna T, Lois, Amelia and Sherie, we consistently delivered a magnificent customer experience, won many awards and become an integral part of the Ealing business community.
Our beautiful shop was looted, smashed & vandalised in the Ealing Riots in August 2011. I was heartbroken. Although we received the help and support from the entire community, sadly our business losses were just too great and with increased rent and rates, we decided to close our shop in 2012.
Babye continued as an boutique online shop for another year but then it’s funny how things turn out, I became a brand agent and from doing this realised there was a gap in the market to help other retailers with an information resource so in 2015 I launched maternitybuyer.com
With an overflowing inbox, babye has evolved into a blogzine full of new and useful products and information!
Liz Pilgrim
Editor and founder, babye Ltd
@babyeblog