Store Photo

(This doesn't view well on a mobile phone!)

Here's a cool panoramic photo that was taken by Kevin Barber of Barber Photography.  In case you haven't had a chance to make it into the store, here is all the hard work put into the store by everyone that works here.

Can you see the large photos on the walls and hanging from the ceiling?  Barber Photography took the photos of local families and Little Padded Seats customers that are showing off some of our wonderful products.

We tried to categorize the store as best as possible. We have the carriers right as you walking into the store and then diaper bags and clothing along the south wall.  In the middle are mama products (pregnancy, nursing, menstrual, etc).  Towards the middle front and north wall are kid's products (toys, games, cards, Piggy Paint, Name Trains).  On the blue north wall are our teething products including amber necklaces.  Towards the back is anything cloth diaper related - diapers, covers, wetbags, laundry items, etc.

Along the back wall (with the polka dots), there is a children's play area so that you can come in and shop while your kids are entertained.  There is also a couch with a Boppy and nursing cover available to those that would like a place to sit down out of the hustle and bustle of the mall to nurse (or for dads to sit).

We've been in the new space for a little over a month and it has been awesome!  We have been seeing a lot of people coming in that have never heard of the store and making purchases, wanting more information on cloth diapering, or just enjoying seeing a new store.  I think it helps being in the location that we are in!

If you haven't had a chance, take some time to come out to visit us! 

Our Community Room & Classes

One of the greatest benefits to the new store is that it allows us to have a "community room".  What exactly is this room for?  Anything that can allow us to help out our community and its members.  So far we have been able to have our first cloth diaper garage sale (look for another one February 9th!), API meetings, and Lauri has scheduled dates for cloth diaper classes through March.

Having this room allows us to continue to keep the store open while helping educate people on cloth diapering, baby wearing, and future uses.  To date, we have been in talks with local chapters and businesses to hold their classes in the community room.

You can look forward to seeing:

Attachment Parenting International (API) meetings

My Smart Hands

Cloth Diapering Classes

Babywearing Classes

Cloth Diaper Garage Sales

Plus many more are in the works!

You can also make sure to check out our calendar on the Little Padded Seats website on what classes and events we have coming up.  Again, Bianca is working hard on making sure our calendar of event are as up to date as possible.  Check it out here: LPS Events

If you have any suggestions in which you would like to see, please feel free to comment and let us know!  Also, if you are looking to rent a space for your organization, e-mail, call, or stop in and speak with Lauri or Tommy.  They would be more than happy to speak with you and work something out.

New Places, New Faces.

As mentioned previously, the Des Moines Register did a little mention about Little Padded Seats and their new move.

Here is a copy/paste version of the article by Patt Johnson:

Little Padded Seats, a cloth diaper and natural parenting shop, has moved to Valley West Mall in West Des Moines into a space on the lower level near the children’s play area.

Owners Lauri and Tommy Ericson sell reusable cloth diapers, diapering accessories, baby carriers, BPA-free plastic bottles, breast-feeding products, cotton clothes for infants, toys made from sustainable wood and educational products.

Lauri Ericson started Little Padded Seats as an online business in April 2008. The couple opened a tiny shop on Elm Street in Valley Junction in West Des Moines and soon outgrew that space. They located to a larger store in 2009 at 130 Fifth St. in Valley Junction.

Ericson said the move to the mall will help them reach a more mainstream audience because of the shopping center’s foot traffic.

The Ericson’s have created a community room at the back of the store where they offer classes on baby wearing (carrying a baby in a sling or other carrier), using cloth diapers, attachment parenting, baby sign language and other natural parenting techniques.

The store also has an expanded toy department and new product lines.

Call 557-0947 or see www.LittlePaddedSeats.com.

Source: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/12/10/cloth-diaper-shop-moves-to-valley-west-mall/viewart
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(From left to right: Lauri, Tommy, Pam, Stacy, Robyn, Bianca)

CHANGES!

At Little Padded Seats, there have been a lot of changes going on!

The biggest change is our LOCATION!  We have moved from the Valley Junction area and we can now be found at Valley West Mall.  We are on the lower level, right next to Younkers and the kid's play area.  The move has been super exciting and our goal is to reach a more mainstream audience.  So far, we couldn't be happier with the move.  We are seeing a lot of new faces (and old!) stopping into the store.

Here are a few pictures of the new store -

The move has also increased our business hours so we are now open 7 days a week.  That's great news in case you need that NoseFrida at the last minute or are out of Charlie's Soap on your Sunday laundry days.

Following the holidays, will we be open:

Monday-Saturday: 10am to 9pm
Sunday: 11am to 6pm

Another change brought on by the move is additional faces at the store!  In addition to Tommy, Lauri, Robyn, and Bianca; we have brought on Pam and Stacy.  Pam and Stacy are fantastic additions to the store so if you have a chance to stop by, make sure you say "Hi!"  (The Des Moines Register recently posted an article on the new move so we'll get that posted soon.)

The last major change is NEW and MORE products!  We are loving the new space at the store which is allowing us to bring in more products and new lines.  Bianca is working hard on updating the website to reflect what is in store.  Some of the recent products that have come in are beautiful nursing gowns, more baby carrier brands, new prints in wetbags and diapers, Rock-A-Bye Baby CD's, plus lots more!  We can't wait to get everything in.  Plus, if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see, leave a comment.  We'd love to know what people would like to see in the store.

Well, that's the last of the biggest news.  Our goal is to get the Blog and newsletter up and out on a regular basis so you can look forward to seeing more from us.