A Store For Parents, Run By Moms: New Shop Opens In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — One of the most useful items recommended to Lena Scilipoti after her daughter was born was a "baby shusher," a small device that uses a natural shushing sound to lull a baby to sleep.

"Every baby is different, but it worked for mine," Scilipoti said. "Anything to get the baby to sleep through the night is a win for me."

It's one of the reasons she insisted on getting one for her new store, The Piccolina Shop, which opened on Greenwich Avenue in late July. Scilipoti is one of the store's co-owners, along with Janice Wright and Alejandra Salazar. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The store acts as a one-stop shop for parents of babies and toddlers, offering a wide array of products, clothing and gear needed to make the littlest members of the family happy.

"We all worked together at two previous baby and toddler companies," Scilipoti said, "and we're all moms. We were just chatting in town one day and were saying that we should create our own company, our own brand."

Aside from their previous working relationship, the three owners had another thing in common: they are all moms with experience raising young children.

"We have eight children between us," Scilipoti said. "We know what [products] work and what doesn't work."

As such, the shop sells items the three mothers know worked for them and their children.

In Italian, "piccolina" means little one, which was the inspiration for the store's name. The three owners thought it was appropriate, as items sold at the store are all held to the same criteria: is it good enough for their own little ones?

Parents in town can find necessary items like strollers and car seats at the Piccolina Shop, however they also sell useful items like bibs, burp cloths, pacifiers, blankets, rattles, plush dolls and soft books. They also offer a wide selection of clothes for boys and girls up to 5 years in age.

According to Scilipoti, customer feedback so far has been positive, which she said has been "very fulfilling" to see.

"A lot of people come in and ask if we're a chain, and we're not," Scilipoti said. "We're just a small business. We're three moms who decided to do what we love, shopping for our children, and get stuff that works for us and spread that knowledge to other new parents in town."

Scilipoti attributes part of the store's success to its location on Greenwich Avenue, an area she has come to adore after having worked for two other companies along the avenue. She also praised the town for its support of the store.

"I've run stores across the country, and I've never seen a town like Greenwich that does so much for small businesses," Scilipoti said. "I just think the people [in Greenwich] are great, and the support you get from the town is great. All of that is just the perfect recipe for success for a store like ours."

Due to restrictions put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Scilipoti said the store's opening was delayed from its original planned date in May and the owners currently must limit the number of people inside the store at once. The virus has also delayed production on some fall and winter items, she said.

Still customers have been "very understanding" and business has nonetheless been "relatively consistent," with things expected to pick up even more around the holidays, she said.

As the store is still in its infancy, the owners encourage customers to provide feedback on their experience and items they would like to see in the store.

"We have a couple of items we've started carrying because of feedback from customers," Scilipoti said. "We are a community-based store, so we want to meet the needs of the consumers around us. I think that's very important for our success."