Baby Boutique Opens In Downtown Claremore

Necessity, as it’s been said, is the mother of invention. In the case of Claremore’s newest – and exclusive -- baby boutique, The District Baby, necessity was invention’s “mother” in every sense of the word.

Just ask shop owner Cari Bohannan.

“We opened The District on Main (women’s clothing boutique) in October 2012, and what led me to decide to open the baby store was that I had an employee – two employees, actually – who were expecting, and there was really nowhere in Claremore that they could buy baby gifts,” said Cari Bohannan, owner of The District on Main and The District Baby. “In response to this need, we started a small section at The District – about 4x4 foot area – to offer baby items.”

According to Bohannan, her small offering of baby items at The District turned out to be “extremely popular” with her shoppers, so after discussion with her employees and members of the public, she decided to open a second “District” shop to offer “baby only” items.

“We knew of one business downtown – Outwest Home Décor – that the owner there was going to be retiring, so we felt it would be a good opportunity for us to take the plunge and open a baby store,” she said. “We offer a large selection of items from newborn to 4-year-old/toddler – clothing, shoes, toys, gifts, books and various necessity items.”

In keeping with her personal high standard for quality, Bohannan’s shop carries several recognizable and affordable quality brands such as Little Unicorn (diaper bags, blankets, car seat accessories and more), Copper Pearl baby gear (custom bibs, blankets and more), Aden + Anais blankets, quilts, swaddles, towels and much more.

In the clothing department, brands carried include Milk Barn, which features certified organic cotton, a bamboo/cotton blend, and adorable prints in regular overalls, ruffle or dress overalls, joggers, dress and leggings, organic or bamboo dresses and bloomers, headbands, rompers, hooded rompers, organic zippered pajamas and more.

“We also carry RuggedButts and RuffleButts brands, Kickee Pants, Magnetic Me, which are magnetic closure pajamas, and an easy way to dress a baby,” Bohannan said.

Melissa & Doug toys, and Plan toys, which are a lot of classic wooden toys and specialize in “sustainable play,” and much more, decorate the shelves for parents and grandparents of the youngest set.

“We’re going to be offering gift registries, which is something that’s not (available) in Claremore, so that people don’t have to drive into Tulsa to get a baby gift,” she said, “or if they need a last-minute baby gift or baby shower gift, they can come to us and find what they need.”

So great was the need for a baby boutique in Claremore, The District Baby even drew customers before it was open for business.

“Our official first day of business was Monday, Aug. 12, but we had customers coming in the week before we were open to look around, see what we had, learn more about us,” she said. “The Friday before we opened, we had three customers come in the door,  and they actually bought stuff. That was very good to see – people getting excited about us before we were really open. This told us in advance that this (business) was a good idea and one which would benefit a lot of people.”

Bohannan said she’s particularly excited about The District Baby in that it offers Claremore and Rogers County residents an alternative to having to seek out items elsewhere.

“There’s really no other shop in Claremore that carries what we have – people would have to drive to Tulsa or maybe Owasso to find the selection we have, and we’re thrilled to be here for that, as well as to encourage people to shop locally – keep those tax dollars here in Claremore,” she said. “This is a great way for us to give back to the community.”

The District Baby is located at 418 W. Will Rogers Boulevard (main street) in Claremore. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.

For more information, visit The District Baby on Facebook or Instagram, call 918-923-7288 or email eat0@eau0eav0eaw0.