Kate Schmitz of Flying Squirrel in Brooklyn, NY

For Kate Schmitz, owner of Flying Squirrel Children’s Store in Brooklyn’s trendy Greenpoint neighborhood, fronting a retail space is about more than selling clothes. Providing both new and slightly used products, Flying Squirrel moved from Williamsburg to Greenpoint in 2013. Schmitz, who took over the business in 2010 when original owner Judith Velosky left after six years at the helm, calls the space a “boisterous, child-friendly, art-infused wonderland,” complete with lofty, colorful walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. True to her love of painting, Schmitz provides free art materials to customers. Anyone is invited to breast feed or change diapers—whether they’re shopping or not—and water and coffee are almost always available. “I want the space to be communal and friendly,” she notes. “I think of the store as my own utopia.”

—Samantha Sciarrotta

What are your bestselling styles and brands for girls’ apparel?
We recently began carrying a brand called Bonsai Mammoth, which is a line of handmade harem pants. The prints are so great on these pants that moms of little girls just can’t resist.  We always sell out of Pamela tutus and Kiwi Industries tutus.  We have carried Egg Baby, Stella, Sophie Catalou and others.  

How about boys’ apparel?
For boys we have been selling out of our cat shirts that Brooklyn based T-shirt company Wowch made especially for Flying Squirrel. Each tee features some sort of distorted cat face or a cat head on a unicorn’s body. Kids love them! We are excited about the new Bit’z Kids for boys we plan to carry in the fall.  

Do you sell any baby gear? Why?
Yes! We sell Ergo carriers, which we are huge fans of. We also provide a place where parents can sell their used cribs, carseats and strollers at a discounted price, as long as they are in great condition. We carry baby gear because we’ve tried to create a one-stop shop for parents. We know how hard it is to carry your child around from place to place. We really try to make things as fun and easy as possible. 

How about toys?
The toys we carry are our favorite part of the store. We really try to curate a beautiful mix of toys for all ages that have an eye for modern design and are also exciting and fresh. We carry retro original design toys by Hape and Kid O, as well as New York City Subway train sets and eco-friendly toys by Green Toys. For older kids you can find Handmade Hawaiian ukuleles, Magnatile sets and Micro Scooters of every color for the Brooklyn kid on the go.

What has been the best new brand added to your store’s mix in the past year?
We are really excited to be carrying Spuni baby spoons in the shop. Spuni was designed by two M.I.T. grads living New York City, and the bright colors and sleek design make it an amazing gift for any baby. 

What are you bestselling accessories?
We love felt hair clips by Giddy Giddy which are handmade in California. They are able to hold onto even the thinnest baby hairs and clip onto a card that you can choose to bear the likeness of your child. The quality of these clips is really exceptional and they are only $8.50!

How have spring sales fared so far?
We’ve just moved our store from Williamsburg to a new location at 87 Oak St. in Greenpoint Brooklyn, tripling the square footage of our store and catering to a whole new clientele. People are just now starting to find out that we are here. This neighborhood is really exciting because it’s growing so fast and it’s full of amazing new parents with great taste.

How important are American-made brands with respect to your customers’ purchase decisions?
American made products are incredibly important to us. We try to buy American made whenever we can. Not only is it important to us, but we see that it’s important to our customers too.