Hello Kitty was swarmed by adoring fans at CF Kids grand opening of its newly remodeled children’s store and hair salon at Crossroads Bellevue shopping center in Bellevue last Saturday. Hello Kitty gave out hugs, signed autographs, and posed for pictures with the large crowd of kids who had turned out to meet the Sanrio character in her signature bright pink dress.
The store’s grand opening featured free give-a-aways, games and a raffle for prizes. Fifteen local children walked the runway for the annual CF Kids fall fashion show, modeling the latest styles from Catimini, Baby Lulu, Mimi and Maggie, Zutano and Baby Quick Silver.
A year in the making, the newly remodeled CF Kid’s store comes just in time for the back to school shopping craze. This may be Common Folk Company owners, Eric and Kathryn Straub’s first venture into the land of pint-size shoppers, but the pair are no strangers to the world of kids. The husband and wife team have six children of their own.
When they were approached by the shopping center one year ago to expand on their already successful home store, located next to New York Cupcakes at the south end of the shopping center, the couple jumped at the chance.
“This is a really unique shopping center because it’s very community oriented,” Kathryn explained. “It’s a good fit for us because both of our stores are about relationships with our customers.
Kathryn and Eric have has co-owned Common Folk Company since 2002.
“We pride ourselves on our service and our unique goods,” she said. “We know our customers by name and their children and grandchildren.”
The couple took over the CF Kid’s store location in June of 2007 and immediately began designing a new look for the store. The space had previously been a kid’s store but needed a revamp to match the Straub’s signature look.
They replaced the carpet with hardwood flooring, added custom-made barrel lampshades and splashes of colorful decor hand-made by Kathryn herself. Eric custom-made the service counter and the employees added their own touch by stenciling fun patterns on the counter top.
“The store had a very closed in feel and we wanted to open it up and have our shoppers feel very comfortable while they shopped,” Kathryn explained.
“We thought the synergy would be really neat, having a store inside and having one outside,” Eric added.
From the maple wood flooring to the high-beam ceiling, eccentric lamp shades and vibrant colors, the store conveys an ambiance of comfort and fun for the whole family. CF Kids may cater to the youngsters, but don’t expect to hear Barney tunes playing inside the store. Instead, shoppers can browse to the musical sounds of Norah Jones, Rod Stewart and the Beatles.
According to Kathryn, CF Kids, short for Common Folk Kids, is no ordinary kid’s store. The store’s decor and spacious interior creates a pleasant environment for kids, parents, and grandparents alike. The store features kid’s clothing ranging in sizes from newborn to child 7-8 and children’s shoes, up to size 13. Popular shoe brands include Umi, SeeKiRun, and a colorful assortment of Crocs.
“Other than Nordstrom, there’s no other great place to buy children’s shoes,” said Kathryn.
CF Kids provides free gift wrapping for birthday, holiday, and other special occasions. CF Kids also features an elaborate toy selection that consumes the entire right side of the store’s interior.
“We have a lot of hands-on toys and a huge costume section for the kids to explore. We encourage the kids to come in, get hands on, and we even give out change for the mall’s horse carousel that sits right outside our store,” said Eric, who hand picks the toys for CF Kids. “It’s a place that’s fun for both kids and their parents to come shop and it’s a place that you wont just find something fun, but it will also have value to it.”
The store’s toy section includes a science area, a costume and dress-up area, a library section, vintage toy area, and a flourishing international section.
The international section offers a variety of children’s books on languages from around the world such as Chinese, Spanish, and French. There are also flash cards, international workbooks, global dolls and the World Traveler toy that teaches kids about traveling and passports.
“This shopping center is one of the most international shopping centers I’ve seen. My kids starting working here and the first day they said they had never heard so many languages in their life,” Kathryn explained. “If you spend any time here you will be exposed to more cultures and people from more places in the world then you would see anywhere. This is one of the most internationally diverse areas. We want kids to be able to come in here and find dolls that looks like them.”
The kid store is conjoined with the newly remodeled Salon at CF Kids. It’s a kids speciality hair salon with six stylist with more than 40 years combined experience cutting kids’ hair. The salon caters to kids of all ages and offers first hair cuts, including a photograph to capture the moment and a lock of hair that is given to the family.
“It’s a new experience in children’s shopping, because it’s a pleasant experience for the whole family,” Kathryn said.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or at 425-453-4602.
CF Kids
Crossroads Bellevue, 15600 N.E. Eighth St.
Common Folks Company (Suite A-5), www.CommonFolkCo.com, 425-747-4100
CF Kids and CF Kids Salon (Suite F-5), www.CFKidsonline.com, 425-653-5555
