The 20 Best Baby Stores in America

Who are the 20 best independent baby stores in America? 

As the authors of BABY BARGAINS, we have visited hundreds of baby stores from coast to coast during the past 15 years. Along the way, we've met some of the smartest retailers in the USA---folks who we often turn to to find out what's REALLY happening in the baby gear biz. Which cribs, strollers and car seats are selling and winning raves from parents . . . and what are the bombs. 

Readers often ask us to tell us they want to support indie stores---but which ones are most reputable? If you are tired of the chains, here is a list of stores to check out.

A few notes: just in case you are wondering, NO retailers paid us to be on this list. We don't take advertising, commissions or fees to recommend stores in our book or blog. The retailers we think are best earned it the old fashioned way---by focusing on their customers. 

So . . . drum roll . . . here are the 20 Best Baby Stores in America (in alphabetical order):

Baby Furniture Warehouse (Boston)           

Baby Love  (Ft. Lauderdale)

Baby Super Mart (Broomall, PA)

Baby Town (Reseda, CA)

Baby's 1st (Houston)

Behr's  (Metro NY)                       

Berg’s (Cleveland, OH)

Georgia Baby (Atlanta)

Goores (Sacramento, CA)

Great Beginnings (Washington DC area/Maryland)

Ideal Baby & Kids (Miami); also known as La Ideal.

Karl's (Philadelphia)

Kids Stuff Superstores (South Dakota, Nebraska)

Lazar's (Chicago)

Li'l Deb-N-Heir  (Chicago)

Lone Star Baby (Dallas/Fort Worth)

Lullaby Lane (San Fransisco)

Tiny Totland (Manchester, NH)

Treasures Room (St Louis)

USA Baby (Milwaukee, WI location only)

Comments

[Madeline]

You are soooo right with Goore's. They could not be more helpful and friendly if they tried. Their employees are knowledgeable and approachable. I love that store!

[guest]

What does the "best" really mean?

For example, we have recently found a store in Providence (Bambini) that has a very knowledgeable and helpful owner, but the store mostly sells very high-end (expensive) clothes and cribs. I wouldn't put the store down as one of the overall best, but I would say that it has the best selection of unusual and unique clothes.

[Dr. Ari Brown / Denise & Alan Fields]

By best, we mean best---best overall customer service, sales, selection. Nearly all the retailers on this list sell furniture and gear in all price ranges, not just the most expensive.

To come up with this list, we visited many of these retailers in person (sometimes, we were "secret shoppers"---not announcing who we were, etc). We also asked baby gear/furniture manufacturers who they thought are the top retailers. Finally, we also receive a tremendous amount of emails from readers about retailers. Hence, this list is a combination of our own research, the opinions of manufacturers and experiences from our readers.

Most (but not all) of these retailers are in major metro areas. We don't mean to slight small retailers out of the way locations, but we thought it would be more helpful to focus on the biggest metro areas.

Of course, if you think we missed a great baby store in your area, feel free to let us know!

Alan & Denise Fields
authors, BABY BARGAINS

[Lissa]

We love going to Goore's because they pretty much have anything we're looking for that the big baby superstores don't have. They also have great customer service and hard-to-find baby gear.

[Jennifer]

I second the recommendation of Goores. I have had absolutely the best experiences with that store. Their sales staff is knowledgeable, friendly and not the least bit pushy (except for one lady out in the outlet store).

[Mel]

I completely agree with the Lone Star Baby and Kids in Dallas, Texas! We bought all our nursery furniture there and the sales staff was fabulous and the selection was limitless. They were the only Munire retailer we could find in our area and everything we wanted was in stock.

[jennifer]

I don't know about Karls in Philadelphia. Although it seemed like they had a wide array of clothing...the only stroller brand they carry is bugaboo. I've also noticed that these small stores have a longer lag time to replenish stock. I called to ask to if the store had any jj cole infant bundle me in stock and they'd just sold out and wouldn't have any for 2.5 weeks!!

[jennifer]

I don't know about Karls in Philadelphia. Although it seemed like they had a wide array of clothing...the only stroller brand they carry is bugaboo. I've also noticed that these small stores have a longer lag time to replenish stock. I called to ask to if the store had any jj cole infant bundle me in stock and they'd just sold out and wouldn't have any for 2.5 weeks!!

[Jeff]

I took your advice and tried Lone Star Baby in Dallas/Fort Worth. I was able to shop for all kinds of baby gear at www.LoneStarBaby.com and find some great deals. They have an online baby registry too! Its really nice to be able to check on products and prices online and then go to the local store (mine is in Frisco, Texas) to make my purchase. When I visited the store, the people were really helpful too, unlike those big box stores where you cant find a person to help you.

[Jill]

Because we are in the military, I have had the pleasure of shopping at several of the stores on your Top Retailers list. Of all the baby stores I have shopped in, including BRU, I would have to say that Great Beginnings has by far the best shopping experience. From the helpful & knowledgeable staff to the beautiful displays- this store gets it.

[andrea cohn]

I have lived in many of the major metros (boston, NYC, chicago, LA) and it seems like every one of these "best" stores are in the major metros. I recently moved to rochester, ny and found Simons to be above all the best store I have been to. It is disappointing that the "best" list pretty much excludes every store unless you are in a major metro.

[Bill]

I've gotten several major items from Great Beginnings and they are indeed an EXCELLENT retailer. Their staff knows the products (shout out to Lee in strollers), they keep a good supply in stock and their prices are very competitive. Well worth the trip up I-270.

[Susan]

Any chance of getting a Canadian list?

[Corrie]

I wanted to offer up Baby Tyme, near Kent, Ohio. We also love Berg's in Cleveland and feel blessed to have locally-owned retailers rather than just the big box stores.

We took a chance on Westwood Designs furniture from Baby Tyme before they were reviewed by you. I have no compliants and was pleased to seem them featured in your latest edition.

[Kelly Nelson]

Denise and Alan,
This is a very disappointing blog. How come the majority of the people on this list are all part of the same cronie group? Many of these stores are deserving of recognition, please don't misunderstand. I feel that more research could have been done, though, and that the list could be more objective and less exclusive.

[Krista]

I wanted to recognize Segal's for Children in Portland, Oregon. They have a huge selection of furniture, gear and general baby items that I can't find at larger retailers or local stores here in the Seattle area. Plus their staff is so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. I live in Tacoma, Washington and got most of my nursery items from them. Drove all the way down just for the service and selection.

[Rachael]

I love Bergstrom's of Orange County, CA. They are on par with the Babies R Us type superstores in terms of selection, but are a great family run business. They also regularly send fliers with discounts and coupons, making their prices competitive to the best online retailors.

[Margaret]

My husband and I went to Tiny Totland's Portland Maine store today and left sorely disappointed. As the only dealer of higher-end baby furniture within 50 miles, we expected at least a little service especially when not a single other customer was in the store when we arrived (perhaps that should have been a sign to us as it is a Saturday afternoon). A group of three employees stood around the cash register, and did not so much as glance in our direction when we entered. We browsed through the store for 15 minutes, as the group, who apparently were an employee, his significant other, and their friend, chatted. At one point one member of the group went into a back room and walked right past us in the showroom without so much as a nod. It became clear that our presence was neither welcome nor desired, so we left. We called the Manchester store and spoke to the chain's owner who admitted she suspected a problem with an employee in Portland and suggested that we drive to their Manchester store (90 miles away)! She was also quick to mention that they had recently been named to Baby Bargain's Top 21 list, which is why I decided to post. In the current economic climate, you would think we would at least get a "hello" when we entered the store. I mean, how many people could possibly be in the market for $800 cribs these days? Sadly, my husband and I got more attentive "service" (at least a greeting!) at Babies R Us! Needless to say, despite the lovely furniture, we will not shop there again and I would not recommend Tiny Totland to anyone.

[Sean Blanchard]

As the manager to the South Portland Tiny Totland Store , Im very sad to read this previous statement. I pride myself in customer service and have for a very long time, Im extremely sorry for your bad experience with my store, there is in fact only 2 employess at this location and I appolidgize if we did not meet your standards of service, I try to say hello to everyone that comes in the door and I do tend to let customers look around alot more before approaching them based on my experience with Maine Customers in general. Again I can assure you this is not the experience I would have wanted for you and your loved ones and I extend my deepest apology for my lack of service to you.

Thanks
Sean @ Tiny Totland South Portland, Maine

[Jena]

I am shocked to see Lone Star Baby on there. I have never had good service there and I was ticked to find everything I bought there for a better price somewhere else. In fact, most of our local message boards in Dallas have negative reviews on them.

[ken]

I can't believe that TREASURE ROOMS in St. Louis is on the list, as they are rated "F" in the Better Business Bureau. They have a horrible reputation in the area. Luckily a new baby furniture store has opened in St Louis, Goodnite Rooms, and they are touting world class customer service (along with great prices and selection) - my wife and I found them to be much better that Treasure Rooms, where we bought our first child's crib. They have a good website also.

[Bargain Shopper]

I have been worried about finding baby bargains but you have definitely cleared up any worry I may have had. I have already saved hundreds of dollars because of your blog - thanks for the helpful resource!

[adam]

I have to agree with the Post about Tiny Totland in Maine (and New Hampshire). I made the decision to shop for my Furniture in a Specialty Boutique due to all the recalls on Cribs from the "Big Box" Stores, and I hoped to receive excellent customer service and a great shopping experience. I not only visited the Portland store, but also the Portsmouth, NH store and did not find the experience nor the customer service that I was after. If I am going to shop in a local store I expect a certain level of customer service, in both stores I went in hoping for some education on the products and left with barely a hello. I felt as though the stores were both run-down and the furniture appeared to be too high-priced for the quality and look. I'm not looking for the highest end, but I want furniture which has a fair price and is good looking. We live in an area without many options, I suppose I will have to look further to find furniture and an experience that suits my family.

[Nika]

We went to the Baby Furniture Warehouse in Reading this weekend for the first time ever and bought a table and chair set by KidKraft on clearance sale. I was so excited about the price!
The store is huge and they have a great selection of cribs, toys, furniture, etc
The service was outstanding, too! We will be back.

[Bob]

Anyone have an opinion as the best baby store in the west. Mainly a larger one if possible