New children’s clothing store opens in Moses Lake Offers parents selection

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Columbia Basin Herald • May, 2011
New children’s clothing store opens in Moses Lake
Offers parents selection
to choose from
BY LYNNE LYNCH
Herald staff writer
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake’s
Mindy Robins was quietly browsing
over the children’s shoes, photos
and clothing at Bella Boo and Livi
Lou’s.
She was looking for a gift for her
friend’s baby girl.
“There’s a lot of really cute stuff
in here,” Robins commented.
The new children’s store opened
in April at 123 W. Third Ave., in
Moses Lake, with a grand opening
during the weekend.
The store sells children’s clothing, shoes, toys and accessories for
infants to age 7.
The store is located inside the former Baby Naturally building.
The store’s owner, Emily Leavitt,
said she was inspired to open the
business because of the challenge of
finding clothes for her three children
- daughters Isabella and Olivia,
both 7, and son, Liam, 2. She later
used her daughters’ nicknames for
the store’s name.
“I know how hard it is to find
anything in this town,” Leavitt
said. “Really, Walmart is what we
have for kids that is new.”
What sets her store apart is
having variety and something
that’s not the norm, she explained.
Brands
offered
include
Manhattan Toy, mudpie, Melissa
& Doug, Cutie patootie, SOZO,
Trumpette, BabyLegs, Robeez,
gibsonbaby and JOSMO.
She found much of the store’s
clothing at shows in Las Vegas
and Dallas.
The store’s grand opening went
well, but more customers visited
the store earlier this week, she
said.
Leavitt and her husband, Todd,
owner of Miller’s Fine Jewelers,
first considered opening a business in January. At the time, they
didn’t know what they would sell
daughters from school.
or many of the details.
She has a play area for her son in
She needed a situation where she the store, as well as for customers’
could work and keep her son with children.
her, while being able to pick up her
“I know that’s huge for me, to
Photos by Lynne Lynch
Columbia Basin Herald
Mindy Robins, of Moses Lake,
above, looks at albums at the
new Moses Lake business, Bella
Boo & Livi Lou’s. Bella Boo & Livi
Lou’s owner Emily Leavitt, left,
helps a customer over the phone.
have my kids play where I can look
and not be interrupted,” she commented.
An employee works from 3 p.m. to
5:30 p.m., providing Emily Leavitt
time to break away for her family.
She worked as a cabinet maker
before she started having kids and
credits her husband for helping her
with the new store.
“Todd helped a lot with the business end of that, since he obviously knows how to run a business,”
she commented. “He’s been a huge
help.”