Hampden is home to Cafe Hon, a wine bar and a host of eclectic funky clothing boutiques.
But where's a new, eco-conscious mom to go to shop for her newborn?
Bayla Berkowitz has the answer, with Soft and Cozy Baby, which celebrated its grand opening April 11. The 500-square-foot store at 3610 Falls Rd. sells natural baby products, including cloth diapers, baby carriages, and books on pregnancy.
The store also offers classes on childbirth, car seat safety, using cloth diapers and breast feeding. Berkowitz hopes to eventually expand the offerings to include more classes and sell more clothing, toys, maternity and nursing products.
Many of the store's customers hail from nearby Charles Village and Roland Park. Berkowitz had been running the store out of her Pikesville home, but then wanted to branch out into a retail store.
As people are going green, more customers are asking for cloth diapers in particular. "We're growing and the demand for cloth diapers is increasing," Berkowitz says.
Berkowitz and her husband own the store and they have one employee.
"We're having a good response. We're getting new moms and a few families. "
She says the likes the Hampden neighborhood because she can draw from the surrounding communities and young families moving into the Hampden neighborhood.
"It's an up and coming neighborhood. A lot of people are saying there hasn't been a baby store in a while here. So we're excited about that," Berkowitz says.
Berkowitz declined to say how much she spent to open the store.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source, Bayla Berkowitz, Soft and Cozy Baby