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Originally printed in Kids Today Magazine
Richard Cohen opened the new The Babys Room and ChildSpace in Mariettas upscale East Cobb neighborhood two years ago, moving
from the original 10,000-square-foot location across the street. Todays store boasts 13,000 square feet in a strip mall near a
busy suburban intersection.
Cohen said there are half a million people within a 15-mile radius of The Babys Room, something that is crucial to support a
store of its size.
With manufacturers such as Pali, Bonavita, Dutailier, Morigeau, Best Chairs, Munire, Vermont Precision, Berg, Babys Dream and
A.P. Inds. On the furniture side, The Babys Room carries a wide variety of product from the middle to upper end, with cribs
ranging from $249 to $900 and most twin beds selling between $300 and $500.
extiles from Banana Fish, Brandee Danielle, Novas Designs, CoCaLo, Cindys Corner, Kids Line, Cotton Tale Designs, PatchKraft and
Sweet Kyla, along with accessories from Funny Friends, Annie & Moe, Melissa & Doug, Kelly B. Rightsell, Twelve Timbers and One
World help create a statement in the vignetted store, and Cohen also has a substantial selection of gear.
I wanted to put in the effort to have a big display of metal, said Cohen, who recently bought in Inglesina a Silver Cross for a
full variety of products and prices.
We have to put customers in the frame of mind that they see our store as a really good place to buy everything. We want it to be
full service its part of the whole puzzle.
Part of that full-service operation is that Cohen is certified to install carseats, and will do so as a courtesy to local
parents, whether theyve bought the carseat at his store or not. In return, he asks customers to donate to the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, and The Babys Room matches all of the funds collected.
Cohen and his family wife Sheryl, along with their sons Jeffrey and Jason operate the East Cobb store along with a second
Babys Room in suburban Norcross, which opened in 2003. Customers frequent both stores from all over the Southeast, including
Chattanooga, Birmingham, Knoxville, and Nashville.
While this USA BABY store also has a ChildSpace, its still mainly a baby store, and the majority of its customers are first-time
pregnant mothers. Cohen said hes slowly trying to get more accessories and older kids stuff to expand the mix.
My feeling is we do a really good job with customer service, and were the first contact with the customer, so if theyre
satisfied, theyll come back for juvenile furniture, he explained.
Cohen wants customers experience at The Babys Room to be unique so he has decorated the store with several large murals done by
a local artist.
He has also opened an ice cream shop within the store, where weary customers can take a break and revive with a $1 scoop,
designed to be part of the atmosphere rather than a money-maker.
Thats part of Cohens goal to make customers feel comfortable in the store, and to feel that theyre getting educated,
well-informed, honest answers to their questions. He says its his job to educate them about the products theyll need.
By the time they leave, they have a good understanding of quality, what to expect, and what they need in a nursery, he said.
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