Beautiful children’s clothes are everywhere, little flowery dresses with full skirts and fuzzy jammies emblazoned with pictures of trucks. But this store is a little different than most in the tony town of Westport. Around the Rosy, the brain child of local mom Taryn Bolotin, features a large variety of gently used apparel and toys.
“After I had my kids, I realized how much stuff we go through and how much waste we create and what we don’t need,” says this mother of two young girls, ages 1 and 2. So Bolotin decided to make her dream a reality, and no one is happier or more supportive than her famous dad, singer Michael Bolton.
“He loves it. He’s super excited,” says this 1997 graduate of Staples High School, laughing. “He’ll call me or text me and say, ‘I have a really good idea for the store,’ but you never know what they are because he’s so out of touch with babies.”
Bolotin used to work as an assistant to her father, who altered his name for Hollywood ease, and sees her new resale shop as an environmental venture.
“I’m hoping the green movement really helps people progress and gets rid of that idea of, ‘I’m not buying used’,” she says. With encouragement from her husband, she started gathering items that her daughters barely wore to start the inventory for the store.
“People keep saying, ‘What a great idea.’ They’ve wanted something like this here for a long time and they like the space,” says Bolotin, referencing the bright store at 222 Post Road West that features a play corner for kids.
At any time during store hours, folks can bring in clothes, size newborn through size 14, and Bolotin will buy appropriate items on the spot. Clothes should be recently washed and free of stains. She hopes parents will become cyclical customers, selling outgrown garments while buying the next size up: “It’s not just boutique stuff; it’s not just really high-end expensive things.”
Giving up clothes that represent important milestones can be tough for parents. Bolotin suggests keeping a few special outfits and selling the rest. “You’ll see that it’s going to be loved and taken care of and appreciated. It could be passed on to another family, so it will keep going.”
While her pregnant sister has talked about opening an offshoot in California, Bolotin just wants to find success in Westport, the town where she experienced a “normal childhood,” despite her father’s celebrity status.
“He’s great as a grandpa. He tries to be really hands-on, but he spoils them. He tried to put them to bed the other night. It was almost 9 o’clock, and I’m like, ‘You have to give up! You have to just walk away and let them go to sleep’!”
She believes her store is a “win-win,” helpful to the environment, great for the bank account, and fabulous for the little fashionista who loves pretty clothes: “They still look cute! So it’s good for everybody!”
For more information, check out http://www.aroundtherosy.com