Fancy Friday Snippet Review: **Dragonflies and Ladybugs Boutique**

On Fridays, here at Superfunmama, we depart from all of our learning activities and focus on a completely different area-children's fashion. If you came to the blog for learning, don't worry simply click over to the right and you'll be able to find learning posts. Today, I'm featuring a beautiful online boutique named Dragonflies and Ladybugs. They carry a wide assortment of European boutique clothing for children. Isn't the little bird apron pictured below adorable? It is by Amuse Me Baby and sells fo $40.00. The adorable green Racoon top is featured on the Dragonflies and Ladybugs website for $58.00. The very cute little shirt featuring a deer and racoon are in the Misha LuLu collection and it is priced at $36.00. I think the ladybug shoes by Monkey Toes are darling and at a good price at $29.00 for being handpainted. Up until now we've concentrated on the girl fashions, but what about the boys? Do they not get to dress cute too? Dragonflies and Ladybugs carries a very cool brand called Dogwood that has very cute fashions for your little man. The pictured "Chairman of the Board" pullover is $40 and comes in sizes 2T-7. I highly recommend you check out the Dragonflies and Ladybugs website at http://shop.dragonfliesandladybugs.com/. Besides the clothing being ADORABLE, the owner is a very nice woman. For me, this is something that always makes a difference. The clothing can be the cutest in the world, but if the owner isn't nice, I'm not going to buy anything. Below, you'll find an interview I did with the owner of this boutique.

Q:Can you start by telling the readers a little bit about yourself?

My name is Robyn Johnson, I am a working mother of two girls Haylie and Lauren. I live in Reno, Nevada. Started Dragonflies and Ladybugs Boutique in December of 2004 because originally I wanted to do something and spend time with my children. We originally started as an online only boutique, and then in September of 2007, we partnered with another children's company and opened our first brick and mortar store in Reno.

Q: What were you doing before deciding to start your own business? Finishing my Masters Degree in Social Work, and then we had Haylie and I decided to stay at home... then got pregnant with Lauren.. within two years... and said..." I want a job I can do from home"

Q: How long have you been in business?

Four Years

Q: What items did you start with? Actually started with a lot of brands that I do not carry at all anymore. I remember the first brands that I purchased were Little Mass, Trish Scully, and Sara Sara. We then added Jack and Lily Shoes and Pipsqueak shoes. It wasn't until 2006 that we moved into the more European brands of clothing.
Q: Tell me a little about what led you to start a business selling your items?

Well, I think, as many of us "stay at home" mother's do.. that because we are mom's we KNOW children's clothing. But as I quickly learned.. a business is a business... no matter how you slice it... it is HARD and you really KNOW nothing about the children's clothing business, even if you are a mom and shop a lot for your kids. I started originally as most of us have... reselling my kids Gymboree and Baby luLu on Ebay. Then I had so much, I opened an ebay store, and then... from there it migrated into an off ebay online store and so on and so on. I am one that puts the cart before the horse... so I actually did not become Incorporated and official until 2005-2006.

Q: What are your best sellers?

My best sellers "hands down" areMisha LuLuCatiminiDeux par DeuxI sell out of these very fast!!!! Next would be Mim Pi and Lemon Loves Lime

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Well now that I have finally "ironed" out all the "kinks" in my store, and found my own little niche... I would like to stay as we are carrying the same brands for the next few years... growing our customer base and improving our customer service... you can always always improve. But then, I would like to sell the business to another mom who is interested in doing it... helping her move into Dragonflies and Ladybugs and making it her own. It is fun, but you can seriously "burnout" in a matter of years, so my goal is 6 years, and then pass it on.....

Q: If you could give a one line phrase to describe your business what would it be?Not sure if this means describe the business as a whole or my store/business... so I will do both. The Biz:It is fun and exciting, yet competitive and very intense, more than one would realize for children's clothing. My BizI love my store, it is my "baby" or third child. I created from scratch, and I think that it really emulates who I am as a person.

Q: Where all are your items sold?

I have both a brick and mortar and online store, but the BULK of our business is most certainly online...

Q: Anything else you would want a potential customer to know? Shop smart, ask questions, email your online store owner. Make sure the sizing is correct, as you are not "in store" and trying things on your son or daughter, so always when shopping online make sure to have your kids measurments handy. Also, read store policies. I think it is REALLY important to learn about a store's return/exchange policy prior to placing your order. Do not be afraid to ask questions or even call the store

**I have not personally purchased any items from this store, so can not attest to their quality based on seeing them, feeling them, and ect. This review is based only on pictures, interview with the owner, and ect. However, I can attest to the sweet personality of the owner :). I do plan on purchasing an outfit this fall amd will do a real review but if you purchase an item and would like to do a guest review on my blog, please let me know!