Writer Lara Piu
Photographer Pogue Photography
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or some, it’s skydiving. For others, a Grand Canyon hike. But for Diane Meyer, a more business-minded adventure sat at the top of her bucket list: a children’s gift shop. “It was always a dream of mine,” explains Diane, aka Grandma Di. “After selling wholesale to brick-and-mortar boutiques throughout the United States for several years, I decided it was time to open a retail anchor store here in my hometown of Scottsdale, where I could show off our complete line of Goochie Goo Garbs and utilize all of our wonderful local resources.”
With the grand opening of Cuddles, her new baby and child boutique located in the La Mirada Shopping Center, this wish is officially crossed off her list. The store features products made by mompreneurs and grandmapreneurs, including her line of pretty yet practical, luxuriously soft keepsake children’s blankets, Goochie Goo Garbs.
“I love designing our blankets and am always looking for our next new product to make,” says Diane.
Having a new retail location meant she could add graphic T-shirts for tots through teens and made-to-order blankets to the Goochie Goo Garbs line.
“We can now offer custom-designed blankets, capes and pillows for our customers,” says Diane. “Customers can come into Cuddles and see, touch and feel the vast array of fabrics we have available.” Personalized Picture Blankets can be a great keepsake gift for any occasion.
As a mother of four and grandma of 12, Grandma Di is a true children’s clothing shopping expert, which she says helped her curate the best products available. Local and national mompreneur and businesses are featured in her store, such as Pogue Photography, which offers special sessions for customers; a local mom who does all of the store’s embroidery to personalize gift purchases; and several other mompreneur brands well-known for their quality. Her goal is to introduce unique mompreneur and grandmapreneur products in a retail setting.
“Many of the moms I’ve met work right from their homes and sell their products online, as the mompreneur trend has been increasingly popular with the help of the internet and social media,” says Diane. “Call me old-fashioned, but I still like to be able to touch and feel products when I shop, so I’m hoping Cuddles will provide consumers the best of both worlds.”
Today, she enjoys the fruits of her dream.
“I love the people I work with, I love my vendors and I love meeting all the people who come into Cuddles, and helping them find that perfect gift,” Diane says. It also doesn’t hurt to be located next to Starbucks, she jokes.
Finally, she loves the store’s charitable platform. A Super Garbs collection of blankets and capes supports charities such as the MaxLove Project and the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children, as well as children’s cancer research at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
“As a childhood cancer survivor myself, children’s cancer research is a cause near and dear to my heart,” says Diane. “I think I am most proud of our philanthropic line, Super Garbs, and all the wonderful charities we work with that help make our world a better place. We love the concept of paying it forward.”
What’s next on Grandma Di’s list? Keep your eyes peeled for a Grandma Shower for expecting grandparents at Cuddles this spring, and a whole lot more.
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