Hip Dads and Mums

BizJournals.com: When Lynne Gonsior was pregnant with her son Tony, she set out to find clothing and nursery necessities that were unique and trendy — even edgy. Instead, she found the same old clowns and ducks.
“Everything was baby blue or pink.”
Gonsior, a former senior buyer at Marshall Field’s, refused to settle. She and her husband Dan, a property developer, opened Über Baby in Minneapolis one year ago. The business has grown quickly; the Gonsiors expect more than $1 million in revenues by 2006. With an increasing demand for nontraditional baby accessories, Über Baby is a hotspot for parents as young as 20 and grandparents as old as 80. According to Lynne, Über Baby’s merchandise is 80 percent exclusive. Nothing sits in the store for more than a couple of weeks to ensure rapid turnover. The store also features the designs of select vendors like Disney animator Joe Mosher.
“We have to constantly stay ahead of the trend curve in order to stay successful,” Lynne said.
The couple’s 2,100 square-foot store carries clothing lines, unique gifts and original paint colors. The store boasts an extensive selection of Überbags, or funky diaper bags that look more like designer handbags. Racks of T-shirts with logos like “I love my dads” and “Sir Craps-a-lot” are prominently displayed, along with onesies that label a baby as either Republican or Democrat.
Oh baby! Lauded by MTV, Über Baby appeals to hip parents [BizJournals.com]