Bump really should be called Bump & Sons & Daughter & Husbands, as it truly a family business. Walls constructed, curtains sewn, furniture assembled, walls painted (and repainted) all by our family and friends.
I will never completely understand how she did it, but SaSaDi was in her first trimester with her second son when we spent many long days and nights putting everything together. Quite in character, she never complained.
Bump has also literally become a home away from home for our children. My daughter Marigold spent almost 4 months at Bump when she was an infant playing, feeding, sleeping and re-merchandising our sales bins. When SaSaDi's son Zachary was barely 1 month old he assisted in our first ever inventory overview.
Our oldest sons (and BFFs), who first toddled around the store when they were only 18 months old, are now getting ready for pre-k. Time really does fly.
When we first moved into Bergen Street our only neighbor was a book store that has since moved to another location. Now Bergen Street has an array of businesses that is hard to rival - gourmet hot dogs, sex toys, vegan delicacies, men and women's wear emporiums, comic books, culinary delights, yoga attire, boarding and biking gear, and to round it all off a hardware store. Our wonderful block has most definitely become a destination.
One of my fondest memories from our opening day was when our very first customer was treated to an unexpected game of peek-a-boo from our sons when she was in our fitting room. There have been many more games of peek-a-boo played over the past 3 years, and I suspect there will be many more. Curtains are after all irresistible when you are little.
What is most gratifying for me about Bump is who I get to spend my days with. Not only do I have the most exceptionally smart, dedicated and down right lovely business partner, but I have been lucky enough to have worked with incredibly talented, kind and considerate women.
And then there are our customers. Oh where to begin! We quite literally wouldn't and couldn't have done it without you. Your support of our business has picked us up when we most needed it. I can quite honestly say that I never ever tire of hearing about your pregnancies or learning about the birth of your children. I marvel at your strength, I admire your mothering and I learn from you every single day. It truly feels like an honor to be invited into your lives at such a profoundly transformative time. There is not one mother who has walked into Bump that hasn't left an impact on my life.
And then there are our customers. Oh where to begin! We quite literally wouldn't and couldn't have done it without you. Your support of our business has picked us up when we most needed it. I can quite honestly say that I never ever tire of hearing about your pregnancies or learning about the birth of your children. I marvel at your strength, I admire your mothering and I learn from you every single day. It truly feels like an honor to be invited into your lives at such a profoundly transformative time. There is not one mother who has walked into Bump that hasn't left an impact on my life.
Thank you. Truly.
