Women in Business: Women of Once Upon a Time

At Once Upon A Time, the customer service is as timeless as the children’s clothing and linens.

Linda Flaherty started Once Upon A Time 20 years ago. The shop provides baby and children’s clothing, nursery furniture, linens, monogramming, applique, gifts and accessories. More importantly, store manager Nikki Schoel said, the store’s warm atmosphere and hands-on staff make it a place where people feel comfortable shopping.

“They just trust you and it’s really nice,” Schoel said. “It’s fun to make these babies look cute.”

Whether they’re searching for classic or modern products, mothers, grandmothers and family members return to Once Upon A Time because they know the staff will go the extra mile for them. 

“We dress families. We don’t just dress one child,” Schoel said.

Flaherty said the customers become like family and she enjoys choosing products she knows her customers will love. Schoel added that she likes sharing knowledge with mothers buying for the first time. In a few years, they look forward to seeing some of their very first customers return to the store to buy clothes for babies of their own.

“Our job is to help people create memories,” Flaherty said. “They look to us for guidance.”

Once Upon A Time is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.