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Audrey Kingo • Jun 3, 2015

Beyond Baby

A look at Adriane Stare’s Wild Was Mama, an institution for new parents in need of support.

Adriane Stare

Adriane Stare

Adriane Stare first opened Caribou Baby in 2009 in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood to give her friends and fellow moms a place to meet and mingle after they kept getting (gently) kicked out of local restaurants. Offering more than 20 classes a month on everything from babywearing to breastfeeding, the shop has become an area institution for new parents in need of support—which inspired Stare to change the name to Wild Was Mama earlier this spring. “I feel like for four years we’ve been pretending to be a baby store, but we’re really a store for parents and moms in particular,” she explains. And with a new location in nearby Park Slope opening this fall, even more parents will be able to take advantage of the boutique’s wide array of educational workshops, must-have maternity apparel and baby essentials.

Stare’s son loves his purple Apple Park lunch pack, which is also one of the store’s steady sellers. (www.applepark.com)

“This is our second season picking up Oeuf, which is a tried-and-true New York City staple. We carry so many basics that Oeuf was a different tier for us, but it’s amazing. The quality is so impressive. It’s our favorite new brand.” (www.oeufnyc.com)

“We always go to Playtime New York. I think they do a good job of curating suppliers. We’ve been turned on to a lot of great brands there.” (www.playtime newyork.com)

New batik rompers by children’s brand Tuk-Tuk Anouk “have a handmade quality, which fits in well with our store, since we have a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces.” (www.tuktukanouk.com)

Stare believes there’s a big untapped market for stylish maternity wear that doubles as nursing apparel, from brands like Boob Design. “The clothes are high quality and they actually do fit for pregnancy and then transition into nursing.” (www.boobdesign.com)

Netherlands-based Kokoro will make its retail debut at Wild Was Mama—but Stare expects the urban-inspired wraps to sell out in about an hour. “When they do a stocking on their website, the wraps sell out in seconds.” (www.kokorotextiles.com)

. A new find, she calls Au Lait’s tank with slits on the side “an ideal pumping shirt” for working moms. (www.aulaitshop.com)

Well Rounded NY is one of her favorite maternity blogs. (www.wellroundedny.com)

When it comes to shoes, Stare sticks to brands that offer functional first-walkers with great fit. “Pediped makes a machine-washable sandal, and I will always buy them.” (www.pediped.com)

Due in part to her passion for babywearing, wraps are a top-selling category. Handwoven wraps by West of the Fourth Weaving “feel like wrapping with the softest blanket or towel ever. You can totally beat them up and wear them in, and they last a lifetime.” (www.west4th weaving.com)

Customers love Fjällräven’s totes that transition into a backpack, a perfect bag for babywearing. (www.fjallraven.us)

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