Conor Bouton purchases a T-shirt from City Baby owner Zsa Zsa Douglas. (Photo by Jay Paul)
A glance through the picture window fronting City Baby at 1 N. Second St. instantly transports you into a punk-rock paradise. Leather chokers, stained glass in the shape of barbed wire and vintage T-shirts catch the eye and fit the aesthetic that owner Zsa Zsa Douglas, 27, set out to achieve. “It’s definitely what me and my friend Melanie [Burrell, who also works and sells in the shop] are. We don’t want to put anything in here that we wouldn’t want to have in our own homes or wear ourselves,” Douglas says.
The eclectic shop opened in February, wedged between Chef Mamusu’s Africanne on Main restaurant and the HI Richmond Hostel. On a recent March visit, a customer on her way to the hostel entered the shop with suitcase in hand. She had noticed a black dress with a red rose print through the window and said she had to stop and try it on. It was a perfect fit, so she purchased it, grabbed her suitcase and continued to the hostel.
Douglas says on average the shop's inventory is comprised of half handmade and half secondhand items. Her younger sister, Mina, curates some of the vintage clothing, and Douglas creates decorative mirrors, including some in the shape of dice, playing cards and spider webs, all of which she can custom engrave. Burrell crafts decorative hanging stained glass.
There’s also jewelry made from found objects (including tiny bones) by Marley Anderson, button pins, quirky candles and horror masks by From Beyond, and leotards handmade by Stef Roschi of Leopard and Lace Clothing.
“I’m from [Richmond], and I wanted to encourage growth with the people who do the same things I do,” Douglas says. “I like encouraging people who make things and small businesses.”
Items range in cost from $1 to $200, but most items average $25. City Baby only accepts cash.
The retail space is limited, at only 250 square feet. To give some size perspective, the store is smaller than Church Hill’s Tiny Space, which also features items from local makers.
Douglas already has a waiting list of vendors who would like to sell items in her shop. “It’s definitely ready to expand already, which is something I really didn’t expect,” she says.
With that in mind, City Baby is scheduled to move to a new location at 121 E. Main St. on May 15, across the street from the current location. At five times the size, expect an expanded handmade and vintage selection.
The inventory regularly rotates. Follow City Baby on Facebook and @city_baby_ on Instagram for updates.
