Boys-Only Boutique: Little Dudes Only

Before opening Little Dudes Only, owner Ashley Milewski was a fashion forecaster so you can be sure that the brands and styles she selects for her shop are unique, ultra cool and ahead of trend. She's even organized her pieces into "looks," so if your unboring boy is, say, a punk rocker-to-be, click on "Punk Dudes" for a collection of edgy, anti-mainstream styles he'll love.

We wanted to ask Ashley, not only about what's hot in boys' fashion right now, but about why she thinks girls' fashion receives more attention from designers, retailers and many parents, and if that will ever change.

Read our interview below, and take advantage of a special savings offer just for Unboring Boys readers.

Unboring Boys: How did your career as a trend forecaster prepare you for opening and running Little Dudes Only?

Ashley: Being a trend forecaster was an amazing job. It taught me a lot about what the consumer's buying habits are and what trends are most likely to appeal to the masses. When I'm buying for my store, I mostly buy what I fall in love with, but I try to keep in mind what sells. There are times when I'm crazy about an item, but my customer does not exactly agree.

Unboring Boys: What inspired you to make Little Dudes Only boys-only?

Ashley: I have two boys of my own and as someone who loves clothes, it was frustrating for me to go into children's boutiques and see racks upon racks of girls' clothes, and only one measly rack for boys...and even then that rack didn't often impress me. I wanted to open a boys' store that was filled with the hippest in boys' fashion, all in one place.

Unboring Boys: What are the unique challenges of owning a boys-only boutique?

Ashley: I am constantly digging and searching for the next new thing and with boys' clothing that's not easy. There's a lot of cargo shorts and screen printed tees, bit it's a constant challenge to find really unique stuff like acid wash skinny jeans and 70's inspired suede fringe jackets.

Unboring Boys: How do you go about selecting the brands you sell?

Ashley: I'm an avid shopper, so I already was really familiar with a lot of the kid's clothing brands when I first launched the website. I follow my taste and buy what I can't live without. I trust my instincts and hope my customers will love it too. I also take buying trips to New York twice a year and do a lot of research on international companies. I love to buy from other countries and introduce something completely new to my customers.

Unboring Boys: Which items are your bestsellers?

Ashley: Star Wars items are a huge hit, as are reconstructed vintage concert t-shirts. My best selling brands are Sandbox Rebel, Gold Rush Vintage, Knuckleheads, Sand Cassel Hats and Munster Australia.

Unboring Boys: Of your current offerings, which item is your personal favorite?

Ashley: I LOVE the Obama diaper covers and matching shirts from London that just came in...they're hilarious. And I'm a big fan of the fedoras we carry.

Unboring Boys: Your motto is "Dressing boys can be even more fun than dressing girls." But I notice among many of my friends who have both boys and girls, they give more attention to clothes and accessories for the girls than for the boys. Why do you think that is? And do you see it changing?

Ashley: Girls tend to be pickier about what they wear, and it starts a lot earlier than with boys. Also, there aren't as many accessories involved in dressing boys. So dressing boys is a little less "high maintenance" because they're happy with just a t-shirt and shorts in most cases. Parents don't want to have to spend money if their boys aren't demanding certain items. I think this may change as more is available in boys' fashion. More companies are starting to focus on manufacturing cool belts, jewelry, hats etc. for boys, so the days of spending more on girls may be numbered!

Unboring Boys: Can you give us some hints as to future trends in boys' clothing and accessories?

Ashley: For fall, there will be a lot of skinny jeans in different finishes like destroyed or acid wash, lots of skinny pants with details like pocket chains, funky colorful shoes, lots of neon colors, graffiti inspired screens and lots of plaids.

Unboring Boys: When you're not running Little Dudes Only what are you doing?

Ashley: Running after my boys mostly! But I'm a huge music fan, so I'm learning to play the guitar and I'm always going to concerts. It's important for me to have something just for myself.

Thanks Ashley for taking the time to answer our questions! Just for Unboring Boys readers, Little Dudes Only is offering 10 percent off on orders through May 19th. Just use the promotional code "unboring."

Featured Boutique: Knuckleheads

If you like dressing your unboring boy in hip and unique clothing, chances are you've bought something from Knuckleheads. Part retro, part skate/urban, totally modern, Knuckleheads knows boys, always coming out with the coolest, hippest styles to fit any personality up to size 8.

Read on for our interview with Melissa Nash, owner and designer of Knuckleheads clothing. Plus, one lucky Unboring Boys reader will win a surprise pack worth $100 from Knuckleheads! Simply sign up for our e-mail updates in the box on the left through March 15. (see complete details below)

Unboring Boys: A lot of moms wish there were more unique clothes for boys available out there, but few of us actually go so far as designing our own clothing lines and opening boys-only boutiques. What was it that made you go from just thinking about starting your own boys' clothing company to actually doing it?

Melissa: I have always been very business minded, always owning some sort of business. I used to own a jewelry and hairbow business called Hipbabies, but I sold that when Knuckleheads took off. So, I was kind of already familiar with the industry. I just did my homework and jumped in.

Unboring Boys: What were some of the challenges you faced early on, especially in regard to focusing on boys' clothing? What continues to be a challenge today?

Melissa: Probably convincing store owners that moms do want to buy for their boys too, not just girls. There are so many choices for moms with girls but not a lot for boys, so store owners typically haven't done well with boys items because they didn't sell. And they didn't sell because they were kind of "lame" looking. So we still have to convince store owners to spend money on OUR boys items because they will sell.

Unboring Boys: What inspires your designs?

Melissa: Mostly vintage patterns/magazines. We have a HUGE vintage pattern collection and we use parts and ideas from those. We also mix in the skate industry and draw inspiration from bands, both old and new bands.

Unboring Boys: Which items are your bestsellers?

Melissa: Our greaser jeans, skivvies, anything with our logo on it, and our coveralls. We can hardly keep 'em in stock.

Unboring Boys: Of your current offerings, which item is your favorite?

Melissa: We added a new leather jacket this season, which I am dying over, it is so cute on and such amazing quality.

Unboring Boys: What's new for boys in Spring/Summer 2009? Any trends you can tell us about?

Melissa: Lots of layers... layering hoodies under jackets and tees under long sleeved shirts, anything as long as you can layer it. Also, stripes. Stripes are HUGE this season, we probably added more stripes than ever before.

Unboring Boys: Where do you see Knuckleheads in 5 years?

Melissa: We are pretty happy with our growth so far. We have grown so fast that we really don't want to grow that much faster. We like keeping it small and simple. We can provide for our family and we don't have a lot of stress. We have 5 full time employees and 10 outside sales reps that work for us. And honestly this is a good balance for us. It works and we don't want to mess too much with it. I like being hands-on, and we don't want to lose that with too much more growth.

Unboring Boys: If you weren't in the children's fashion industry, what would you be doing?

Melissa: PR and marketing. It was my major in college. I still do all our PR and marketing and I love it. I actually own a PR company on the side and I help small businesses in this industry figure out their marketing plans, and we have affordable prices so you don't have to spend thousands of dollars and sign with a PR firm.

Thank you SO much, Melissa, for taking time to talk to us! Readers, don't miss out on this opportunity to win some fabulous Knuckleheads clothing for your unboring boy. One winner will be randomly selected on March 15. Signing up for updates is an easy way to catch up with what's new on the blog and we promise not to flood your inbox with emails. :) Good luck!

Featured Boys-Only Boutique: Ochanga

What I love about Ochanga--besides the fact that it's a boys-only boutique--are the shirts they sell. Talk about ultra hip! And forget boring boy colors. These are bold! Bright! LOUD! (Just like my boys.) My favorite has to be the Rainbow Polo (right)($32.50, 2T-6), but there are so many other fabulous pieces in their shop to choose from.

Recently I spoke to Cynthia Betterson, owner of Ochanga, about how she goes about selecting the pieces she sells and what inspired her to open a boys-only boutique.

Cynthia: As a mother of two boys, I was unhappy with the selection for boys at department stores and children's clothing chains. Also I didn't have time to travel to Manhattan to shop the trendy boutiques because I'm a full-time working mom. So I turned to the Internet and started shopping at small online boutiques for unique styles of boys clothing. This inspired me to put all the venders I liked in one convenient place.

Unboring boys: What are the unique challenges of owning a boys-only boutique?

Cynthia: I find that many moms love my styles, however, their boys wear the bigger sizes. I don't carry anything over a 6 yet but I'd like to soon. Another challenge is going to children's clothing trade shows looking for new venders. There is a dominance of girls clothing, which can be frustrating.

Unboring boys: How do you go about selecting the brands you sell?

Cynthia: First I think, will this style look cute on my son? Is this something that I would like him to wear and will he enjoy wearing it? I also ask myself, is this style different and unique enough to make him stand out from the crowd? I also consider the product quality. How will this product handle the wear and tear from an active young boy? I try to stick to 100 percent cotton fabrics when possible. Last and most importantly, I consider the manufacturing location, making sure to avoid countries known for usage of child labor.

Unboring boys: Which items are your bestsellers?

Cynthia: Anything from Wonderboy. No matter what style or season, I always sell plenty of this brand. The designs are unique and trendy, the pricing reasonable, and the quality exceptional. I also sell a lot of euro-style swim trunks from Claesens. They are the number one underwear manufacturer in the Netherlands. The swim trunks are so unique and cute and they come in a cute plastic carrying case for wet transport.

Unboring boys: Where do you see boys' fashion going in the future?

Cynthia: I see trendier designs for boys in the future. Venders are finally beginning to understand that mothers of boys want their sons to look cool and hip and are looking for styles that set them apart.

Unboring boys: Can you give us some hints as to future trends in boys' clothing and accessories?

Cynthia: I see lots of miniature versions of adult male styles. Really cute.

Unboring boys: Anything new and exciting coming up for Ochanga that you can tell us about?

Cynthia: I'm looking to widen my age base to include bigger boys, perhaps up to 10 years. I am also looking to offer a signature line of Ochanga jeans and tees for boys!

Thank you to Cynthia for taking the time to speak with Unboring Boys! She is offering a 20 percent discount for Unboring Boys readers through 3/1/09! Use code UBB09 at checkout!

Featured Boys-Only Boutique: Blue Eye Boy

As any mom of unboring boys knows, finding cool clothes for our little guys can be a challenge. In too many stores, the boys' department (if there is one) is an afterthought. That's why I love Blue Eye Boy. It's a one-stop-shop that caters only to boys, not just to babies and toddlers, but big boys too. Because while we wish our boys could stay little forever, they do get bigger, and that's no reason to give up on style.

Recently I interviewed Tamara Nonamaker, owner of Blue Eye Boy, asking her what inspired her to open a boys-only boutique.

Tamara: In 2004, when I was pregnant with my son, I realized the clothing market for infant and toddler boys was quite bleak. I wanted more of a selection for my son in apparel, shoes and decor. Since I couldn't find a store with more than a quarter of their inventory dedicated to boys, I created my own store.

Unboring boys: What are the unique challenges of owning a boys-only boutique?

Tamara: The number one challenge is getting the word out to parents that they have this wonderful opportunity to shop at an all-inclusive store for boys. No more walking around in the children's section trying to find boys' apparel amongst the myriad array of girls' items. No more shoes in just four styles and three colors: black, brown, and navy.

Unboring boys: Of your current offerings, which items are your bestsellers?

Tamara: Our best selling items are Knuckleheads and Dogwood apparel. Both companies know boys, as their owners have boys of their own. They know boys want durable, comfortable and fun clothes that accentuate their unique style.

Unboring boys: Where do you plan to take Blue Eye Boy in the future?

Tamara: We will be incorporating a blog in the near future where our customers will be able to recommend products and comment on featured items. We also will be revamping our homepage and streamlining our checkout process.

Unboring Boys: Can you give us some hints as to future trends in boys' clothing and accessories?

Tamara: For spring and summer we're seeing bright and colorful looks for boys with more apparel and shoe options.

Unboring Boys: When you're not running Blue Eye Boy, what are you doing?

Tamara: We're playing hard and carrying on as boys only know how to do. My boys keep me on the go and on my toes.

Thanks to Tamara for taking the time to speak with Unboring Boys! Blue Eye Boy carries a wide range of awesome products geared to boys, from toys to room decor to hip apparel, from such brands as Knuckleheads, Eclectikid, Instinct, and Dogwood.

They are offering a 10 percent discount for Unboring Boys readers through 12/31/08! Use code PROMO88 at checkout!