By Eileen Moon
If you’ve been feeling cooped up over the past few years, a visit to Little Chicken may be just the boost you need.
The children’s clothing and toy store at 35 First Ave. in Atlantic Highlands offers curated and custom-designed children’s wear, accessories, room décor and toys, in the day and age when it’s more difficult to find a brick-and-mortar store offering only children’s wares.
Half of the store is set aside as an event space for a wide range of child-friendly events that include yoga for toddlers, story times, author presentations, art classes and birthday party packages that can be arranged with a call to Little Chicken’s owner, Megan O’Donnell.
O’Donnell and her husband Patrick opened Little Chicken last November. Since then, they’ve welcomed a steady stream of visitors to the store, priding themselves on featuring unique clothing and toys you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
The couple, high school sweethearts who moved to Atlantic Highlands 10 years ago, have invested their talents in making their store a colorful, creative space that they hope will inspire and connect the community.
“I want people to come into the store and feel joy,” she said. “I want them to be able to speak to someone, even if it’s just (to talk about) the weather.”
With new families moving into town often, O’Donnell is aware that it can be difficult to make connections.
Megan, who has a background in the fashion industry, and Patrick, a U.S. Navy veteran who also owns Shirt Locker Printing, a custom screen-printing business, stumbled upon Atlantic Highlands more than a decade ago and the two Bucks County, Pennsylvania, natives were instantly attracted to it.
“We thought, ‘What is this magical place?’ ” she recalled. “We decided then that this was it.”
The town offered an easy commute to Manhattan for Megan’s career and its location on the water was perfect for Patrick, who was transitioning to a career in the tugboat industry.
They married in Atlantic Highlands and settled there, welcoming two children to the family.
When their firstborn, Olivia, was a baby, they fondly called her “Little Chicken.”
“She was kind of a fluffy baby,” O’Donnell said.
Knowing that she wanted to “do something cool for kids” one day, O’Donnell began to think of establishing a brand in Olivia’s pet name, registering the trademark a few years ago.
They were ordering coffee at Hudson Café on First Avenue one day when they bumped into the building manager for the property that used to be the site of the Skipper’s Shop. He told them that the retail space was on the market.
Soon, she was storyboarding the steps she needed to take to make Little Chicken a reality.
“I get something in my head and I have to do it,” O’Donnell said. “I thought it was a great business opportunity. I signed a retail lease in the middle of a global pandemic.”
The O’Donnell’s vision for their store had three premises: a retail space offering custom-designed or curated children’s attire and toys; an event space designed to host parties and community events; and a state-of-the-art e-commerce site. They plan to launch the e-commerce arm of their business in February.
A popular offering at Little Chicken is customizing children’s wear with names and designs using their commercial heat press.
They also offer children’s craft parties called “Patches and Pizza,” in which kids can decorate blank tote bags with their own custom designs, partnering with their neighbor on First Avenue, Julio’s Pizza, to provide the food.
The store also features custom items branded with the Little Chicken logo. Because Patrick is an expert screen printer, they can create small runs of children’s apparel for sale in the store within a day of creating the design.
“We want to give them something they haven’t seen before,” O’Donnell said. “I spend a lot of time sourcing different brands and products.”
They also plan to add a children’s sneaker line for kids ages 4 to 7. “That’s going to be a huge part of our business,” O’Donnell said.
The store also features works by local artists and artisans accepted on consignment, with the bulk of the profit going back to the artist.
The carefully curated inventory at Little Chicken makes it a perfect spot to pick up a birthday gift for a child and to do it without breaking the bank, O’Donnell said.
“We picked out some very particular items that are super-friendly price points,” she said.
One big seller recently has been valentine-themed tutus, which sold out rapidly but should soon be restocked, O’Donnell said. “People love tutus.”
They’ve taken pains to stock affordable items for small shoppers. “We have kids come in and put quarters on the counter and ask, ‘What can I get for this?’ ”
She hopes to replicate the kind of small-town friendliness she enjoyed as a child in Bucks County. “Kids can stop in here after school and get a piece of candy,” she said.
After two years of isolation and quarantine, Little Chicken brought a breath of sorely needed fresh air to the community. Since their opening in November, they’ve welcomed neighbors and newcomers who come to say hello, browse and choose toys and clothing for their children in person rather than on the internet.
“We’ve had amazing support,” O’Donnell said. “Everyone has been so kind locally and just happy to have somewhere to go.
“We’re thrilled to be here,” she continued. “We just want the store to come across as a community asset, a destination with a familiar face. People really like it. They remember who you are.”
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2022, print edition of The Two River Times.
