Pembroke baby store dropping pink and blue for red and white
A new baby store in downtown Pembroke, Ont., will have it so the first word out of your baby's mouth is "eh".
Canadian Baby Co. opened on Pembroke Street West in May. It’s a baby boutique entirely inspired by being Canadian.
"I wanted to try and go with a Canadian lifestyle theme," said owner Carleen Clouthier.
"I just try to think of things Canadians like as a whole and try to incorporate it into the baby form," she told CTV News. "Because everything seems to look cuter when it's in tiny sizes."
Clouthier did a full 180-degree career change to become self employed. After years of doing data entry, the toll of sedentary work wore on her body. She says it took her three years to discover that a Canadian themed baby store was what she was looking for.
"Our family is very outdoorsy and my husband has a logging operation," she says of her inspiration.
"I felt that a baby boutique with items that I appreciate as a Canadian would be nice to offer the Ottawa Valley and surrounding area."
Canadian Baby Co. in Pembroke, Ont. specializes in Canadian-focused clothing for babies. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
Many of the clothing options available feature animals such as moose, deer, and bears. There are baby-sized plaid shirts and NHL jerseys available. Even the store's details are Canadian, such as the clothing racks made out of tree branches and spruced up with greenery.
Clouthier also makes a point of avoiding the "blue for boys, pink for girls" stereotype, with most of her inventory in gender-neutral colours.
"There's a better chance I'm going to sell it if it's gender-neutral," she says. "If it's pink or blue and someone is coming in, there's half the chance that I'm going to have a sale for that item than if it's something that's going to be for either-or."
In a city dominated by big box stores like Walmart, Clouthier says it's her particular style that helps her stand out on Pembroke's main strip.
"I find that a lot of people come here and they want gifts, they want something unique that they can't find at Winners or Walmart."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.