Pocket Full of Posies encourages individuality through their stylish children’s clothing

Since her own youthful years, Pocket Full of Posies owner Jennifer Wass knew she wanted to one day own a children’s boutique. Her teenage summers were spent as a sales associate for the original Abigail’s children’s boutique in Osterville; she worked at retail companies such as Ann Taylor and Brooks Brothers after college; and worked her way up the ladder at Patagonia. Then Wass decided it was time to open her own shop.

“I wanted to be part of a community,” she says. The name of the store comes from a community effort in and of itself. When deciding what to name her business, Wass sought her friends’ help. One of their daughters suggested Pocket Full of Posies, and it stuck.

“If you know the rhyme, then you know the connotation of the phrase is not great,” admits Wass. “But the way we made the logo so pretty with the flowers, I just loved it.”

The boutique is more than just a clothing store. Wass places emphasis on the experience of buying—or even personally designing—a piece of clothing or an accessory for a child rather than on the item itself. A shopper can take advantage of  trunk shows, monogramming and silhouette appointments during their visit at the Osterville store.

“We want to welcome the customer like it’s their home,” says Wass. “We don’t want anyone to be intimidated when they walk in. Whether you want to buy a $20 gift or a $200 gift, you will receive the same careful, customized wrapping.”

Wass prides herself on offering one-of-a-kind items different from those offered in most children’s stores, but if a customer doesn’t find something they love in-store, they have the option to design a custom piece. “Customers can create one-of-a-kind articles of clothing for their children,” says Wass. “They can pick the material and the smocking for a dress. We help them to create their own monograms, or they can design their own blankets by picking the colors and the design.”

While some stores offer this feature online, Pocket Full of Posies allows you to browse all of their options in-store and to have a face-to-face meeting with the store representatives. “We allow you to do what you can’t do on the web. You can come in the store and feel the texture and see the colors as they actually are,” says Wass.

This interaction with customers is Wass’ favorite part of the business: “It’s really rewarding to be able to see grandparents, aunts and uncles, or moms and dads pick out something really special for a new baby.”

Wass’ core value of putting the customer first has not changed since starting the company in 2001. “It’s all about customer service,” Wass says. “You have to have it to survive. You need to differentiate yourself and offer a product mix different from everyone else’s, but you can’t survive just on the product. You do the searching so the customer doesn’t have to.”

See more at shop.capecodlife.com