New Businesses 2022: Beach Baby fills a need for baby gear vacation rentals

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Kids come with a lot of gear, especially when traveling, and a new Sister Bay business is ready to help families lighten that vacation load when visiting Door County.

The idea for Beach Baby, a new baby boutique and vacation gear rental store in Sister Bay, was sparked when mother-and-daughter team Becky and Bailey Higginbotham were looking to rent a stroller while vacationing in Amelia Island, Florida. 

“My mom and I were surprised Door County didn’t have something like that,” Bailey said. 

Rounding out the fleet of rental baby equipment is a carefully curated boutique of baby clothing, books, toys and more. Photo by Rachel Lukas. 

That trip prompted Becky to join BabyQuip, an online baby equipment rental service and marketplace, last spring. This May, they paired their BabyQuip rentals with a physical retail space where they sell boutique baby goods, including clothing, toys, books, as well as convenience items.
The space inside Country Walk Shops has been transformed into what might be the happiest little shop on earth. Shoppers are greeted by Rainbow, a giant plush bear that sits on the bench outside the entrance. Inside, the natural light and calming decor enhances the curated displays of merchandise, many of which are from women-owned companies. In the center of the store, a play area – available to rent for children’s parties – entertains the youngest shoppers. 

A display area in back showcases the available gear for rent.

“Our most popular item is the full-size foldable crib,” Becky said. 

The store has eight available, and it isn’t uncommon for the entire fleet to be rented out during the peak of the tourist season. Other high-demand items include Pack-n-Plays, strollers and highchairs. They even have a Snoo, the responsive bassinet exhausted parents swear by, that they will deliver and pick up from your hotel or vacation rental. 

Little One Shop is one of the small, family-owned product lines carried by Beach Baby. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

Beyond specific gear, toy packages that range from $4-to-$10 per day are a big hit and there’s an Ultimate Beach Package ($35/day) for summer months that includes everything needed for fun in the sun: two Tommy Bahama beach chairs, a beach umbrella, two beach towels, a beach blanket, a mesh bag filled with beach toys, and a rolling igloo cooler all packaged with an all-terrain beach wagon.

For Becky, a second grade teacher at Gibraltar, and Bailey, the mother of a young son, Beach Baby is not only an opportunity to work together, but also help families visiting the peninsula. 

“We’re trying to give people something that is needed,” Becky said. “Along the way, we get to have a ton of fun doing this together.”

Beach Bay is located at 10580 Country Walk Drive Unit 10 in Sister Bay, 920.421.0885.

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