ASTORIA — A children's boutique and consignment shop in the neighborhood will end its retail sales next month in order to expand as an education center, according to the owners.
Raising Astoria will close the retail portion of its space at 26-11 23rd Ave. at the end of February and reopen in early March with a greater selection of workshops and classes, like "messy" art lessons for kids or CPR courses for parents.
"We can offer a lot more to the community," said co-owner Kim Montini, who said they'll be converting their current storefront into an additional classroom. "There's just so much more we can do with the space."
Raising Astoria opened almost three years ago, when Montini and Laurie Nicholson, both new moms at the time, saw the neighborhood was in need of a children's clothing and toy store.
The shop sells both new and used items and also offers parenting and kids classes. The classes have become increasingly popular over the last few years, Montini said, while retail sales declined as more shoppers turned to online sites.
"We introduced a lot of great products to the community, but I think they just found they could buy it cheaper online," she said. "We're such a small store, we can't compete with that."
The pair decided to revamp the business in order to focus on classes, and will have a grand reopening on March 7 with more offerings than before, including yoga for parents and additional classes on Saturdays.
Other options include alternative preschool classes, which combine music, story time, movement and dance, or "messy" art classes where kids get to explore different textures.
They'll also be using their new additional space to offer open play sessions for kids, and for parties and other events. Most kid classes cost between $15-$25, while open play is $10 per family.
Montini said their new focus will allow them to continue to be a community link for parents in the neighborhood, and for expecting moms and dads.
"We have a lot of new parents that come to us — we're like a resource hub," she said, saying they offer a guide that includes options for local day cares or pediatricians, and also to help connect parents to one another.
"That's what keeps us going...Just being that place that people can come to just ask for help."
