Little Zen One Babywearing Shop Review
The one thing that keeps me coming back to a store selling products that I can buy elsewhere is customer service. In the age of Amazon, I want all my shopping experiences to be easy, seamless and pleasant. Allie, founder and owner of Little Zen One, offers all this and more. Her website makes it simple to find and view exactly what you're looking for and the online checkout process makes it a pleasure to hand over all your money to buy allll the wraps. Plus, shipping times are fast and you receive several status updates on your package.
My favourite thing about buying through Little Zen One is that Allie makes herself available to answer all my questions, about anything from wrap laundering, to proper carrier use and tips, to how to get a wrap hemmed because the one I bought was too long. Allie is there for you via messaging through her site, Facebook messenger, Instagram direct messages and her fun Facebook group, Little Zen One Chatter.
Allie and I first met when she hosted a Babywearing 101 session, an informative introduction to babywearing, geared towards expectant parents. At that time I wasn't sure I'd even get into wrapping (a major topic covered in this session), figuring that one Huggaloops carrier would be enough to get the job done. A few months later, I had my baby and Allie had a promotion on her site (which she often does -- yay for regular excuses to get a new carrier!) so I decided to get a Didymos woven wrap and ring sling to try. I was overwhelmed by all the choices online, but I remembered writing down the names of some wraps I'd seen and liked at the Didymos booth at a baby show. I reached out to Allie on Facebook messenger and she pulled up the wraps I asked about, answered all my questions promptly, sent me an invoice and an order confirmation, and the carriers were on my doorstep in a few days.
As I've gotten more into the babywearing world and accumulated more and more carriers, Allie's been with me along the way. When I decide I'm ready to try a new wrap or carrier, she makes the painstaking decision-making process less painful for a decision-phobe like myself. We go back and forth via messenger about wrap qualities and what I'm looking for and which wrap or other carrier will meet my needs. While we've gotten to know each other better via messenger and my trips to her store, Allie has always made me feel like a valued and loyal customer, even before I'd payed for my first carrier.
Most of my purchases through Allie have been Didymos woven wraps, which she has an extensive stock of, but she sells every kind of carrier, including woven wraps, stretchy wraps, water wraps and slings, mei tais, ring slings, onbuhimos, and soft structured carriers, all from several different brands. Plus she is always adding new brands and products to the store. In addition to carriers, she has all the carrier accessories you could ever need, like hats your baby can't pull off to keep them shaded on summer strolls and warm in the winter, babywearing sweaters and coats to keep you toasty all year round, teething necklaces to keep little hands out of your hair (we can only hope…) and even pretty swaddles and baby clothes. She also sells wrap-safe laundry detergent and wool dryer balls, to make it even easier keep your new purchases in tip top shape. Allie is committed to bringing only the best of the best into her store, which is why she only stocks products that are organic, fair trade and local.
Because of how helpful and involved she is with every client and since most of her retail is done online, in-store purchases are by appointment only. While shopping online with Allie is a breeze and her shop is a 45 minute trek from my house, I love it when I can take the time to make in-store purchases, which are accompanied by a complimentary 20 minute consult. I use this time to look at and touch all her offerings before making my choice, glean some babywearing knowledge from Allie, a certified babywearing educator, or just ooh and ahh over her extensive and (deliciously broken in) personal wrap collection.
Little Zen One's social media is also not to be missed. Allie posts gorgeous babywearing photos and regularly shares promotions and giveaways on her Facebook and Instagram pages. Little Zen One Chatter is her cozy Facebook group, where customers and babywearing affectionados come together to share, ask questions and be in the loop about all the latest happenings at Little Zen One.
Ready to get yourself (another) baby carrier? When you shop Little Zen One using this link, you get $10 off your first purchase and I get a few Little Zen One rewards points for sending you over. When you sign up for an account and make your first purchase, you automatically begin accumulating rewards points! You get one point for every dollar spent and you can get bonus points for doing things like writing reviews and following on Instagram. The more points you have, the more $$$ you can save on future purchases, and we both know that there will be future purchases!
*I received store credit in exchange for this review, but all views are my own.*
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