After nearly 45 years in Alexandria’s Crilley Warehouse on North Lee Street, Monday’s Child plans to move five blocks to South Fairfax Street to the space The Shoe Hive is vacating.
“We are so excited,” says Maura Burchette, owner of the popular Old Town children’s boutique. “I bought the store six years ago, and over the past six years, we’ve just we’ve really grown a lot.”
Even after Burchette took over an additional 200 square feet in the warehouse for her First Communion shop, there hasn’t been enough space for her to display items and serve customers.
“We’re bursting at the seams and we’ve got racks in the hallway. And we’re just very cramped,” she says.
The move into the iconic Shoe Hive won’t come until around Labor Day.
“It’s a great space, the big windows, the courtyard. I’ve got lots of plans for kid activities in the courtyard, and then just finally really having space inside the beautiful store to merchandise,” Burchette says.
The courtyard at the new store will give Monday’s Child more space for activities like the silhouettes of children Erik Johnson creates twice a year at the boutique and for the heirloom photographs Renee C. Gage Photography takes. Burchette says typically 80 to 100 kids show up for those events.
She credits Elizabeth Todd, who owns the Fairfax Street location and is consolidating her stores, The Shoe Hive and The Hive, with encouraging her to make the move.
“It feels exciting to kind of step into her space, because she really has been such a great advocate and leader for our whole community,” Burchette says of Todd whose businesses will be on Cameron Street.
Burchette grew up in Alexandria and her mom brought her to the store as a child. She is now mom to three boys of her own.
She plans to expand her stock line of classic children’s clothing and gifts. Monday’s Child also sells special occasion merchandise, such as baptism gowns and first birthday dresses, and caters to the needs of its clientele. “It’s really just giving people a personal curated shopping experience and making it fun. People love coming in the store,” she says.
“We’ll have a separate space for the Communion shop, which has become a really special experience,” says Burchette whose customers have flown in from New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Chicago for one-hour personalized appointments where girls get Communion dresses, veils, and shoes.
“It is a big deal. And you know that people say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like a mini wedding store.’ But they just have so much fun with it,” Burchette says. “There’s nothing like it anywhere close by.”
Burchette is hopeful the new location right off Alexandria’s Market Square will further increase foot traffic. She also plans to expand the shop’s hours. Monday’s Child will hire an additional staffer and be open on Sundays. Burchette hasn’t finalized the new hours but says they may be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
This week, Monday’s Child is also launching a revamped website that will make online checkouts more efficient, she says.
Monday’s Child is currently located at 218 N. Lee St. Its new location will be 127 S. Fairfax St.
Feature image courtesy Maura Burchette
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