featured store

Located in the historic Carytown section of Richmond, Virginia, It's Hip to be Round offers designer maternity apparel - formal, business, & casual - nursing supplies, cool gifts, diaper bags, strollers, & much more!

 What prompted you to open It's Hip To Be Round?
I opened It’s Hip to be Round to provide the women of Richmond, VA a fun and friendly place to shop while they are pregnant, and after baby is born too. There was nowhere in Richmond to find great maternity clothes and diaper bags all in the same place, and I knew it could come together for us!

 What about your business brings you the most satisfaction?
Helping a pregnant woman who feels not-so-great in her changing (and growing!) body feel better about herself and her wardrobe options.

How do you set yourself apart from the competition?
What sets us apart the most is the quality of what we sell, along with the quality of our service. We spend as much (or as little) time with our customers as they require….we let them know that what they are experiencing is normal, and not to freak out about the loss of control over their body.

Do you have a professional mission statement that runs throughout all aspects of your business?
We don’t have anything specific, but we use the golden rule-treat our customers as we would want to be treated. That includes educating them on pregnancy/nursing/diaper bags, helping them if they find themselves crying in the fitting room, and celebrating with them when they find the outfit that makes them feel better than they have in 22 weeks!

Top 5 things people are buying today and why?
(1) Designer maternity jeans-because they don’t feel like giving up exceptional fit that they are used to just because they are pregnant. (2) Nursing apparel-it has gotten so much better looking, better feeling, and is wearable during pregnancy and after. (3) Diaper bags-our customers know now that they don’t have to get a utilitarian diaper bag that is heavy and bulky or lightweight and flimsy-that they can get form AND function….they are going for the bags that have multiple carrying methods (especially the Boxy Backpack!), and that stand out as a great bag that just so happens to be a great diaper bag too. (4) Wrap dresses-they work from the early fat days, through the very end, and in the post-partum fat days that no one warned them about! I have more customers coming back telling me how they are still wearing their favorite maternity clothes nearly a year after they have their babies! (5) Slings-especially for 2nd timers, who have a toddler to keep up with as well as their newborn. Thanks to the prints and styles available, they are probably more popular right now than the Baby Bjorn was in its heyday!

Your favorite product or brand at the moment? Why?
The Petunia Boxy Backpack in Misty Shanghai-the print is gorgeous, and our customers can’t get enough of it!

Best invention for modern parenting in the last 5 years? Why?
 Lily Padz-they are great for “nipple control” outside of pregnancy, and exceptional for nursing! We sell them to probably 9 out of 10 of our nursing moms, and they come back to get them as shower gifts for their friends!

 Any fun facts about your store that most people wouldn't know?
We are about the plainest-speaking group of women you could ever care to meet. No topic is off limits to us, from your early pregnancy projectile vomiting, through the projectile vomiting of your newborn. Although it is pretty well known once you’ve been in the store for about 5 minutes! But what goes along with that is the honesty that you need when you’re choosing clothes for your new and expanding figure, as well as when selecting a diaper bag-you need to know what we know, and what we’ve heard about everything!

Anything else you would like to share? Upcoming news?
We’re getting ready to launch a kids area in our store, with clothes for boys and girls from 0-3 months, up to 4T! Launching Fall of 08….

In the Richmond, VA area? Be sure to stop by...
3463 West Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23221
804.340.1700



Not in the area? Be sure to check them out online www.itshiptoberound.com