Soon-to-be mom, frustrated with lack of options, opens local maternity store

Two Heartbeats storefront
Two Heartbeats Maternity and Gifts opened Friday at 13 N. Oak Ave., Cookeville.

COOKEVILLE – Alane Boyd is expecting her first child in September, but she had trouble finding maternity clothing in Cookeville to match her growing tummy.

So after a Memorial Day weekend shopping trip yielded few results, Boyd set out to open her own outfit. Two Heartbeats Maternity and Gifts opened Friday at 13 N. Oak Ave. It’s Cookeville’s first retail outlet solely dedicated to moms and soon-to-be moms-to-be.

Boyd said she tried nearly a dozen places around town and virtually none had even a maternity section. The sole shop that did had such a limited offering, she left discouraged.

But also with wheels turning. While she was trying on outfits, her husband, Micah Johnson, was researching the start up costs for maternity stores. On the way home, Boyd came up with a name – Two Heartbeats. Then, as she was driving around Cookeville’s West Side a few days later, she came across the storefront she would later rent.

Two Heartbeats carries maternity clothing and other items like nursing bras and tanks, cloth diapers and baby slings.
Two Heartbeats carries maternity clothing and other items like nursing bras and tanks, cloth diapers and baby slings.

“It all happened really fast,” she said. “I started researching, looking for different wholesalers to work with, contacting lawyers to do an LLC. It was all just in a week’s time, and everything fell into place perfectly.

Full disclosure: it’s not the pair’s first business venture, although their first go at retail. Boyd and Johnson also own and operate GoFanbase, a mobile app that helps businesses use social media to engage customers.

Two Heartbeats carries maternity clothing – Ingrid & Isabel seems to be a popular line – for all stages of pregnancy, prenatal workout gear, nursing bras and tanks and miscellaneous items, including some organic offerings, like cloth diapers, belly cream, baby slings, essential oils and Preggo Pops, for nausea. She’s also carrying items from Cookeville-based Flannel Fox, a line of handmade burp cloths, pacifier clips, blankets, custom onesies and more.

Amanda Garrison and Amberly Augh, who will be Boyd’s doulas when delivers next month as owners of Baby Bundle Doula Services, will also offer various workshops, including alternative birthing classes on upcoming Saturdays. For everyday shoppers, the store has a seating area, play area and other treats.

“I want to have a place where moms feel special and taken care of,” Boyd said. “Because pregnancy, a lot of times, is not the greatest feeling in the world – your feet swell, you’re tired, nauseous. It’s a place where they can relax, talk to other moms, get advice.

“We’ve had a good, steady stream of people (since opening), so that’s been really comforting,” she added. “(Yesterday) was our first day to see what our average customer spend might be and what items people will really be looking for. Moms really needed a place go to. We should not be driving to Nashville to get a few essentials. So far, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Two Heartbeats Maternity and Gifts is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. For more information, visit www.twoheartbeatsmaternity.com or call (931) 854-9777.

 

 

Liz Engel is the editor of the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. She can be reached at liz@ucbjournal.com

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