April 17, 2017

Meet Chaffee Heilman of Baby Braithwaite in Buckhead

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chaffee Heilman.

Chaffee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After returning to my hometown of Atlanta after working in New York City for several years, my mom Nancy and I decided we wanted to open a business together. We were considering opening a boutique offering home furnishings and antiques. During a buying trip to London & France, we were told over and over that the market would not support the type of business we were planning to open. The next day, while walking the streets of Paris, Nancy came upon a beautiful baby store, Ovale. Having recently become a grandmother, she was entranced with the beauty and simplicity of the store, and it struck a chord. After months of research back in the States, we realized there was an opportunity to bring a new approach to a baby store.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning your own business means accepting there will also be challenges (and celebrations). Success requires humor, hard work, a great team and a little bit of luck. We have found over the years that continuing to grow our business requires consistent questioning of what could we improve upon, what could we add, what isn’t working. You also find you need to be open to adjusting not only to our clients’ needs but our business needs are critical.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
When we opened our doors in 2005, we had just one primary objective for baby Braithwaite: To build a haven for new parents and their community, offering up a calming space to gather and discover the best products and the best information for a child’s early years. Our greatest priority is serving our community, creating a unique place for families to come together to celebrate some of the most joyful moments in their lives with the guidance and support of our team of experts.

Every item in our highly-edited shop has been hand-picked by our mother-and-daughter founders, Nancy & Chaffee Braithwaite, to ensure that parents and baby can enjoy themselves during this busy, happy time with as little stress as possible. Whether selecting the perfect coming home outfit or demystifying stroller selection, our goal, always, is to offer new parents solutions that work — and that also delight in their sweetness, simplicity, and sheer loveliness.

I am so proud that I have created this business together with my mother. We have worked so hard and have gotten to spend so much time together that we otherwise would not have gotten to share. We do all the buying trips together and there are always moments during those trips where we are doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down our faces- those moments, I treasure.

I am incredibly proud that we have created a place that people enjoy. My biggest compliment is when a new dad says he likes coming to our store. Preparing for a little one can be overwhelming at times- and we always strive to create a space and experience that turns the feelings of stress into feelings of happiness and excitement.

What were you like growing up?
Hard working, energetic with love for children.

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