When they’re not helping to save lives during their full-time jobs as nurses, Abbie Amato and Lauren Tramonte take to a softer, cuter side of life—namely, the children’s clothing industry. After a long planning period that was set back time and time again by COVID, the two friends finally opened the online boutique, Cher Bébé, this past summer, with the goal of providing quality clothing for infants, young children and tweens at an affordable price.

Read on to learn more about the work that Amato and Tramonte do over at Cher Bébé.

1. What inspired you to start Cher Bébé?

We have talked about opening our own boutique almost since the day we met four years ago. We wanted to sell children’s clothes because we both love a little one in a cute smock. We found it hard to find cute kids outfits at reasonable prices, so we figured: Why not open our own place?

2. When did you launch?

We launched in August of 2021. We have been preparing since March and spent every free minute we had making sure everything was in place for opening day.

3. What products do you offer?

We offer a variety of products for little ones. Our clothing sizes range from newborn to tween clothing. We also offer small toys, swaddles, bows, etc. We are always expanding our inventory and looking for new products to carry and share with y’all.

4. What sets Cher Bébé apart?

We try to buy and provide a variety of different styles. We carry not only smocked clothing, but also more casual loungewear and easy-to-wear styles for an active kid. Most of our merchandise is ready to ship. We are always willing to go above and beyond for our customers.

5. What is a typical day like for y’all?

Most of our days are spent doing two jobs. We are both nurses full time, so any downtime we have goes into Cher Bébé. We split the duties fairly evenly and do our best to get together a few times a week to dedicate time to the store. On the weekends, our days are often spent planning and preparing for next week.

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6. What is one thing you would like people to know about Cher Bébé that they might not be aware of?

Being online shoppers ourselves, we realized one of the things we wanted to do was provide cheap shipping and fast turnaround times. We offer a flat-rate $3 shipping, and our orders are shipped out within a day or two of receiving them. Also, while we are online only right now, we would love to have a storefront in the Gonzales area one day.

7. How would you describe Cher Bébé?

Cher Bébé is an online children’s boutique run by two friends, carrying a wide variety of brands from newborn to tween sizing. Our main priority is our customers, and we strive to make sure they are always happy.

8. What’s the story behind the name?

Cher Bébé is a French saying meaning “dear baby.” We went back and forth for a while trying to decide on the perfect name we both loved. It was actually Lauren’s husband who came up with it, and we all loved it!

9. How has being nurses helped in this line of work?

Nursing has taught us time management and prioritizing work. We use these skills to help us run the boutique daily. We also get a lot of unexpected things thrown at us at work. We have learned to deal with whatever happens in the day-to-day business, and work through the unexpected things that often come up.

10. What can we expect from Cher Bébé in the future?

We have a lot of new inventory coming in spring, and we cannot wait! We hope to continue to provide our customers with quality children’s clothing they love at affordable prices, whether it continues to be online or through a storefront one day. No matter what, we have enjoyed the journey thus far, and hope we can continue to dress your sweet kiddos for many years to come!