Tadpoles & Tiddlers

By Angie Landsverk

A Boutique With Curated Selections and Custom Services

Cheryl Lemke’s inspiration to open a children’s boutique stemmed from her own experiences as a grandmother.

“I have 13 grandchildren and was finding it difficult to find heirloom-quality clothing gifts and accessories in my area,” she said. Cheryl is the founder and owner of Tadpoles & Tiddlers.

Her business is in what she describes as a “quaint Europe­an-type plaza” in Bath, Ohio — a suburb of Akron. Other shops and offices occupy the plaza as well.

Located in that plaza since its opening on July 7, 2007, the boutique was in a 1,200-square-foot space for its first 13 years. “The early years were exciting,” Cheryl said. “I opened with the intent to succeed, worked a lot of long hours, made a lot of mistakes, and also learned a lot from the mistakes.”

Her challenges since opening the gift shop included many financially lean months, overbuying, not buying enough, and figuring out what to buy, with managing inventory being the biggest challenge. Cheryl said she overcame those challenges through research, asking questions of those she respected in the industry, taking courses, and never giving up.

“The turning point came at year 10 when I knew more space was needed to grow and toys were to be part of the growth,” she said. In 2021, Tadpoles & Tiddlers practically doubled its space when it moved two doors down to a 2,300-square-foot space.

“I gutted and combined two spaces, did a complete renova­tion, and added a toy store,” Cheryl said. In addition to opening Bits & Bobs Toy Shoppe, increasing their clothing size range to 8 years old is another way in which Tadpoles & Tiddlers has changed since the day it opened.

When asked how she chose the name for her business, Cheryl explained that she is a knitter and had a British book about knit­ting for tiddlers. “In England, toddlers are referred to as tiddlers, and a tiddler can also be a small fish, so it just made sense to start there,” she said. “Since I wanted a whimsical name for the busi­ness, I began playing with words and definitions and tadpoles and tiddlers kept rolling off my tongue. A baby frog (tadpoles) and toddlers (tiddlers) was the winner!”

Inside the Boutique

Those who visit Tadpoles & Tiddlers find an array of items in the boutique. “We sell toys from birth to 10-12 years, apparel from preemie to size 8, accessories, gifts, baptism, books, and gifts for parents and grandparents,” Cheryl said.

Service Equals Success

She said the special services they provide include their full-service Babylove Registry, complimentary custom gift boxes and gift wrapping with gift note cards, and a treasure chest for children to pick a gift from when they are shopping with adults. “We will order custom items whenever we can and have many free giveaways with any purchase throughout the year just to say thank you for supporting us,” Cheryl said.

What sets the boutique apart from others? She said it is “our curated selections, and hands down, our complimentary signa­ture gift boxes and wrap are absolutely loved by everyone. It’s become part of the brand. Customers come in literally on their way to an event and know they’re leaving with a gift beautifully wrapped and ready to go!”

Cheryl said the customer service they provide makes Tadpoles & Tiddlers both successful and different from other businesses in their area. “My team does their very best to make sure the customer leaves with a feeling that they have been well taken care of,” she said.

Marketing, Connecting

She said their best marketing tools are their giveaways. When a customer does not expect to receive something like an orna­ment, calendar, lip balm, or rattle at the time of checkout “just because,” they express gratitude — and do not forget it. “That goes a long way in customer appreciation,” Cheryl said.

They also use gift certificates in $10, $15, and $20 increments as a successful marketing tool. Cheryl said social media and email marketing have proven to be successful in bringing customers to her children’s boutique.

Being part of a community is important. Each November, a fundraiser is held for a local charity. They also have a few child-friendly events throughout the year.

She said they stay connected with the community through email, social media, and events. “Most important, we are here to serve our customers with the best products, service, and care we can provide, to help make their shopping experience memorable and seamless,” Cheryl said. Her advice to those new to retail is to “work hard, give it all you got, know your numbers, and never forget your customer is the lifeblood of your business.”

The ever-changing landscape and creativity of retail are what Cheryl likes best about what she does. “When a customer leaves with a smile — holding our beautiful bags — saying they’ll be back, my heart sings,” she said. “It’s the best compliment a shop­girl could get!”