the little crowd in raleigh got a whole lot hipper over the last year thanks to lauren hood, the owner of progeny, a children's shoppe in five points. carrying brands like mini rodini, house of mia, wolf + rita and bang bang copenhagen, the boutique solidifies there's no excuse for your little ones to slack on style.  from splatter painted leggings to hot pink leather moccasins, tiny fur vests and dapper plaid peacoats, progeny is poised to raise a new set of fashion-foward kids whose parents seek quality pieces that are an of-the-moment departure from the ordinary.  the store also offers a curated collection of toys, furniture, accessories and artwork that aim to encourage children to discover and develop their individual style.

you'll find a selection of her offerings online at progenyshoppe.com.   additionally, lauren offers interior decorating services for family and children's spaces, locally and online through e-design packages.

i stopped in last week to check out the new arrivals for the holiday, and after some shrieking over how cute the pint-sized clothing was (maybe i could cram into in an XL...?), lauren and i sat down over a bit of tiny tea to talk entrepreneurship in raleigh.  a q&a after the photos.

photos by gary meyer


years in business
since march 2014

number of employees
moi + 2 interns

where do you find inspiration 
instagram moms who love kid's fashion. they're fantastic.

what gets you most excited about getting out of bed in the morning 
anticipating what hilarious thing my child is going to say / do that day + a triple vanilla latte from third place

what's your 5 year plan 
a second location + a PROGENY clothing line

favorite place to travel 
somewhere tropical or somewhere freezing.

what scares you the most (biz or otherwise) 
uncertainty.

bootstrapping vs funding 
bootstrapping baby. it's all me.

when did you know you had a profitable business model 
first month in... fashion forward children's clothing and decor is something that Raleigh was craving -at least that's what my customers tell me

three most important characteristics of an entrepreneur 
confidence, passion, ability to be equally flexible and decisive

what is your current state of mind 
excited for some big things in 2015 - both personally and professionally

which words or phrases do you most often overuse? 
dude.

work hard or work smart? 
both. 

why raleigh? 
it's where we landed after gallivanting about in our 20's 

your biggest extravagance 
anti-aging skin products. whaaaaat, when did i get old?

one piece of advice you'd give to a prospective entrepreneur 
make sure you're ready to dedicate every waking moment to making your business successful - otherwise don't do it

what one word do you want to own in the minds of your customers, employees and partners? 
quality

thoughts on failure? 
you have to be pretty comfortable with the idea of failing if you're going into the retail business. i've taken a huge risk here and so far, it's paying off. i hope that continues...but if it doesn't - i'll learn to adapt, change course, and redirect myself into something else that i want to do - something that i'm passionate about. the worst thing about failure is the thought of WHAT DOES EVERYBODY ELSE THINK ABOUT ME? and at this point, i've realized i don't need anybody's approval. that took a while for me to learn.

three favorite spots in raleigh 
third place every. single. day. for a latte and breakfast burrito. tazza kitchen for sunday brunch + delicious bloody mary. poole's for dinner. capital club for the best old fashioned. davenport's for flowers. roanoke park with my baby girl.