At Brixy, every one of our retail members is a part of the Brixy team, but we do have volunteers and staff who give their time and energy to help us set the direction of the organization and implement the ideas to keep independent stores and vibrant and vital part of parents’ shopping behavior. In addition to the Board of Directors and the Brixy staff, we have more than 50 retail members who serve on Committees that help to shape the products and programs we offer to Brixy stores. The Brixy Board of Directors is comprised of 7 retailers from across the USA who represent: The Juvenile Shop | Lisa has been working with independent baby stores for more than 30 years. She began her career while still in high school, joining Baby Toy Town as a part time sales associate where she learned how to build a loyal, knowledgeable team and assemble every piece of furniture in the store. Lisa joined business partner Lauren Logan in 1981 to expand Lauren’s family business The Juvenile Shop, which sells modern furniture, gear and clothing to families in the LA area.

Since then, Lauren and Lisa have successfully navigated the fickle LA retail environment, remodeling their store and expanding their assortment to stay ahead of the area’s changing neighborhoods and families’ needs. At Brixy, Lisa is a champion for manufacturers looking to support the independent channel. Baby Furniture Plus Kids | Charlotte, NC/Columbia, SC/Greenville, SC A PhD in microbiology by training, Phil’s passion for educating customers and helping them to find the right product to meet their needs drew him into the children’s industry. Freestanding Tub ShelfPhil’s ability to convey information in an approachable way combined with his marketing prowess have enabled him and partner Ken Ventell to expand Baby Furniture Plus Kids to three locations serving North and South Carolina. Pet For Sale Wichita Ks

Known for their beautiful merchandising in store and terrific inventory management behind the scenes, Baby Furniture Plus Kids has not only survived despite the presence of big box stores in their areas, but they’ve thrived, using the competition as an opportunity to hone their offering which led to better sales. Phil’s keen eye and terrific way with words keep Brixy’s marketing messages on point so that we can effectively engage retailers, consumers, manufacturers and the media with compelling campaigns.Vinyl Flooring Buy Now Pay Later Baby and Kid’s 1st | Houston/Oak Ridge North/Sugar Land, TX Jacob has grown up in the juvenile industry, spending his summers working in his family’s stores and then joining them full time as their head of operations after graduating from college. Under Jacob’s direction, Baby and Kid’s 1st Furniture has revamped their operating infrastructure, expanded to 4 retail locations and successfully expanded into gear.

When he’s not juggling car seats in the store, Jacob is out searching for the spiciest foods he can find or at home cooking up a batch of his famous gumbo. Melissa is a style savvy business owner and proud mother of two boys, Alex (11) and William (9). Prior to establishing tottini, Melissa honed her skills as a project manager for global financial tools used within Microsoft where she enjoyed integrating her business education with technology to develop tools that improved business processes at Microsoft. Her work experience, business background and passion for modern design have all come together in envisioning, launching and developing tottini. After the birth of her second son, she began to envision a new shopping destination where visitors could find a diverse selection of cool, urban merchandise for kids all under one roof. Recognizing the complementary nature of ecommerce and traditional retail, Melissa strove to create a seamlessly integrated online and in-store experience for tottini customers.

Being tech savvy, Melissa has also led the charge in tottini’s social media campaigns, consistently out pacing local competitors. And while tottini now engages professional guest bloggers, Melissa still enjoys creating most of tottini’s Facebook, twitter and email content herself. Winn is no stranger to small business. Winn grew up helping his family to expand their Krispy Kreme franchise in Charleston, SC, bringing it from a single location to a multitude of stores and a state of the art “donut theater” before his family sold it in 2001. Having worked in an industry where you get to delight customers every day, Winn and his wife Robin were drawn to the children’s industry, where they decided to buy two existing stores in Mount Pleasant, SC to help please parents as they prepare for their little one’s arrival. Baby Bloomers has flourished under Winn and Robin’s leadership, where their carefully crafted assortment and commitment to exceptional customer service make them a destination for families in the Charleston area and beyond.

Recently celebrating the launch of their new store, Winn attributes their involvement in local hospital programming and other community events as the key to their ongoing growth. Winn’s network of relationships extends well beyond Mt Pleasant, making him a critical player in Brixy’s ability to connect with manufactures, retailers and other organizations as well. Joe is 3rd generation in the juvenile industry – his grandfather and father both worked as sales reps in the industry while his mom Patty opened the first Baby Grand location in a renovated home on Grand Ave in St Paul, MN in 1985. Joe joined the family business after graduating from college with an initial focus on updating the store’s technology and operations. Soon after, he and his wife Katie opened a second Baby Grand location in Hopkins, MN in 2008.  Joe considers himself to be the Michael Bluth of the family business. Joe has been hard at work since joining Brixy, serving on the Gear Committee and being an active contributor.

Jared is a 4th generation retailer, with his great grandfather opening the first Behr’s in Jamaica, NY in 1906. Jared grew up in the store, working weekends and summers during school. Upon graduating from college, Jared went to law school and spent several years working as an Assistant DA on Long Island. Jared and his brother stepped in to take over the family business when his father Steve sadly passed away in 2011. Jared has been an active member of Brixy, serving on the Furniture Committee and the RFP Group that worked to chose the manufacturer for and design of Brixy’s first private label furniture collection. Interim Executive Director | Simon’s Baby & Teen Furniture | Mark is the third generation of the Simon family to operate Simon’s Baby & Teen. Founded by Mark’s grandfather in 1945 as a five and dime store, Simon’s has grown to become the largest independent children’s retailer in upstate New York. Known for its large assortment and ability to make every customer who comes in the door feel at ease, Simon’s reputation for delivering terrific customer service and product recommendations has been the key to its sustained growth.

Mark learned early on about the importance of listening to the customers while watching his grandfather in the store and has continued that tradition, shifting the store’s focus from general merchandise to children’s and offering services like certified car seat installation. At Brixy, Mark’s emphasis on keeping things easy and approachable for both his customers and Brixy’s members makes sure we’re developing relevant, turnkey programs and marketing campaigns. Manager of Consumer Marketing Brixy’s first Manager of Consumer Marketing, Shana is also a talented graphic designer with a passion for social media with nearly 15 years of industry experience. She has spent her career building brand awareness and a large loyal following, driving consumers to her clients’ New York City restaurants and bars with creative events, word of mouth advertising and social media campaigns, all done on a tiny budget. Prior to that she specialized in marketing within the architecture industry for some of New York’s top firms.

Using a mix of traditional, digital and social media outreach, Shana’s role at Brixy is two-fold: promote Brixy as an organization and its exclusive products, as well as market Brixy member stores and store owners’ expertise to consumers. Member and Vendor Coordinator Leia brings to Brixy more than a decade of relationship building and customer service experience. Her professional background includes seven years as a government relations specialist representing a variety of non-profit groups. Her tenure also featured extensive work with members of local and national associations. Immediately before joining Brixy, she spent time on the operations side of the juvenile product industry. At Brixy, Leia recruits and on-boards new retail stores and vendors, and works with existing Brixy members and vendors to secure new and forward-thinking membership benefits. She also assists in the planning of Brixy events, such as the Spring Education Conference and the Brixy sponsored segments of the ABC Expo.