This week we shine the spotlight on Karen and her fab business Burble Baby which is sponsoring our Happy Subdaze event in September!
Burble baby has beautiful luxury gifts for parents, babies and children – it’s well worth checking out!
What’s your name and where do you come from?
Hello! My name’s Karen and I’m a Lancashire lass living in Chorley with my husband Andy and 3 children William, Louis and Eliza.
Tell us about Burble Baby?
Burble Baby was formed when I was on maternity leave with my youngest child Elizaback in 2014. My background lies in consumer sales and marketing and I wanted to see if I could use my skills and experience to launch my own business that would work flexibly around the family. Using my own babies as inspiration, and my experiences as a new mum, Burble Baby was born!
bty
bty
Burble Baby is a luxurious gift boutique for new mums and their babies with a carefully curated range of gorgeous essentials and treats ranging from luxury changing bags and mama merch, to nursery décor and traditional toys. At Burble Baby we pride ourselves on helping customers to find the perfect present for baby showers, new arrivals, christenings, birthdays and more!
sdr
How are you involved with Our Kids Social?
I came across OKS through the working mums networking group Manc Mamas. I loved the concept of OKS events, and, desperate to entertain the 3 kids without losing our mind, we soon hotfooted it to one of their events in Stockport for a good old boogie with the Rockin’ Rhinos.
I also worked with Hannah on her blog Not Just Rita’s Mother and have worked with OKS and some other local brands to raise awareness ofsupporting small businesses on Small Business Saturday.
I’m excited that Burble Baby is going to be sponsoring the Happy Sundaze event at Manchester Monastery in September – we can’t wait to meet all the little burble babies in the sensory area! We’ll also have a small collection of products on sale too, so if there is anything that tickles your fancy from the web site and you’d like us to bring, or pre-order for collection at the event, just shout!
Which tunes are top of the kitchen disco playlist on your house?
If we’re not having an impromptu boogie in the kitchen we’re definitely re-enacting our own version of carpool karaoke on our endless trips ferrying the kids hither and thither.
It’s a bit of an eclectic mix of tunes in our house – I asked the question to the troops, this is what they came back with:
i. Andy – Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
ii. Will – All Star, Smash Mouth
iii. Louis – Fire Starter, Prodigy
iiii. Eliza – Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
v. Me – I am the Resurrection, Stone Roses
bty
bty
What are your favourite places for a knees up without the nippers?
These days we head to the Northern Quarter or Gorilla in Manchester or try and keep our eye out for concerts or gigs; Delamere Forest is a lovely setting for summer gigs and we’ve seen the fantastic Elbow there a few times.
What was the first album / single you bought and what format did you buy it on?
My first ever single was gifted to me by my mum on vinyl at Christmas and was Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid. The first album I bought with my own pocket money was Silk & Steel by 5 Star on cassette!
I loved the song Rain or Shine and would play it on repeat. They were my very first gig too, I thought they were all so glamorous and handsome with their high cheekbones and ginormous shoulder pads! I was defo a child of the 80’s!
What would be your band T shirt of choice?
Well of course I had a 5 Star T-shirt, but my band T Shirt of choice would be a Stone Roses one. They were the sound track to my teens and also a firm fave on repeat on the Walkman!
Which band would you most like to see live and why?
I’d love the opportunity to see an all-timelegend in a BIG show stopping performance; Madonna would fab – will she do a comeback tour do you think?
I saw David Bowie at a really small gig when I was at uni in Newcastle but was too young and drunk to appreciate the enormity of being in the presence of a legend at the time.
How do you seek out some of the great brands you sell on Burble?
Instagram is a great platform for watching new trends and brands emerge, so I try to keep a close eye. I visit trade fairs and use trade magazines to spot new products too.
Generally though, I pick brands that I like and try myself as a mum. The range is curated from organic or British brands that I think have a WOW factor and that other mums would love to receive as a gift, or buy as a treat for themselves. I’m also really proud that at Burble Baby we stock unique brands from some very talented local Manchester mum bosses – see my shout out below!
What are your best sellers?
The collection is a moving feast with seasonal additions and new lines added regularly. However, the nursery and changing bag categories are very popular with our customers beginning their parenting journey and we are always looking to welcome new brands in these areas.
Manchester Monastery is such a beautiful venue and I can’t wait to see it come to life with all the happiness and joy that an OKS event brings.
We’ll be welcoming the little babas and hosting the baby sensory area (whilst simultaneously bopping away to some Britpop on the old silent disco headphones), but I know my Eliza will be going wild for the outdoors area and forest school with the Conker Crew. It all sounds fab and the perfect end to the summer.
Are there any other local small businesses you would like to give a shout out to?
My shout out goes to these amazing local mum bosses who we stock on the site and help make Burble Baby a unique collection of gifts for new mums and babies: the very talented Eleanor Bowmer for her awesome nursery artwork, Lisa at Mama Knows for her beautiful and stylish teething jewellery, and the lovely Kate from A Year Of Dates, a woman on a mission to keep the romance alive with couples, one date at a time!
You can catch up with Burble Baby and Our Kids Social at Happy Subdaze – tickets on sale here
ourkidssocial.blog 