Profile: Cheeky Monkey

By Susan Regier

After two and half phenomenal years selling unique and hard to find maternity, baby, and toddler gear online, the Cheeky Monkey has found the ideal store front location and have opened its child-friendly doors at 590 Oxford Street (at Adelaide).

“The goal from the beginning was to have a store front,” said owner Krista Williamson. “It’s taken us almost three years to find the right location and we’re excited that we’ve finally found the perfect spot.”

In March 2004, the Cheeky Monkey was launched online with a small, five-page site. Since that time, sales have grown exponentially. Williamson, a former financial planner, has become an expert Web developer by necessity. After expanding their product line, the site now contains over two hundred pages of products geared for moms, dads, and babies, and receives more than 25,000 unique visitors each month.

The Cheeky Monkey, named after her precocious son, Connor, carries unique items that resolve problems. “Feeding, sun protection, sleeping, and crying are very big concerns for moms – so we carry everything they could ever need to alleviate those concerns,” said Williamson. For many of their products, they are the only local distributor.

Cheeky Monkey’s products are still available through their Web site and at local community events, fairs, and workshops. But customers, who have driven across the province to attend their workshops, wanted a location to shop at regularly. Their store will allow for more instructional classes, including the free “Babywearing” classes.

Williamson spends countless hours searching for new and unusual products, preferring products created by other small businesses. And her endeavours have paid off...the Cheeky Monkey has been featured in Chatelaine Magazine, Pregnancy Magazine, and Pregnancy Buyer’s Guide.
Stopping in at the Cheeky Monkey is like dropping by a friend’s…welcoming and relaxing for the entire family. The Cheeky Monkey is open Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.cheekymonkey.ca.

Susan Regier is the publisher/editor of Networking Today and owner of Vantage One Writing, a professional writing service for businesses. (519) 471-8726 E-mail: susan@vantageone.ca Web site: www.vantageone.ca

Published in Networking Today, August 2006.