Just to let you know that the NU2YU Baby Shop has officially closed doors and is not longer conducting business as of July 1, 2009. The last day of business was June 30, 2009.

If you have further inquiries, please contact Karen Patterson directly by email: outsiderinside@gmail.com.

Thank you for your patronage over the past 3.5 years!

Sincerely,

Karen Patterson

NU2YU Baby Shop would like to thank Beijing parents for making the NU2YU Baby Shop a big part of their lives over the past 3.5 years, but it is time to say goodbye. Karen has many ventures on her plate, and would like to put more time into the Counting Sheep Boutique and the Beijing Color Studio.

So, until June 30th, we are offering a massive liquidation sale, UP TO 50% off the regular price (consignment items up to 20%) , all stock must go! Drop by and make us an offer!

Thank you!

Karen Patterson

Despite the Dragon Boat Holiday (Duanwu Jie) in China and it being a new holiday, the NU2YU Baby Shop will be open Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm. Happy shopping during the holidays!

Thank you for your patience. NU2YU Baby Shop has moved up to the small play room space INSIDE the Counting Sheep Boutique! Effective immediately, our gently used items are available for sale upstairs and are only available for CASH purchase. Thank you!

This also means that the Counting Sheep Boutique and the NU2YU Baby Shop will be open 7 days per week! Drop by and check out our ever changing 'gently used' inventory of your fav maternity through childhood items.

We also still accept gear (no clothes, thanks) and provide a rental service.

Even though this interview is from January, I thought it might be interesting for customers to know more about NU2YU Baby Shop and how exactly it came about. Enjoy.

Sarah Cooper is a professional career/personal coach and can be contacted through her website:

/>www.cowsfrommywindow.com

Immigration Officer to Children’s Boutique Owner: Karen’s story

What did you do before opening your own children’s store?

Originally I taught English, first in Canada (I’m Canadian) then in China for many years. Just prior to starting my own business however I had been working as a local hire Immigration Officer at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

What motivated you to start your own business?

The Embassy job paid well but I felt I had reached a ceiling – there weren’t many development opportunities. Also I was approaching my 40th birthday, and looking back over my professional career to date I felt like I hadn’t accomplished that much. Something was missing – I wanted to make a bigger mark.

I’d recently returned from a trip home to Canada where my sister and I had organised a series of garage sales. I’d really enjoyed it – putting on an apron, getting my hands on actual physical stuff, the sales. It was my first taste of “I run the show.”

Back in Beijing – I remember it was November 8th 2005 – I was having lunch at a café with my friend Barbara Carletta Chen and we were chatting about the different business opportunities here. We came up with 2 or 3 ideas that I felt could really work, but opening a second-hand shop for good quality, gently used baby toys and clothes appealed the most. It reminded me of the fun I’d had with the garage sales.

How did you make the transition from employee to business owner?

I moonlighted for a while. Whilst holding down the Embassy job, I ran NU2YU out of a room in my apartment, opening two days a week. I worked Saturdays and Barbara, who had become my business partner, worked on Wednesdays. It was difficult fitting everything in around my day job, as emails and phone calls would come in outside of the shop opening hours. But I couldn’t afford to leave my job as I was the main breadwinner for my family.

Then in December 2006 Barbara, who was leaving China, wanted to dissolve the partnership. I also had a small business representing Chinese artists and the profits from that meant I was able to buy out her share in NU2YU.

At that point I looked at the baby shop’s figures and took a leap of faith. I quit my job to work at the baby shop and the art business full time. I only had 20,000 RMB (around £2,000) in the bank and a mortgage to pay, so I busted my ass for six months, getting my name out there.

What were the major milestones?

A big milestone – which was actually a greater leap of faith – was when I left the art gallery to work 100% on NU2YU and the launch of a second children’s retail outlet. It was June 2008.

The new shop came into existence in quite a funny way. A good friend, a Swedish air steward, had been supplying me with second-hand Stokke highchairs. He’d find the chairs on Blocket (like a Swedish eBay) drive round Stockholm collecting them from people’s houses then use his luggage allowance to fly them over – five or six at a time. The chairs sold really well so I arranged a meeting with Stokke to see if I could become an authorised retailer for their products.

Stokke said yes, on condition that I opened a second shop – they didn’t want their premium brand sold alongside second-hand goods. They gave me 6 months. I just said “yes, I can do that” with no idea how I would manage it. And that’s how the Counting Sheep Boutique was born. The boutique stocks exclusively new products: high end international brands and quality locally-produced clothes, toys and equipment – from maternity through childhood.

What does your business look like now?

From a room in my apartment open two days a week, we now have three premises. Two of the shops are in downtown Beijing and a Shunyi branch of the Counting Sheep Boutique is opening on February 8th, 2009. We are also launching our online store www.countingsheepboutique.com in the next few weeks. I have a new business partner, Carolien van Tilburg, who brings a lot of design flair to the boutique.

How is your life different now?

The upside is the control. This is “my thing” – I can always say I opened China’s first second-hand baby shop. So I feel I’ve made the mark that I wanted to.

The learning curve in starting your own business is enormous. But it’s fun knowing that you’ll be able to put everything you learn to use.

What advice would you give someone thinking of starting their own business?

Make sure you really believe in your product or service as you’ll end up working longer hours than you imagined! But do take that leap of faith – the money will come.

Interview conducted January 2009 by Sarah Cooper, Career and Personal Coach

Due to a huge amount of kids clothes (including neonatal, baby, infant, toddler, child), and recent regulations in China with reselling used clothing, we are absolutely no longer accepting maternity through childhood clothing and shoes. Please refrain from dropping of bags of clothes, unless they are clearly marked for CHARITY DONATION only. Thank you for your support and understanding.

At the end of March, any clothing items still on the racks and in the back will be donated to the charities and orphanages which we work closely with, or will be returned to the consignment owners. Thank you!

NU2YU Baby Shop is pleased to support the mile stone of the Counting Sheep Boutique's opening of their second, Shunyi location - same gear as the downtown location, but just a groovier location!

You can learn more about this fabulous new shop on their website (www.countingsheepboutique.com) or drop by their Shunyi location: back gate of Capital Paradise, across from the Lion Mart.

Parking is on the street in front of the shop. International/domestic credit cards are welcome.

Launched just this week is our convenient new BUY FROM NU2YU section of our website. We hope to have almost all of our gently used products loaded up on to this section in the next few weeks. If you have questions about what we have in stock, then please do not hesitate to contact us: 010 6500 6807, and speak to either myself or Miss WANG.

Soon to come is our online Consignment management system ... stay tuned!

We have just readjusted our rental item fee structure, to more accurately reflect different periods of time other than just one week or one month: 1. 70 RMB/day (less than 3 days) 2. 55 RMB/day (4-6 days) 3. 350 RMB/week 4. 450 RMB/2 weeks 5. 550 RMB/ 3 weeks 6. 600 RMB/month

Thank you for your continued support. Feel free to contact us if you have a rental inquiry.

We are CONTINUOUSLY accepting all items from maternity through childhood, as long as they are in very good to new condition - no stains, holes, broken bits, pilling, not too worn.

If you have items which you would like to convert into cash, or donate to us, then please visit our 'INTAKE REQUEST' menu button and fill out the online request form. Karen will respond to your request within 24 hours to make further arrangements.

We appreciate our customers! The NU2YU Baby Shop now has a Customer Appreciation Card worth 20%! For every 100RMB in merchandise you buy, you will receive a stamp. Collect twenty (20) stamps and your next purchase will be 20% off. Some restrictions apply. Drop by and start collecting! Cards are non transferable, non-cash refundable.