Parenting and Baby Site The Memo Opens Its First Bricks and Mortar Store, in Melbourne

I first discovered The Memo in 2020, when I was pregnant and needed a guiding hand to sort through the crush of recommendations – from friends, and from the internet – about the gear I absolutely needed when the baby arrived.

The site made things simpler than other baby retailers. Instead of 50 different prams to sort through, there was just one. Instead of 25 rockers, there were two. It grouped items into useful lists like “The Nursery List” and “The Hospital Bag List” and “The Feeding List”. The product offering was tightly curated and stylish, and each item came with an explanation of “why you need it”, aiming to declutter and demystify the experience of shopping for an impending arrival.

The Memo’s offering has grown substantially since 2019, when founders Kate Casey and Phoebe Simmonds launched the brand, but the original premise – essential, high-quality new parent and baby items, which also happen to look good – remains. (There’s still only one stroller on the site.)

In September, Casey and Simmonds opened their first store, in Armadale. For those who know The Memo, the IRL version – designed by Melbourne firm Cera Stribley – feels like an apt translation. It’s bright and full of curved joinery, marble surfaces, and mauve and pastel green flourishes. It’s both a store and a showroom, with only a partial – and therefore digestible – range of what’s available on the site.

“We love how open our space is. The big glass windows makes everyone feel welcome,” Simmonds says, referring to the store’s floor-to-ceiling glazed frontage. “We are all about curation and cutting through the clutter… and our streamlined assortment of only the essentials does that. This is a place for parents to come to prepare, be supported and feel good.”

The Memo was born from Casey’s own “disappointed” experience with traditional baby retail, which she found overwhelming and lacking in guidance. (“When I first found out I was pregnant, I was so excited – I ran straight to a big baby retailer and then ran straight out again."). From the beginning, she and Simmonds had intended to open a bricks and mortar store.

“It was just a matter of resources and time,” says Casey, who was previously a brand manager for Mecca and a buyer for Myer and David Jones. “It can be helpful seeing, feeling and talking through the gear that you need.”

The boutique has a broader purpose than the stock on its shelves; it’ll play host to classes and conversations about subjects ranging from sleep and lactation to early childhood nutrition, as well as bringing the site’s virtual services in-store.

“Customers can book a one-on-one appointment to set up a gift registry or get a [maternity] bra fitted,” Simmonds explains. The classes “will give new parents the confidence they need to enter each stage of pregnancy, postpartum and parenting”.

Part of what has made The Memo so popular (the brand has upsized its warehouse five times in three years as demand has grown) is its thoughtful product offering, and Simmonds and Casey have spent years securing exclusivity on a range of international brands including Mina Baie (stylish nappy bags) and Nessa Organics (a natural skincare range with products including Nipple SOS, Scar Saviour and Vagina Victory Oil).

The Snoo, a cult bassinet from America that rocks babies to sleep for a steep – some might say invaluable – price isn’t available through any other local retailer. Nor is a range of handmade soft toys from Paris, by the brand Bigstuffed, which have just arrived in-store.

But among the Parisian whales and dinosaurs you’ll also find a large range of Australian brands, and classic new-baby helpers including carriers, breast pumps, bottles and bath thermometers alongside baby and post-partum clothing, and big-ticket items like cots and nursery furniture.

For Casey, it’s a $19.95 duck-shaped bath thermometer she finds herself recommending most often to new parents.

“It instantly tells you the temperature of the bath, so you know it’s safe for your baby,” she says.

“When it comes to parenting, it’s the little things that are game changers.”

The Memo Flagship Boutique
1155 High Street, Armadale
03 9555 5099

Hours
Mon to Fri 9.30am–5pm
Sat 9am–5pm
Sun 10am–5pm

thememo.com.au