Melissa DiMisa and Connie Muir opened Once Upon a Time in May in the Pineapple Grove
area of downtown Delray Beach.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Scott Simmons
Once upon a time, there were two east Boca Raton moms who had kids to clothe.
They did it with such panache that people were talking.
And that talk is what inspired Once Upon a Time, the children’s clothing boutique in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove neighborhood.
“Well, Delray needed a children’s store. We both enjoyed dressing our kids and keeping kids looking young and innocent,” said Connie Muir, partner in the store with her best friend, Melissa DiMisa. “We both have two children each, and our kids are best friends since they were born.”
Once Upon a Time caters to busy moms like Muir and DiMisa who want their kids to be smartly attired.
They also had another goal in mind.
“We wanted to have something to do together with flexible schedules and spend time with our kids,” Muir said. Muir and DiMisa’s older children, ages 5½ and 6, attend Gulf Stream School, as did the women’s husbands.
Their store, which opened in May, offers clothing for kids from newborn to size 10 for boys and girls.
And the style?
“I think that’s we’re not so much into the trends as much as keeping them classic,” Muir said.
“I’m sure there are certain styles that come and go but we have dresses similar to what I wore as a child.”
Some clothing items are keepsakes, DiMisa said, citing the selection of christening and Communion wear.
But certain trendy items are popular as well.
“I think the top seller right now would be Mini Melissa shoes,” DiMisa said.
“They are a really comfortable, adorable shoe,” Muir said. “They’re actually jelly and look like a jelly shoe. Some look like kitty cats. Kids come in and ask their parents to buy them for them.”
It can be difficult to get kids to try clothes on.
“Melissa’s (children) love to try them on. My daughter does not. She’s very little, but I make her do it anyway,” Muir said with a laugh.
That’s all the better for strolling the Pineapple Grove area, just north of Atlantic Avenue.
Both women said they liked the range of shops in the neighborhood, and acknowledged that many of their east Boca neighbors shop and dine in the area.
“We had parking. In fact, there was plenty of parking,” Muir said of the area. “If you want to go grab a quick birthday present, you don’t want to valet your car.”
Said DiMisa: “Moms like convenience.”
She should know.
Once Upon a Time, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Pineapple Grove Promenade Plaza, 313 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 808-7449 or onceuponatimedelray.com.
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