Sure makes you want to have a third … or shop for your friend’s new baby, or her friend’s new baby (and so on). Started by Bergen Mom on a Mission Ariana Horry, just opened Milk & Honey is an innovative one-stop-shop for premium, high quality, eco-friendly baby gear, clothing, toys, nursery furniture, grooming projects, and toys – featuring beloved brands like Oeuf, Paige Lauren, Uppaaby, 3 Sprouts, Life Factory, Baby Bjorn, Tegu, Nuna, and Finn + Emma. More than just a retail destination and online boutique, Milk & Honey also offers a weekly story time and interactive play area for wee ones (look, mom, I’m having fun while you shop!) plus free local delivery and nursery design services. You can even host your baby shower there! Not that you’re having another baby (but you might.)
Activities Editor Melanie-Amber Ruane sat down with mom-on-a-mission Ariana Horry in her gorgeous new shop to find out her own personal must-have baby items plus, what living with a pro football player has been like for her as a mom.
What inspired you to open your store?
I’m a Native New Yorker and my fiancé Mike is from New Jersey but because he is a professional football player, we have lived in a lot of different cities. We have two girls ( Maya, 7 & Avery 2) and every city we lived in (15 in all!) I came across a lot of different baby stores with very different vibes. This store is a gathering of all my favorites: healthy, sustainable, and eco-friendly items that I decided to bring all together in one place. My daughters go to EMS school nearby so it works out perfectly for me.
Before opening this store what were you doing work-wise before this?
This is my first business venture since I had my girls. I was studying Journalism and went on to get my Masters while working for NBC. However, during that time my fiancé was drafted and we headed to San Fransisco. But now we are creating a home base here in New Jersey and getting truly settled in.
What is it like for you with Mike having such a demanding schedule being in pro-ball?
This is actually the first time we have ever been apart in 12 years and it’s because of the opening of Milk and Honey Babies. Up until now we were always together no matter what city he was working in, but we knew with our oldest being in grade school, we needed to have a more stable situation for her. She did Kindergarten in Denver, and then half of first grade in Indiana before coming here and attending EMS. She loves it there and we love the school too. So all in all, we have taken on a lot this year! We are opening this business, he’s in Indiana while we are here, and we will be apart for 4 months. But we do go to every home game and he is back and forth a lot.
How are you handling the Mommy work and kids balance?
Moms go through so many emotions. I was home full-time with my oldest daughter through out her baby and toddler years, but now because of the store I am doing things differently with my youngest. So, of course I have a little guilt about that, even though she is right across the street!
It will be so wonderful for her though, to see Mommy in this role of a business owner, owning this beautiful store!
You’re right. I’m sure she will love it. I’m the one crying! It’s hard to let go. But I’m working my way through this transition. Now that school is back in session, that’s helpful. I have a great team here who helps me. I’m here working while the girls are in school, but at 3pm I’m off to be Mommy. Especially since it’s just me here right now, that’s what I need to do. I do have family in the city, which is wonderful, but we live in Parsippany, so it’s not exactly close. It is a challenge but we welcome it. It’s 4 months so it will fly by. It’s a new chapter!
So you live in Parsippany but I’m sure you spend some time around here. Do you and Mike have any favorite spots in Bergen yet?
I am kind of a creature of habit so I tend to go to the same places again and again. I am obsessed with Flemming’s in Edgewater! My husband does encourage me to try new places though. We go out in the city a lot. I’m always looking for new spots!
What's an ideal day for your family?
Well Mike is very athletic of course, and the girls love being outdoors with him. I am more of a homebody but I love to watch them run around and laugh and have fun. So an ideal day would be spent at Central Park where we always have a great time. We take a blanket and and a packed lunch and just watch them play. It’s really cute because they have Mike wrapped around their fingers! They toss around the football with him and do races and I love just taking it all in. I do love the city so much, but there are beautiful parks here too. I think this area is the perfect location because it is so close to the city, but you can breathe here.
I am dying over the stuff here in your store! How do you come across finding all these unique brands?
Most of them I have personally used with my children and the others I have discovered along the way at specialty shops all over the country and trade shows. I attended the ABC Children’s Expo in the Spring and I came across a lot of great brands there too. For it to be sold in my store it has to hit a few parameters, and I always choose eco-friendly brands. That’s really important to me. Kids put everything in their mouths and you want to make sure the materials are safe.
Do you feel like becoming a Mom is what started this passion?
Absolutely. I really never thought I would own my own business for starters, and definitely wouldn’t have guessed it would be a baby store! I have to say though, it’s so natural for me. I just adore shopping for my girls. It’s exciting to shop when you are a new Mom! I remember walking into stores in different cities when I was in that nesting phase and just feeling so happy. So Milk and Honey is definitely my new happy place.
As a fellow enthusiast of rare and beautiful baby items, I have to say it’s so unique to see all these amazing unique brands under one roof. A lot of this stuff I have only seen and purchased online, so seeing them all here in front of me is a really cool experience. For Moms “in the know”, it’s fantastic to actually hold these items before you buy them.
Thank you so much! I love finding unique brands. Like Leggy Buddy for instance. I came across them on Instagram. They are a Swiss brand and we are actually their first US retailer. I kept seeing their cute stuffed animals pop up on interior design accounts and had to have them.
What are some of your must-have items that you carry?
In terms of decor, I love the Lucky Boy Sunday blanket. I even have one myself and use it at home. I love and used the Honest diapers. The prints alone sold me but you can’t beat the fact that they are safe and healthy too. I also love the Noodle and Boo scent so I go back and forth between that and Honest for bath and skincare. Blabla Kids is another favorite. The Bloom Highchair is such a statement piece. It looks so fun and modern in your kitchen or dining area and the functionality makes it so easy to incorporate your child at the table. I also personally use Orbit Baby. The infant seat sold me because the 360 swivel is so helpful.
So lastly, tell me more about some unique things your store offers.
We have white glove delivery services for our clients, so you can come and pick out what you want and we will delivery and assemble it for you so you are all good to go. If you don’t need us to assemble anything, we do still offer a great flat rate for delivery. We also offer interior design services which we are really excited about. We like to call it a Nursery in a Box. The client would work with our talented designer and fill out a questionnaire, discuss all likes and dislikes and measurements, and in return you get back so much. Swatches, shopping lists, samples, different options, and exact placement of where it would all go. It’s a cost effective and easier way of designing your baby’s nursery. She actually did this for us with the store! We talked about the look we wanted, looked at stuff on Pinterest, and she put it all together, from the light fixtures, sconces, paint colors, and wallpaper. We also have a great visual merchandiser that helped us with the overall look of the store. We also offer Baby Showers (with mocktails!), registry services, and in-store classes for Moms. We also have an e-commerce site that has everything we carry here plus some other great items that we don’t carry in-store.
Milk and Honey Babies Official Website 11 Grand Ave, Englewood (201) 871-2111
