Bambi Baby opens larger store, plus clearance center in Melville
The current Bambi Baby store in Melville has become a discount center and a new, larger location has opened down the road. Credit: Bambi Baby
Massive baby gear retailer Bambi Baby has expanded in Melville with the opening of a new, larger location and a discount store. The family-owned business catering to expectant and first-time parents has outgrown its original storefront on Route 110 in Melville, where it has been since 2016.
"We’re busting out of the seams here," says owner Enelio Ortega. "Right now, we’re very cluttered. We just need more room." Like a baby moving from onesies into toddler-size clothing, a new brick-and-mortar has opened just down the road in the former Ace Hardware store in Melville, going from a 14-car parking lot to a 140-car lot and growing from 6,500 to 11,000 square feet, Ortega says.
With the opening of the new store comes the rebranding of the existing Route 110 storefront. The original Melville site is now the company’s clearance center, where shoppers can expect discounts of up to 60% on big-name baby brands. Nursery essentials like dressers and cribs make up much of the showroom's sale merchandise, with brands like Romania (cribs typically $1,600-$1,900), Sorelle (cribs $600-$750) and Natart (cribs up to $1,600).
Both locations will be open through the winter, or until supplies at the discount center last, when the original one will shut its doors, he says.
Bambi Baby sells baby furniture, car seats, strollers and accessories. About 30 different bedroom sets are displayed in the original Melville store; in the new store, about 60 sets are on the floor, Ortega says.
The shop will also expand its product lines. "We know it’s a big decision for parents," he says of choosing baby gear. The new store will offer more opportunities to "touch, feel and learn," he says.
The new store will become the family’s biggest by square footage, Ortega says. The family also owns stores in Florida, New Jersey and New York City, and has been in business since 1976.
The discount center is at 516 Walt Whitman Rd. The new, larger storefront is at 720 Walt Whitman Rd.; 877-882-2624.
Newsday's Meghan Giannotta contributed to this story.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
