Born and raised in Alexandria and married to a native Alexandrian, Maura loves living in Old Town with her three little boys and golden retriever. As the owner of the children's boutique Monday's Child, Maura's passion is to work with her customers to create special childhood moments. When she isn't curating the most precious outfits and gifts for her shop, you can find Maura practicing her flower arranging skills, binging Mrs. America on Hulu, or obsessing over her latest shipment of children's monogrammed rollneck sweaters.Keep reading to find out how you can support local businesses like Monday's Child and more! 

ABOUT MAURA

How long have you lived in Alexandria? My whole life. I was born in Alexandria and loved growing up here. I even found a handsome local Alexandrian to marry, and we feel so lucky to raise our boys here and have my family near.

Favorite item of clothing in your closet? Ah! Feels impossible to pick one, but as jeans and t-shirt girl, I would probably pick my L’Agence jeans. They make the most flattering and comfortable - and fun - jeans I’ve ever found. The white dress I’m wearing here is from The Hive’s Veronica Beard trunk show, and it’s my summer staple.

Biggest inspiration? Right now, I’m inspired by our incredible small business owners here in Alexandria. Our community has been so creative, hardworking, and flexible since COVID started. I’ve seen businesses pivot time and time again during quarantine, and it’s truly amazing. The Hive’s virtual trunk shows every weekend, Dr. Megan Brown’s costume-themed classes, Mia’s giving out toilet paper with curbside orders – the 100 block of King Street and the outdoor seating! Businesses are thinking outside the box (and working 10 times harder to keep their doors open), and our town really benefits from it.

Dogs or cats? Dogs! Meet Rumpelstiltskin. He was my wedding gift to my husband nine years ago, and he’s the sweetest boy! We moved back to Old Town two years ago, and he loves sitting in his spot by our gate watching people walk by, soaking up every tiny bit of attention he can. 

ABOUT MONDAY’S CHILD

What inspired you to start your business? I had always wanted to open a store and having three boys, I was shocked that so many of my favorite brands weren’t sold locally. I was shopping at adorable children’s boutiques across the country that I found when visiting other cities or through Instagram and wondered why these great lines weren’t here in Old Town. I had been a life-long shopper at Monday’s Child when the previous owner was looking to sell the shop, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of such an Old Town institution. We are celebrating our 40th year this year! It’s been a roller coaster the past two years, but I absolutely love being a store owner, and I feel so lucky to do something that I love. We have a lot of fun at Monday’s Child.

What are your favorite items currently at your shop?  Fall - and even Christmas – is starting to arrive, and we’re getting the cutest shipments in daily. Even though it’s a zillion degree outside, monogrammed rollneck sweaters are my favorite gift to give for new babies or birthdays or just because. We also love the beautiful, new, hand-embroidered pieces from the Proper Peony. 

Favorite Designer? I have a long list of my favorites...it’s too hard to pick one. For my store, I love combining different pieces and brands to coordinate the best combo for a family. The Beaufort Bonnet Company, Little English, and Bella Bliss are our top sellers. 

Favorite “buy” of all time?  I’m getting better and better with each trip to Market, and I think the fall buy is my best yet. And with our new and improved website, customers can easily shop from home if they don’t feel comfortable coming into the store.

AT THIS TIME

How can the community support you and your employees during this time? We are so grateful for all of the support we’ve received from everyone. It’s been such a crazy couple of months, and customers have really shown up to shop with us. Tell a friend about us, follow us on Instagram, keep those baby gifts, online orders, and monogram requests coming. Buy something cute for “Back to School” – whatever school may look like.

One act of kindness you’ve witnessed? I’ve been blown away by customers calling and saying they want to send a daily happy to a friend. So many people are going out of their way to brighten the day of a friend with a surprise delivery, and it’s touching to see such kindness and thoughtfulness.

Why stop at one act of kindness? I’m also forever grateful that my friend, Tiffani, has come on board during quarantine and helped me survive. She’s launched my website, made masks, created the cutest window displays, and spent countless hours on inventory (you have no idea how long it takes to inventory and then post online!). And now she is reorganizing the store, making it look better than ever! She is way too kind to me.

A favorite new hobby? My flower arranging skills are a thousand times better after a few classes with Helen Olivia, and the flowers bring me so much joy. I just signed up for the Dahlia Workshop in September, and I can’t wait.

Top must-read books? The books being read in our house are The Interrupting Chicken and Little Blue Truck, but I’m working my way through Untamed when I get the occasional quiet minute to read.

Binge-worthy suggestion(s)? I just finished Mrs. America on Hulu, and I love Parks and Rec and Schitt’s Creek – I need to keep things light and funny. I’m also addicted to Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard and just started listening to the Happiness Lab podcast.

What local business have you supported this week? Bellacara, Bishop Boutique, Refresh Yoga, ChiroGroup, Boxwood, and Helen Olivia, to name a few.

Favorite carry-out restaurant? Toastique and Sweetgreen for lunch and Chadwicks, Mia’s, and Landini Brothers are our favorite spots for dinner. And a lot of Pop's Old Fashion Ice Cream Co.

Favorite family pastime? Swimming! We’ve just started being able to sign up for timeslots at the pool and for two happy hours, life feels so “normal!” My three-year-old asks every other day when we can go to the zoo, so we are very excited that it’s reopening this week.

Go-to at-home workout? I live for in-studio yoga classes, but I’ve gotten used to the convenience of doing them online at home on my schedule. I’m excited that Refresh Yoga offers an amazing 6:30am flow class by the river…it’s hard to top yoga outdoors with the sun rising. 

To learn more about Maura and Monday's Child, visit mondayschildclassics.com and follow Monday's Child on Instagram.