Yummi Mummi

As previously mentioned, friends are becoming parents, one of the scariest steps I could quite possibly think of in the world ever. Seriously I exaggerate not. I have no maternal bone nor instinct and whilst I wish warmth and happiness upon my friends and their newly expanding uteruses I share not the understanding to become a parent and have all that responsibility. I will however shoulder some of the shopping responsibility as any good friend would. And I swear we’ve done them all over the past few months, Yummi Mummi, Mother Care, Mammas and Pappas, Harriet’s Dragon, The Baby Shop and many many more. Yummi Mummi makes me shove my finger in my mouth and fake vomit at the name, but where it scores points is content. On first approach it looks like a pink themed charity shop. I kid you not. A hot pink lumping in of all things mother and baby that on first glance is missed entirely due to the charity shop vibe, but should not be overlooked, because, well it’s really rather charming.
If this store was an article it would be a puff piece and not a hard hitting editorial. There is a tonne of stuff in here with not a lot of substance and real worth. There is however plenty of novelty items and items for when the unborn kidlet is born and grown a bit that you can praise them with masterpiece of the week and thinks like that, there are the now ubiquitous cuddly toys, a few cute type household items, more felt bags than you know what to do with. A nice break from the seriousness of pregnancy with some baby items you would feel safe keeping your child in, but overall I wasn’t entirely smitten. Good for the mums but for the babies, somewhere like Harriet’s Dragon is pretty awesome.

At the moment quite a few of my friends have been having babies which means I find myself having to buy quite a few presents for baby showers and to cheer up exhausted new mummies. On one of these occasions I decided to venture into Yummi Mummi in the hope of finding something sweet, special and not to expensive to give to a friend. I could have spent hours looking at the nick knacks, cushions, decorations, bags and cuddly toys on offer. There is a huge range for such a small place and it’s the perfect place to buy a gifts.

Given that Yummi Mummi’s website hasn’t yet adjusted their postal address, and judging from the sign in their window, I think that it is a brand new edition to Moortown Corner. And this is certainly no bad thing, that’s for sure.
Although I really dislike that particular phrase, ‘yummy mummy’ (a bit too cutesy and edible, and almost a patronising way of complimenting women) there is nothing to dislike about the shop itself. In fairness too, the shop name is perfectly adequate to describe what you can expect within. It is a unique concept boutique, which aims to provide mothers with comfortable and fashionable attractive night wear and accessories.
Inside you will find all kinds of delightful items, from jewellery to handbags to clothing to accessories, in a beautifully thought out and specially design collection. It’s clear from their designs, and from their website, that a lot of passion, creativity and tireless work has gone into making their boutique what it is! Not everything there is to my taste, but these things are always ‘each to their own’, and I can’t actually flaw the product within. From hand made leather brooches, to cute floral reusable PVC bags, to fabric cupcake pin cushions — everything is quirky and delightful!
Just reading their ethos on the website is enough to make you fall in love with their work. It seems their aim is to try to change the attitude that once women become mothers they cease to exist sexually, aesthetically and in terms of femininity — a very flawed and painful attitude that continues to rob mothers of their confidence and self worth today. For that alone these guys deserve one hundred stars! They also do yearly charity work, which for an indie shop is truly great (as we all know how indie shops must struggle themselves!) and they even have some great quotes from strong women on their site. All in all, this is a business that will grow and grow, and I look forward to watching this space!