Childrensalon.com

AN ODE TO CHILDRENSALON
From christening gowns to ballet slippers,
Dior to D&G,
We stock it all at Childrensalon,
The highest quality.

For over fifty years,
We're devoted to what we do,
A family-run business,
We're always here for you.

Whether birthday or first communion,
Fancy dress or just a treat,
We'll help you find that perfect gift,
That's good enough to eat.

Perhaps your little 'Titania',
Would like a brand new wand,
To magic up some princely pals,
From the frogs around the pond.

Or what about some Levi jeans?
We all should have a pair,
Perfect for some rough and tumble,
Essential cow-boy wear!

From Charlie & Lola to Babar,
We really stock the best,
Try an Angelina Ballerina apron,
Or a Petit Bateaux Long-john vest.

Please explore our treasure trove,
Of all things sugar and spice,
And don't forget to ask our help,
If you ever need advice!

So, tell your friends you've found a place,
A shop of many pleasures,
A charming, magic, special place,
For your darling little treasures.

WHAT'S OUR STORY?
Our story is actually really interesting... In fact, it would make a good movie! We are one of the few independent high street shops in the UK that has just kept going and going, year in, year out. The world has changed beyond all recognition but 45 High Street, Tunbridge Wells remains resolutely Childrensalon! Department stores come, mega malls are built, yet we continue, quietly busying ourselves with the best selection of designer children's clothes, accessories and gifts to be found anywhere in the world!

What's our secret? Well, that would be telling... that's the point of a secret isn't it! But we can tell you how it all began...

Not long after the second world war, Sybil Harriman was living with her husband, Rene and their children in Vienna, Austria. Rene had been serving with the British forces. Sybil enjoyed craftwork and with time on her hands, began smocking dresses and shirts for her children. Sybil's handiwork soon drew the attention of her discerning Vienesse friends, who, if nothing else, recognised quality when they saw it! ...And so, an idea was born.

Her enterprise started when the Harrimans returned to England. Sybil rented a workshop on Frant Road in Tunbridge Wells and here she began her exclusive range of finest quality children's clothing. These garments, which had attracted so many kind comments in Vienna, were proving to be very popular in Tunbridge Wells... Sybil soon found that demand was outstripping supply and she needed to employ an assistant. When Miss Cullen joined, you could say that Childrensalon really began.

Of course, as we all know, smocking is a time consuming business. It's a craft that requires skill and care. Sybil was becoming frustrated that no matter how hard she worked, no matter how much help she might receive, she was always chasing her tail.

Her Husband, Rene Harriman was now working in London for the Foreign Office. His new role meant he worked with a variety of interesting people, but namely the Enigma code crackers. When Rene put it to these chaps that his wife was struggling with her production process, they helpfully suggested that they might design a machine that automates it for her. During the war, this group of intellectuals made short work of a code that many deemed unbreakable, helping to bring the war to an early end... but the world's first smocking machine? Well, it was a piece of cake! Needless to say, Sybil's output increased dramatically.

Sybil's passion had begun with dressing her children, and so it only seemed right that her own six children, three boys and three girls, would become her very own fashion models. Her eldest daughter, Joy, lent her name to Sybil's exclusive designer range, 'Joy Models'. Today, Joy is a Professor of Theatre at Ohio State University, and we're very proud to say, a Woman Achiever of the Year in the USA.

Besides the clothes collections, early on, Sybil decided to stock the hugely popular range of Amanda Jane dolls. This proved very canny. Now her customers could not only dress their daughters beautifully, but also find them ideal birthday and Christmas presents as well. To this day, women of all ages pop into our shop and fondly recall their very first Amanda Jane doll from Childrensalon...

And so we began to stock more and more exciting, imaginative and inventive children's gifts as well as extending our designer collections. It's a delight to bring something new to the shop, to find something that we know you're going to love...

To be honest, that's our secret. After all this time, we still love doing what we do....

Looking for these wonderful little treasures has become a family tradition.