This month, we’re taking you to the east coast, where Sheri Gurock and husband Eli, founders of Magic Beans, carry clek products in their three greater Boston retail locations: Brookline, Hingham, and Wellesley, Mass. 

Peddlers of toys, gear and modern nursery furniture, the couple offers a selection of products that reflects both on their own experiences as parents, as well as those of the parents they interact with. The end goal is to help customers understand their best options—and in the process, Sheri has become an expert on child gear, serving as a go-to source for anyone in need of smart safety advice. She also runs the blog, Spilling the Beans. 

During our recent stop in Boston, we sat down with Sheri to get the scoop on all things “cool” in Boston: 

clek: Magic Beans was founded in 2004. What inspired you to launch the stores, Web site and blog?

Sheri: I was inspired to open Magic Beans mostly because I love to shop, and I wanted to create the kind of shopping experience for parents (and kids) that I could not find when I had my first child. That’s why we do things a little differently. Not sure which stroller to buy? Take it out for a walk. Even borrow it for a day or two. Not sure if that booster seat will fit in your car? Let’s take it out to the parking lot and check. Need a place to come and play with your toddler on a rainy day? We’ve got a Playscape in each store that’s all yours – and you can sit there for hours and no one will ever pressure you to buy anything.

clek: Speaking of booster seats, what is it that makes clek olli a standout?

Sheri: There are so many things I love about olli, it is hard to choose just one. But the thing I can say that most encompasses it is the ease of use. Everything about it is easy. It is easy to put into the car and easy to remove. It requires no adjustments, and both my 5 and 7 year olds can buckle themselves in easily, with no parental assistance – especially nice in my minivan, where my clek olli is in the third row. 

clek: Ease of use is definitely an important factor in all clek products. What other child gear trends are you finding grab parent’s attention today?

Sheri: Hot trends right now are customization—adapting your gear to reflect your lifestyle and your personality. clek is right on top of that trend, with lots of colors to choose from. Parents like to have a stroller in their favorite color, but kids LOVE it. It’s especially important to have buy-in from kids with booster seats – it’s the reason why a 7 or 8 year old is still willing to sit in a car seat!

Want to become an official fan of clek? Join us on Facebook, where we’ve created the ultimate clek portal featuring celeb photos, product news, giveaways and real-time updates. Best of all, as a “fan” of clek, you can share your own photos and videos. You’ve met clek—now let us meet you!  

Become one of clek’s first 200 fans and you’ll automatically be entered into a drawing for a free clek olli booster seat!

Visit clek’s Facebook page.

This weekend, we’re hitting the road and heading to Boston for the American Baby and Family Expo. Held at the Seaport World Trade Center (get directions here), the show will run Saturday through Sunday (10 am – 5 pm).

Boston parents: You’re invited to come by and check us out! You’ll see the new olli special-edition Paul Frank designs and get a sneak peek of our new full back booster oobr (coming to stores this summer). You’ll also have the chance to enter our olli giveaway and take a backless booster home with you!

For full details on the event, click here. Hope to see you there!

Here at clek, we pride ourselves on the caliber of boutique retailers that help us get our products into the hands of moms and dads nationwide. This week, we’re checking in with Heather of SmartMomma boutique, located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Heather, a mom who wanted to stay at home with her baby, began SmartMomma as an online resource for women who were—or wanted to become—parents. In 2006, the Web site began offering products for retail, and today, it has its first brick-and-mortar presence in Raleigh. Talk about a success story.

This week, we sat down with Heather to dish on some of the great baby and child gear that’s hitting her shelves:

clek: Let’s start with an easy question—and a shameless plug—what’s your favorite clek product?

Heather: My favorite clek product has got to be the olli Paul Frank Standard Julius. I love Paul Frank patterns. They just look so stylish, and frankly (no pun intended) make any kid happy about getting into his or her car seat. This is the seat for the cool carpool mom.

clek: What are the other hot products at SmartMomma? Any new must-haves or old favorites?

Heather: At SmartMomma, we try to focus on unique products that we believe in. In my opinion, some must-haves are the Luna Lullaby swaddle blankets, Itzbeen Baby Care Timer, and a new-comer for us is the Trumpette 5-pack socks. They are cute socks for 0-12 months that are made to look like Mary Janes or Sneakers.

clek: What’s going on at SmartMomma now? If I live or vacation in Raleigh, what makes SmartMomma worth a stop in?

Heather: Come into our boutique for unique items you can’t find at big box stores. We offer a number of product lines designed for you; whether you are a practical parent, or crave a little bit of fun or luxury. SmartMomma also offers an online baby registry on our site, with in-store pickup option for added convenience. Be assured when you visit SmartMomma, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile and an offer to help you find just the right thing.

We try not to brag too much about clek here on the blog. It’s difficult – really. But a recent article in Cookie Magazine highlighted the convenience factor of olli when renting a car and we had to chime in.

“The clek olli is so portable that I always pack it instead of paying for the booster in rental cars. It uses the LATCH system, so it clicks in easily and securely,” said Dede Hacker of Olympia, Washington.

And, we’ll add, it’s a breeze to tote thanks to the strap-thingy™ carrying strap included. Weighing in at five pounds and covered in protective fabric, the travel-friendly olli also features a cargo-thingy™ pocket that’s ideal for storing MP3s, juice boxes, or crayons.

Where have you taken your clek products? If you snap a photo of your olli en route and send it our way, we just might feature you in an upcoming post!

olli and Julius the Monkey. A perfect match.

Available late this month, limited-edition clek booster seats and clekjackets will feature the trendy designs of Paul Frank Industries. Lovable, wide-mouthed monkey Julius will be the first character to make a splash, appearing on clek’s backless booster olli in two fun designs: Classic Julius and Multiple Choice.

You might think that it can’t possibly get better than that, but it can–clek’s adorable Paul Frank designs are created especially for families-on-the-go and feature Crypton Super Fabrics, with an integrated moisture barrier that protects the seat from bacteria, stains, static and odors. Stylish and convenient. Enough said.

To find a retailer near you, visit www.magnaclek.com.