Bambi Baby opening larger Melville location this winter
The current Bambi Baby store in Melville will shutter when the store's new, larger location opens. Credit: Bambi Baby
Bambi Baby is growing up.
The family-owned store catering to expectant and first-time parents has outgrown its location 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.”
So, like a baby moving from onesies into toddler-size clothing, the store is moving just down the road to a bigger location. It’s taking over the former Ace Hardware store in Melville, going from a 14-car parking lot to a 140-car lot and growing from 6,500 square feet to 11,000, Ortega says.
“My target date is a soft opening in mid-December, with official grand opening in mid-January,” Ortega says. “We’re just waiting for signage to come in; we’re pretty much ready to start rolling.”
Both stores will be open until February, 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 current store; in the new store, about 60 sets will be on the floor, he says.
The shop will also expand its product lines, he says. “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.
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.
