It was the end of the road for the popular Mother Goose Baby wear shop in Kingston last weekend.
After a 31-year history present owners Craig and Allison Wilson have called it a day on the Kingston business which has a statewide customer base with a five-star reputation.
The young couple took over the business in 2010 after deciding to “have a crack”.
It was established in 1995 by George and Wendy Dehan and operated out of Channel Court in Kingston before another move in 2010 before moving up its present site in Westside Circle, seven years later.
The last day was sad for all involved.
There were plenty of tears and hugs.
A stream of past customers came in, many with gifts, to say their last goodbyes.
A couple from Wynard even made their way to say goodbye to Craig and Alison, whom they had formed a friendship with through the business.
After all, this business has left an indelible mark of the Tasmanian community.
“The personalised service Craig and Alson gave to everyone was special,” one customer said.
“You can’t get that at these huge chain stores selling the same stuff.
“It’s not the people working there, it’s just the way they operate. Make more money.”
For Alison and Craig, Mother Goose was more than a job.
“For us, the greatest reward was always the nervous, excited smile of a first-time parent, or the look of love and pride when you brought your new baby back into the store to meet us,” said Alison.
“Throughout our journey, we have been incredibly fortunate to encounter remarkable individuals who have enriched our lives and our business.
“We have had the privilege of employing 15 locals.
“We are proud of our drive for car seat safety, being strong advocates for Extended Rear Facing and best practice car seats, we have installed over 15,000 car seats with free Accredited Fitting.
“And we have received over 600 five-star reviews across Google and Facebook for this service.”
Mother Goose has also been proactive supporting many charities over the years and donations of travel prams for families who have had to travel for medical reasons and many Car Seat Donations for families in need.
The pair have regular jobs to fall back on but no plans future business endeavours.
