Sweet Cheeks to move, expand in Delano

WICHITA — A year after opening in Delano, Sweet Cheeks is moving a couple of blocks in order to expand.

“It’s been amazing for us, especially in (this) economy,” says Julie Craft, who owns the mommy-baby boutique.

She’s been at 917 W. Douglas and will double her space later this week when she moves to 722 W. Douglas.

“It will have just a little more retail space, but what we’re really excited about is it will have a lot more space for the events we do,” Craft says.

She has a lot of what she calls mommy meet-ups, cloth diaper swaps, educational classes and art sessions.

Craft says she’s been surprised how much cloth diapers are a part of her business.

“That’s really been a big thing for us,” she says. “Everybody’s going green these days.”

In addition to selling baby carriers and items to support breastfeeding, Craft says she also sells a lot of locally made gifts and clothing.

She says she made the important decision early on not to consign those items but to pay local people for their work.

“We’re invested in them, and they’re invested in us.”

Sweet Cheeks, a store for mothers and their babies, to open in Delano

WICHITA — Julie Craft’s 4-month-old daughter, Maecy, is part of the inspiration for her new retail shop.

Sweet Cheeks, which is opening at 917 W. Douglas in Delano, will be a “mommy-baby boutique,” Craft says.

We’re going to kind of go a little edgier, a little cheeky, so to speak.”

Craft used to be the school nurse for Rainbows United. She was laid off in December.

She also has a couple of online businesses.

Craft can’t always find what she wants for Maecy in Wichita, though, so she’s hoping her shop will appeal to other mothers looking for one-of-a-kind items.

Sweet Cheeks is going into the former Blank Page space, which was an art gallery with a cabaret license.

Craft says she’s doing extensive remodeling.

“We’ve had a lot of challenges with that.”

She hopes to be open in time for Second Saturday (a promotional day of shopping in Delano and Old Town) on Sept. 11. Craft says if she can’t open by then, she expects to open by Oct. 1 at the latest.