Not really into all things cutesy? Got a wild rocker on your hands? Teeny Rockers is where you will find punk, rock and metal gear for newborns to six-year-olds – no cuddly bunnies or pretty pastels here! Teeny Rockers was started in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2017 by Gareth and Dena (self-professed “band geeks”), with the aim of providing a great new range of top quality rock and alternative style children’s clothing and accessories at affordable prices – something they were unable to find when their boys were little. We spoke to Dena to learn more about how they got started.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We are music lovers and keen concert-goers with two young kids. Neither of us are particularly into the standard baby gear that is everywhere, and really enjoyed dressing our children in our favorite band T-shirts and grungy ripped denim when we could find them. We investigated what would be involved in selling the kind of Rock ‘n Roll style we love for kids, and ideas for our brand and store grew from there. We figured we couldn’t be the only ones that weren’t into fluffy bunnies and cute pastels.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Slowly 🙂 From the time we did our research, tested products and found suppliers, to getting domain names and setting up a website, was around seven months. Finding reliable suppliers we could trust proved more difficult than we expected. We put in a massive amount of work before launching to make sure everything we sell is at the level of quality that we would expect for ourselves. If we wouldn’t be happy for our own kids to have it, then we wouldn’t sell it. Our first products when the store opened were our very cool, not cutesy baby swaddle blankets. Next came the licensed band merchandise, and the rest has grown from there.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
We try to do a lot of the business things after the kids are in bed (or while they’re watching Paw Patrol), but other times they help us out as models! Running a business is extremely time-consuming and it can be a tricky balancing act to make time for that and the kids and the pets and everything else in our lives. But at the end of the day, it all works out and we always make sure to remember that family comes first. If we didn’t have a family, we wouldn’t be doing this.
