THE VILLAGER BLOOR WEST-JUNCTION-RONCESVALLES
Baby stuff rental biz catching on
Oct. 5, 2006

Michelle Thoms was a teacher in New York two and a half years ago when her daughter was born. But she would visit her folks often back in Toronto with baby in tow.

"My mom would always scramble to find the bare minimum," Thoms said. She would borrow a playpen from a neighbour or an old stroller - "those kinds of things," she recalled. That's when Thoms began thinking about starting her own online rental service for baby and toddler gear.

"No one goes to a hotel that is worse than the home they live in - generally. I wanted to start a company that rented the kind of stuff I would buy," she said.

It wasn't until she moved back to Toronto in October 2005 that she began seriously considering starting up her own business.
Go Go Baby was born in March, but not before some extensive research. While baby equipment rental is popular in the U.S., it has yet to catch on in Canada.

"Being in New York really introduced me to what's hot. It's the Mecca for babies there," Thoms, a Dufferin Street resident, said. "I used to walk near Central Park and check out the strollers. Popular brands like Bugaboo and McLaren's, both names that Thoms carries, are less expensive in the States.
"I've likened the stay-at-home mom's stroller to the working dad's car. It's a status symbol," she said.

Thoms has already been mentioned in such publications as Today's Parent and The Little Paper Parents. "If you're hosting visitors with small kids," read Today's Parent, "you don't need to worry about the paraphernalia."

Items for rent include cribs, high chairs, strollers car seats and toys.
Although Thoms' maternal instinct took a while to kick in - she says she was never one to play with dolls as a kid, she felt empowered after giving birth.
"When I was ready to go back into the working world, I felt like I could do anything," she said.

Generally, her clients find her online. What sets her apart from other similar businesses is that Thoms delivers and she only purchases new equipment. "I don't go around to garage sales or second hand stores. It's so I know how long (the equipment's) been used."

'Bring the baby, not the stuff,' is the slogan she and her husband and a couple of friends came up with over a bottle of wine one evening.

"I'm getting a lot of people on business whose partners come to visit with the baby," Thoms said.

For further details, visit www.gogoBaby.ca