Photo by Lexi Coon.
Mountain Brook resident Aja Powanda and her mom, Farren Michel, a Greystone resident, opened Mon Ami in February. Their shop offers high-end children’s clothing for area families.
Finding fashion that younger children, parents and grandparents will all be happy with can be challenging, but Aja Powanda and her mother, Farren Michel, are looking to make it easier on the whole family with their children’s boutique, Mon Ami.
Opened in February, Powanda said she wants the store to be inviting and make finding your own style just a little less intimidating for boys and girls sizes six through 16.
Powanda has always had an interest in fashion, and when she lived in New York City, she worked in a high-end children’s boutique. She said it was always a fun atmosphere, whether they were helping shoppers find the right clothes for their or friends’ children — which included celebrities more than once, she said — or doing inventory.
“It was always good energy,” she said.
Powanda and her family moved back to Mountain Brook about three years ago, and she soon started looking for a storefront to call her own.
“It was always in the end game, to open up my own store somewhere, and luckily, we got to do it back in my hometown,” she said. Powanda said she has heard over time parents talk about the need for a boutique children’s clothing store in Mountain Brook, and she’s happy to be open in Crestline.
The added bonus is that her mom gets to be a part of it, she said. Michel, who lives in Greystone, said she’ll be serving as her daughter’s “right arm,” as well as working in the back office. If Powanda needs help, her mom said she will be there. Powanda, meanwhile, will be handling the retail side of Mon Ami, as well as the purchasing and design selections, which she finds all over the world.
Pieces come from markets in Europe, including France and Spain, as well as Brazil, California and New York. Powanda has also been able to work with some designers and have pieces redesigned to fit a different age group.
“I have brought in, I would say, some couture,” she said.
The goal, Powanda said, is to have “what the grandmother wants to buy, what the mom wants to buy and what the child wants to buy.”
The collection of clothing will include a variety of styles, such as nicer athletic wear, dresses and outfits for young girls, as well as blazers, slacks and nice shirts for boys. And Powanda said she’ll be there to help all of her shoppers develop their own style and feel comfortable in what they are wearing.
“She’s not going to be your pastel colors and, ‘Don’t you look cute?,’” Michel said. “She’s going to make the young lady or young man comfortable in that outfit. And if not, then, ‘What can I do to make that more comfortable?’”
Powanda said the name of the business itself means “your friend” in French, and that’s exactly what she wants Mon Ami to be. She wants it to be an inviting place to shop, as if children are going to get dressed with their friends and try new styles, and provide a curated experience.
“Once we get the client as a recurring customer, we’ll know what the kid wants and we can pick things out for them,” she said.
And in the future, Powanda and Michel want to make families happy, both in and around Mountain Brook, and help children create their own style and looks.
“I honestly hope we can give some kids confidence, too,” she said.
Mon Ami is located at 40 Church St. and is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local deliveries are available upon request, too. More can be found under “Mon Ami” on Facebook and @monamibhm on Instagram.
