Photographer moves from behind the camera to behind the counter at children’s boutique.
Amid ballerina skirts and knit puppy booties, the miniature play ferry is right at home.
Toy cars offload onto a wooden dock in the corner of the Candyland-like store in yellow, pink and green pastels.
A photographer by trade, proprietor Karin Lehotsky used to frequent boutiques of children’s clothing to find props for her diminutive subjects.
She opened Lollipops – A Children’s Boutique next to Grace and Company Paperie in April.
“I bought clothes from stores like this,” Lehotsky said. “I could never look enough.
The store is a natural extension of her well-established career photographing for children’s boutiques, families, weddings and other events.
“I love my store here,” she said. “If I had stayed in California, I would have opened one there.”
Although new to retail clothing, Lehotsky is expert at selecting outfits for kids. Lollipops carries a range of clothing for children from infancy to 14 years old, offering everything from fancy dresses to everyday shirts and pants.
Baby-soft, plush blankets sit on pink pastel shelves by bath products and going-to-hospital kits for moms-to-be.
“We’re trying to carry everyday wear along with special things and gift things,” she said, encouraging customers to tell her what they need.
The idea for a children’s clothing store was sparked during a period of upheaval for Lehotsky.
The photographer moved to Bainbridge Island from California last July looking for a better quality of life and slower pace for her three sons, ages 8, 7 and 4.
Lehotsky’s parents were making plans to relocate as well, when her father died suddenly in January.
Around the same time, the manager of Lollipops in California, who was moving to Hawaii, asked her to take over the store. Lehotsky seized the chance to fulfill a love while working through her loss by bringing the store to Bainbridge.
“I’m not here to make money,” Lehotsky said. “It’s just because I want to be involved with the community, and this and photography is what I love to do.
“It’s a make-me-feel-good place.”
The store has also served as a way for her to get involved with her new community. To create the look of the new business, Lehotsky turned to local artists: Decorator Melissa Anderson designed the store interior and Martha Jordan custom-painted the furniture.
Although she’s branched out into the clothing business, Lehotsky continues her work as a photographer, situating her studio upstairs from the new store. At Lollipops’ grand opening, she had an Easter photo shoot for kids with live baby bunnies.
Behind the camera, she says, her style is “journalistic, more candid and expressive, catching the moment.”
Conducting her photo sessions more like a “playdate/photo shoot” than a studio sitting, Lehotsky may allow her subjects to wander outside, “letting the kids show me who they really are,” she said.
“Time’s not a big deal. I shoot until I think I’ve got it.”
