My Little Factory, newly located on Hapalmah Street, offers high-end, environmentally friendly products for babies, children and mothers.
By YAEL BRYGELMy Little Factory, newly located on Hapalmah Street, offers high-end, environmentally friendly products for babies, children and mothers(photo credit: YAEL BRYGEL)
A modern neighborhood cannot reach its full chic potential without a little help from stores sporting micro-fashion and sustainable toys. Jerusalem’s Katamon neighborhood is living up to such cardinal hipster obligations thanks to My Little Factory, which opened in July on Hapalmah Street.The shop offers a vast collection of high-end and environmentally friendly products for babies, children and mothers. Its brightly lit display-front draws one’s gaze to the colorful interior, filled with children’s clothing, vintage educational posters hanging off a wooden display ladder, baby products, books and knickknacks for adults – items that feel like an indulgence when they’re for us, but always delightful when received as a gift.Business partners Chloe Levy and Anna Hoenel opened My Little Factory three years ago in a relatively hidden courtyard in the German Colony, moving to the split-level location in the hope of attracting more foot traffic. They simultaneously opened a branch in the nearby First Station, which over the period was brimming with activities for children. They draw upon the inimitable French style to which they were accustomed prior to making aliya more than a decade ago, as inspiration for their excellent presentation and careful product selection.The Katamon location has a more intimate, neighborly feel – Levy even lives with her family in an apartment above the store – with an emphasis on personalized packages for newborns and arts activities for new moms (an upcoming session will involve making stylish teething necklaces). Over the years, the two owners have cultivated a network of mothers who connect while having breakfast at the store, listening to sleep experts, or bringing their children in for baby yoga.Levy views My Little Factory as intimately connected to the fabric of the community, actively seeking out local Israeli designers and craftspeople, and creating products in tandem with social initiatives such as SHEKEL’s work-training program for special-needs persons.A mother of two, with a degree in industrial design from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, she says that the impetus behind the business was to “create a community of clients interested in high-quality and aesthetically pleasing products,” which she and Hoenel felt were lacking in Israel.“We are inspired by good aesthetics, the environment, modern design as well as vintage,” she explains.Upon entering the store, one views a large, custom-made lavender doll house that doubles as a bookshelf. Created by a local carpenter, it is the store’s most expensive product at NIS 1,500. Therein lies the challenge: Locally based designs are often expensive, and the Israeli toy market – not to mention the niche green-toy industry – is not sufficiently developed, requiring overseas imports, which come at a price and involve significant bureaucratic obstacles.The store has a balance of products from companies in Israel and abroad, including Green Lullaby, a Caesarea-based manufacturer that offers such furniture as cradles made entirely out of recycled cardboard.Israeli clothing labels are noticeable on the outside stand, including My Little Rainbow and Out to Play. Alternatively, it turns toward American companies such as Green Toys, which makes 100-percent recycled products.“We are still getting to know the market,” details Levy. “The problem is that people have grown so accustomed to the cheap prices of imports from China that they often aren’t willing to pay a little extra and get something that is of better quality.”My Little Factory previously worked with Pastel Toys, a wooden- toy business created by Kishorit – a home for adults with special needs in the Western Galilee. The business closed in 2014. According to its website, market competition from China forced the closure.Levy believes that less is more.“I think that children need fewer toys,” she says. “Durable products that are of better quality will be valued by children rather than thrown to the wayside in exchange for a newer product.”
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