Keeping it in the Family

By Maureen O'Connell/ Staff Writer
Thursday, September 15, 2005

Long after the store closed, as Concord Center shut down, two little girls used to stand in the windows of their parents' store, pretending to model the latest fashions as mom and dad did the books, took inventory and all those things small business owners do.

Now, those two little girls are all grown up, and this week, they'll take the reigns of that same store.

Louisa Yamartino and Karen Stout will be the third generation of the Kussin family to run Kussin's - The Children's Shop. After a combined 70 years of work at the store, their parents, William "Fritz" and Georgine "Gigi" Kussin will retire.

Along with that passing will come a name change. Last week, the Kussin's sign was taken down, and one reading "Fritz and Gigi's" went up this week.

Yamartino said she and her sister aren't scared of changing the name of a Concord institution, but instead, look at it as a great way to honor their parents.

"When we tell people about the new name, everyone smiles," said Yamartino, who lives in West Concord with her family.

Stout, also a Concord resident continued, "Growing up, we always thought they were funny names...and the new name has a much lighter feel."

Fritz Kussin, who is looking forward to his retirement, said he's been impressed with the energy and new life his daughters have brought into the store during the last few weeks - including the new name.

"Kussins is a tough one," said Fritz. Customers often had trouble correctly saying the name, "Kew-sin" and when they would call information or talk about the store, they'd refer to it as "Cuss-ins."

Of course, this isn't the first time in the history of the store that the children's clothing store has seen a name change. It was first called just "The Children's Shop" when it was opened by Fritz's mother in 1938. In the 1960s, the family name was added to the business, and it has remained that way until now.

The new name, Fritz said, "Is something a little more catchy and a lot more ponderous."

The name is just one of the changes the two women have helped implement over the last several months. The store's exterior, long painted dark colors, was painted a fresh, spring-like yellow. The interior was completely renovated for the first time since 1978, giving the store more open floor space, better lighting and new carpeting.

"I feel sort of reborn by their youth and ideas," said Fritz. "When you live with something as long as Gigi and I have, you don't see things anymore."

He continued, "Everything they've suggested has been right on target."

Taking on the family business

Back when they were posing as mannequins in the store windows, Yamartino and Stout said they never thought they'd one day be running the store. Though Kussin's was a second home to them during their younger years, neither woman looked to a career in retail. Stout managed Kussin's former Wellesley store for a time, but then started her own career in interior design. Yamartino took the corporate route, before beginning her own business, Mike and Lou, in West Concord.

In the past year, Fritz and Gigi have made some changes and started thinking smaller. They sold their Elm Street home and moved to Concord Greene earlier this year, and as for the business, Fritz said, "I'm ready to get out."

Because the family is so close, Fritz said he, Gigi and their three children sat down and talked about what would happen to the store when the couple retired. Closing the Concord institution was a real possibility, he said.

"But as we began to talk, I think it came across that there was something we could do," said Yamartino. "How many people get the chance to work for an establishment that has such a long-standing reputation?"

The two women talked about it, and at first, the plan was for them to step in for a couple of years to help their parents have a much-deserved retirement.

"This was definitely a new road for Louisa and I," said Stout. "And I said I would only do it if my sister did it with me. She's got a good business sense. I'm the artistic one."

As the two women got into the store, their father said, "They're not shy violets. They grabbed a hold of things."

Because they grew up in the store, said Gigi, the women know the incredible amount of work it takes to run the family business.

"We've never golfed or played tennis or anything," said Gigi. "The girls know this."

Yamartino said it wasn't the thought of Kussin's no longer being in business that scared her about her father's retirement, but the idea of losing another piece of the Concord Center she grew up with.

"I realized that if I want a Concord Center, I have to support it," said Yamartino. When she moved to West Concord, she said, she realized the big chain stores may sometimes offer more of a selection, but staying in town to shop was worth it. "Maybe I don't need to go to Target for X, Y and Z. I can come here."

Appealing to the next generation

Keeping Concord Center as a place to shop for a new generation of Concordians is the primary reason for the store's new look and name.

"Mom's today are looking for practical, well-made, affordable clothing," said Stout. The store will expand the children's clothing lines of Zutano and Mulberribush, while continuing to carry best sellers such as Catamini, Lilly Pulitzer, Hartstrings, K.C. Parker and Le Top. For the first time in the store's history, it will carry shoes - something Fritz said customers have been asking for for years.

"I think Fritz and I were just unable - or unwilling - to be getting up and down to fit (the children's) feet," said Gigi with a smile.

Shoe brands now available at Fritz and Gigi's are Ralph Lauren, Jumping Jacks and Mulberribush.

Yamartino hopes to offer fashion shows, a baby gift registry and trunk shows for infant to teen clothing.

Looking back...and ahead

While the new look, new brands and new inventory brings new faces into the store everyday, Yamartino said loyal customers have come into Kussin's recently, remarking on the new look, sharing stories and reminiscing.

Gigi recalls a loyal customer bringing her grandson into the store last year in a snowsuit purchased from Kussin's more than 30 years ago for the child's father.

"I think that's something you can't replace," said Yamartino.

Though both admit it may be a bit before they are completely retired from the store, Fritz and Gigi said they will look back on their days at the store fondly.

"We've made very dear friends through the store over the years," said Fritz. "If they've never bought another thing, it was still great to have them as friends." ?

2006 Readers Choice Reward

Voted Best Children's Clothing Store 2007 by readers of Community Newspaper Company.

Copyright Boston Herald Library Nov 16, 2006

Fritz & Gigi's is well-stocked with some of the best brands, appealingly displayed in the rooms of an historic home in a popular shopping district.

But this is not what has enabled the Concord children's shop to survive through three generations over six decades.

"I believe that a lot of our success is that we give a lot to the community and the community in turn gives a lot back to us," said Louisa Yamartino, who now runs the shop with her sister Karen Stout.

The owners are and always have been involved in the community, serving on boards, helping to raise funds for local organizations and even loaning out the front lawn. Their dedication was recognized this year with a Community Service Award from the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

The store was originally opened in 1938 by Yamartino's grandmother, Louisa Alcott Kussin, a descendant of "Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott.

She passed the store to her son, Fritz and his wife, Gigi. They ran it as Kussin's Inc. - The Concord Children's Shop.

Fritz Kussin is as dedicated to his community as he is to the store. He's been on many committees and even served as head of the Chamber of Commerce. This year, he was named Concord's Honored Citizen, which includes citations from the Legislature and the honor of leading parades.

Yamartino and her sister took over the store last year. They renamed it Fritz & Gigi's in honor of their parents. But little else changed.

Some traditions, however, are hard to follow. The sisters have young children and less time than their father to sit on committees. Still, they feel it's important to stay connected and have found other ways to do so.