The Boardwalk Welcomes Bangles N Bows

This story was reported and written by Amanda Cimpeanu.

Quality clothing for children, available on the Ocean City Boardwalk — that was the goal for Caitlin Quirk, owner of the new Bangles N Bows.

Quirk has a bachelor's a degree in fashion design. She grew up in Ocean City, worked at many local businesses and saw few children’s clothing stores in town.

The specialty store features many different items of clothing and accessories for girls from babies to size 14, and boys from babies to size 8.

There are many brands that can be found only in South Jersey at Bangles and Bows, including Isabella and Chloe, Books to Bed and Cue, a brand hand-designed and sewn by Quirk herself. The store sells more specialty clothing than everyday clothes and also sells handmade jewelry, accessories, and tutu bags featured on the TLC hit show "Toddler’s and Tiara’s."

“Ocean City is a good start for me since it is a family town," Quirk says. "There are no child-specific stores on the Boardwalk. Everything is made in the U.S. and has a great quality. If customers are going to spend money on children’s clothing at the shore, it has to be special.”

The store’s brand, Cue, takes up a small section of the store, but Quirk says eventually it will be more prominent.

“It was all hand-sewn at Philadelphia University when I was up there, so I made sure it was good quality. It is hard to find a manufacturer in the U.S. with the right price point. I do not want to lose the quality, but eventually it will be a larger section in the store.”

Upon walking into Bangles and Bows, there are racks of babies clothing that’s perfect for the beach, boys clothing including suits and ties, and girls dresses, bathing suits, and matching outfits. The store also features exclusive items like a hairbrush for girls that get out knots without the pain, and a special molding kit called Peace of the Beach.

Another great item in the store is “Books to Bed.” Popular stories like "Goodnight Moon" and "Ladybug Girl" are paired with matching pajamas, which make for a great gift.

A new item to the store is “Blackbear The Pirate.” The interactive story is read aloud with the help of a smartphone or tablet application, and is kid-friendly.

“I love to work with locals, too," Quirk said. "We have earrings handmade from designer Rachel Raskolb, and will be getting some more local designers in the store, too. I am always looking for suggestions and unique stuff.”

Bangles and Bows is located at 13th Street and Boardwalk, next to Johnson’s Popcorn and is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. After the season, it will be open weekends through Christmas. At the end of July, fall clothing will appear and coming soon a full online e-commerce store (banglesbows.com). You can also find the store on Facebook and Twitter.