Our philosophy at Impish is three-fold: the first is that we want to provide our customers with high quality, functional products with a modern twist. We appreciate and sell items that marry high design and innovation with eco-friendly execution. We believe that parents can keep all the style they possessed pre-baby even when they are sleep deprived and covered in spit-up. Secondly, we are educators at heart and are passionate about passing what we've learned on to you. We've logged the hours on the internet, talked to the experts and played with all the gear that shows up in the store, but we get so much more from the lived experiences of being parents and educators in the Pioneer Valley. We've condensed all that we know and chosen our products accordingly but we take it one step further. We actually listen to you and work hard to match the best products to your family's needs. Lastly, community is everything to us. We strive to be an open, accepting and supportive environment for the families in our community. We thank you for all your support and love and we look forward to continuing to be part of this wonderful little town.
The Impish Family
Meg Carlan grew up in New York and spent much of her "grown-up life" in D.C. where she worked at the environmental non-profit, World Wildlife Fund. Meg and her husband Jovan were enticed to Northampton by her sister-in-law and the opportunity to be closer to her family. After having her first bundle of joy Quin, Meg decided she wanted a way to marry her love of babies, good design and her desire to help preserve the planet. She soon met Kate at A Child's Garden, which was conveniently next door to
Unite, Jovan's retail store. The two hit it off and then nine months later Impish was born. With Impish still in its infancy, Meg was blessed once again with another beautiful baby boy, Mateo, who was a constant at Impish for the first year of his life.
As an active parent in the community, Meg enjoys finding quality products (sustainable and organic when possible) to help make parenthood a bit easier in this happy valley and has loved creating an environment in the store that is open, warm and non-judgmental.
Kate Glynn came to Northampton to study at Smith College, where she earned her degree in Child and Family Studies. Upon graduation, she was offered the opportunity to buy impish’s sister store,
A Child’s Garden, and leapt at it. For one thing, she’d always wanted to own a children’s bookstore (and A Child’s Garden has a great selection of children’s literature) and two, she wanted to find work that supported families. Her approach to both stores is to provide much more than gear: Kate hopes to offer resources that can educate families and inspire joyful parenting. In addition to running her businesses, Kate actively participates in her community. A founding member of the NAYP (Northampton Area Young Professionals), she’s an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of many local efforts including a committee that helped bring The Louise Finn Midwifery Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to fruition. Currently, she’s the Vice-Chair of Northampton’s Business Improvement District and is on the Board of the Handmade Toy Alliance.
Will Brideau has lived in Rochester NY, New Orleans, NYC and Milwaukee, but
found his way into Northampton after studying Tibetan Culture, Buddhism and Education at Hampshire College. He loves working at impish because he loves kids...especially his little red-headed daughter Zooey! Will is our resident Dad, and loves helping other Dads (and Moms!) around the store. He enjoys films, drawing, playing music, fine hats, reading Buddhist philosophy, craft beer, military history and cribbage. Will is also Senior Associate next door at
Jackson & Connor, the very best men's clothing store in the valley!
Michaela Schwartz is a senior at Mount Holyoke College self-designing a major in Sexuality Studies with a minor in Anthropology. Michaela grew up in Boston, but since coming to the valley for school has decided she’s never leaving! She comes to impish with a background in childcare, an education in the anthropology of reproduction, and a hope to one day be a mom. When she’s not at impish, you’ll find Michaela cuddling with her cat, Sebastian, thrifting and antiquing, crafting in her basement, or enjoying the great outdoors.
Melody Markel grew up around the world in the U.S., France, and England, but since moving here considers Northampton to be her home. She is a theatre major at Smith College, focusing on lighting design, and taking advantage of electives in almost every discipline. After having both come from and au-paired for attachment parenting oriented families, she is committed to Impish's cause for quality baby gear. Melody loves reading, road trips, spending time in the kitchen, drawing, listening to the radio, and having laughs with her family in Colorado.
