Great Expectations

Marshall Field's will open seven Mimi Maternity and two Motherhood Maternity specialty boutiques in its department stores this spring.

This expansion of maternity fashions at Marshall Field's is based on the success of the first Mimi Maternity boutique in Marshall Field's flagship store on State Street in Chicago. It also marks a significant expansion for the Mimi Maternity brand in the Midwest.

“Mimi Maternity's success in Marshall Field's State Street store proved to us there is a large — and currently under-served — audience for trendy, fun and affordable maternity clothes,” says Martha Archer, director of partner businesses for Marshall Field's. “The woman who enjoys the quality and customer service of the Marshall Field's shopping experience will come to expect the same great treatment from Mimi when she's expecting.”

The new Mimi and Motherhood boutiques will average 700 to 1,500 square feet each. In coming weeks, Mimi shops will open in the following Field's locales: Northbrook Court in Northbrook, Ill.; Lakeside and Oakland Malls in Michigan; downtown Minneapolis; Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio; Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills, Ill.; and Summit Place Mall in Pontiac, Mich. Motherhood shops are slated for the following Field's locales: Fox River Mall in Appleton, Wis., and Fox Valley Center in Aurora, Ill.

“It was Marshall Field himself who coined the phrase 'Give the lady what she wants,'” says Rebecca Matthias, founder and coo of Mimi Maternity and Motherhood Maternity's parent company, Mothers Work Inc. (Philadelphia). “At Mimi and Motherhood, we turn that motto into action by providing our customer the wardrobe she needs to look as fabulous during pregnancy as she did before. And what woman doesn't want that?”

Marshall Field's is part of Target Corp. (Minneapolis) and operates 64 stores in eight states. Mimi Maternity owns and operates 115 upscale boutiques across the country, while Motherhood Maternity operates more than 700 locations across North America.