the foundation of high self-esteem

In 2017, Little Muffincakes Baby Boutique was born. A character-based brand established to bring high quality, wide-ranging children's merchandise and apparel into the marketplace. Their brand seeks to reflect the diversity and beauty of children, and strives to offer a more inclusive assortment through unique character art.

“Our mission is to establish building blocks for acceptance and inclusion in the market, while promoting self-esteem and pride within our children,” says CEO and Founder Debra Raney to BLK OCEANS. 

The brand started after many shopping trips revealed a disturbing truth: after all of these years, there was still a lack of representation in the marketplace for brown children. After walking the aisles in many baby departments in 2016, not seeing brown characters, black-owned brands or even brown children on packaging was the last straw. Raney knew she had to be the change she wanted to see. After 10 months of research, product development, and without a background in retail she launched her brand.

"I knew I found my passion when I didn't care about the brand paying me. I show up everyday in some way for Little Muffincakes and after more than three years I still have the same level of excitement. How blessed I am to provide such amazing products for the next generation and I get to service my community with outstanding customer service. After waiting all this time for representation, I want to give them my best,” says Raney. 

Today, the online shop features apparel, greeting cards, wrap blankets, snap bibs and more, all decorated with beautiful, brown faces and empowering messages. The Black Girl Magic gift set is filled with goodies and heartwarming sentiments, “Little black girls are made of sparkles and magic. The Black Girl Magic Collection encourages your Little Muffincakes to be fierce and confident, just like the magical women that came before them.”

Keep up with Little Muffincakes’ journey by following them on Instagram.