Hot Mama to Open in South Barrington

Seven years ago, Megan Tamte was so convinced that moms wanted designer clothing with unparalleled service that she and her husband, Michael Tamte, opened their first Hot Mama store in Edina, Minnesota.  Today, Hot Mama has 22 stores in eight states.  Each year Hot Mama receives hundreds of customer requests to add a Hot Mama store in cities across the United States—which affirms the founding couple’s belief that the U.S. is filled with hot mamas.

Hot Mama signed a lease, Jan. 26, to open a store this spring at The Arboretum in South Barrington.  Megan and Michael were attracted to The Arboretum’s surrounding demographic of Hot Mama’s core customer of fashion forward moms.  This will be Hot Mama’s seventh store in the Chicago metro. The company is targeting an opening for mid-May.

Megan and Michael have assembled a team of 300 uniquely trained employees, who are committed to the company’s core purpose of empowering moms through its merchandise, store layout, and interactions. 

Hot Mama and its companion website, shopmama.com, have been noted in magazines such as InStyle, Real Simple, Self, Pregnancy & Newborn, People StyleWatch, Fast Company, and Shopping Center Today.  In the past few years Hot Mama won critical praise, evidenced by its selection in “Top of the Town” by Denver’s 5280 magazine, “Best of Cincinnati” by Cincinnati magazine, “Best of Grand Rapids” by Grand Rapids magazine, and “Best of the Twin Cities” by Minnesota Monthly magazine.

Hot Mama was created to be an upscale boutique that is a fashion resource for moms by offering contemporary designer clothing and premium denim that fits a mom’s age and lifestyle.  Within its “mom” niche, Hot Mama focuses primarily on a customer who wants to stay current in fashion, parenting, and lifestyle.  Michael Tamte estimates the domestic “designer mom” apparel market to be worth over $15 billion a year, comprising of hip moms between the ages of 25 to 50.  

In a recent survey, Hot Mama found that half of its customers were in their 30s while 40 percent were 40 years old or older.  With a typical store’s average footprint of 2,500 square feet, Hot Mama can add multiple locations within a metropolitan area to provide more convenience to busy moms and a less overwhelming shopping experience.

Hot Mama’s sales have more than doubled the past two years.  With surging sales Hot Mama continues to be in expansionary mode.  In 2012 the company plans to open eight stores, all from operational cash flow.  Besides its current stores in Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, the company recently signed leases to open stores in Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Oakland County, MI.

This news release was provided by Hot Mama.