B:Side Fund Success Story: With a vision rooted in creativity, connection, and community, Brittany and Michael Baron started Marley & Moose to offer families something different. A place where play is intentional, and where childhood development and real-life parenting meet.
Like many small business owners, the path to opening their doors was not simple. The Barons needed clarity, persistence, and the right financial partner to make their dream a reality. With support from B:Side Fund’s $60,000 small business loan for working capital, they were able to turn an idea into a thriving community space.
What inspired you to start your business?
Marley & Moose started from a belief in the power of play, especially unplugged, imaginative play that helps kids slow down, create, and connect. As a mom of four and a teacher, I was constantly looking for a place that brought together thoughtfully curated toys, books, and creative materials that support childhood development and actually works in real life. Families were costantly pulling me aside asking for recommendations because they trusted my instincts. That gap between what I knew families needed and what actually existed locally became impossible to ignore.
As it happened, Mike had just finished his MBA and had been running side ventures for years. I was homeschooling our children at the time, but we were both itching to make a bigger impact. So we bet on ourselves. We couldn’t find that magical community hub that was different from the typical retail experience. So we built it.
How did the loan from B:Side help your business?
The loan from B:Side was instrumental in getting Marley & Moose off the ground. As startup costs began to stack up on credit cards, we were able to consolidate that debt and invest in marketing to meaningfully test different channels. That support helped us build momentum into our first holiday season as a toy store and move forward with much more clarity and confidence.
Working with B:Side specifically changed our approach to partnerships. Prior to B:Side, partnerships were very transactional, which worked for the most part, but could be stressful for mom & pop entrepreneurs in the weeds not knowing if our “partners” had our best interest in mind. Marie from B:SIde was the first person we worked with who actually took a genuine interest in the store and we took notice. For the first time it felt like a true partnership and not just a negotiated business transaction. We could tell she genuinely cared about our business succeeding for the right reasons.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Starting a business takes a lot of courage and persistence. There are constant unknowns, and things rarely go perfectly but having clarity around the core of what you’re building and who you’re building it for gives you something steady to stand on. For us, once that clarity was defined, we were able to make pivots with confidence, trusting that we weren’t losing sight of our north star.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help! Having the right partners and support system can make all the difference in turning an idea into something real.