Moon Lily Boutique

The business grew out of a family trip to the Netherlands, where the owners saw a store that paired a children's hair salon with a boutique and a comfortable spot for parents to sit. Bess, Anna and Sarah brought that idea home and opened the Norwood location when a storefront became available.

Child haircuts are a core service, including first haircuts and sensory-friendly cuts. Caregivers can book a child's appointment and watch from a seating area with Wi-Fi, looking through a Dutch door, while a pretend-play space keeps siblings occupied. Children are not supervised, so caregivers stay on the premises. Accommodations on the online intake form include favorite songs or sounds, sensory toys, and soft body socks worn in place of an apron. Weighted vests, face shields and weighted plush buddies are available at no added cost, though items taken home are charged. Caregivers are asked to fully brush and detangle a child's hair before a regular appointment, extra time for tangles is charged, and heavily matted hair needs a consultation before the visit can be booked. Adults can book their own haircuts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while their children play in the space.

Parties come in two forms. Salon parties run two hours on Saturday mornings for up to ten children aged four and up, and each child chooses one of three styles: a braid, a bun or half-up space buns. Non-salon parties are held on Sunday mornings or afternoons for up to 25 children of any age and include no hair services. Hosts can add a personalized birthday banner, a choice of six themes, a dance party, story time, a movie in the Lily Pad, or specialty crafts, and they may bring their own food and drinks, though alcohol is not permitted. Both party types require a deposit.

Retail is a bookstore at heart, with curated titles for all ages including classics and books by local authors, plus specialty clothing and educational and sensory-friendly toys. Ongoing programs include a caretaker group for parents of children aged two and under, a weekly story time with themes, a sensory-friendly dance party every Saturday morning, and read-alouds, baby group, hair styling lessons and teen study time. Quiet hours offer low lighting and nature sounds in place of music, and sanitized headphones are available for shoppers outside those hours.

The business builds its salon, shop and events around sensory needs and inclusion, with accommodations offered at no added cost and quiet hours set aside for shoppers and clients who prefer a calmer space.

The space pairs a sensory-conscious salon with a bookshop and a Lily Pad event room, with quiet hours offering low lighting and nature sounds.