Ali Wing was about to launch her business, a baby-goods store called Giggle, when she became pregnant—unexpectedly—with her first child. She and her husband, Will Holmes, came up with a plan: Wing would keep working while Holmes, a lawyer, would leave his job to become a full-time dad and part-time general counsel to Giggle. "We called his practice Naptime LLC," she says. Six years later, the arrangement is still in effect. "I do envy Will his role at times," says Wing, who is as a rule home by 7 P.M. for dinner and time with their son, Tyler, now 5. "I remind myself: I chose this, I chose this."
The decision to stick with her business was one part emotional, one part practical. "Everyone's different, but I always knew I'd be a better, less controlling mother if I was working," says Wing, a self-described workaholic who had been a brand marketer for Nike. Plus, she was sure Giggle would be a success. She had been consulting for a retailer of allergen-free products aimed at parents when she got intrigued by the children's market. "The choices can be overwhelming for new families," she says. "I wanted to open a place that made it easier for them, not by offering everything out there but by offering the best of everything." Her first shop, in San Francisco, established the Giggle concept, with its pared-down, hyperorganized selection of modern furniture and gear. Over the past five years, Wing has added eight more locations across the country.
Though Giggle is known for its high design quotient, Wing herself holds each and every product it sells to a rigorous utility standard, with an emphasis on eco-friendly and space-saving solutions. Her thoughtfulness extends to the in-store experience as well—for example, stroller valets have been introduced at each shop. And last year, she wrote The Giggle Guide to Baby Gear (Chronicle), which provides checklists to help parents determine the right products for their lifestyle. (Sample advice: Start out with just the bare basics, like the car seat and the crib. "Anything else you can worry about later, after you've gotten your feet back under you," Wing writes.)
Even before opening Giggle and becoming a mom, Wing had spent a lot of time around children. Originally from Bozeman, Montana, she is the third of nine kids—she has three biological sisters, plus five adopted siblings from the U.S., Korea, Colombia, and Vietnam. Wing's father, an accountant who died in 2004, was active in the community; her mother worked at an adoption agency. "My parents weren't thinking they could solve world crises," she says. "They just kept opening their arms."
Following her parents' lead, Wing has become an avid philanthropist. She's on the board of the New York Center for Children, which aids abuse victims, and is the executive director of the Tecumseh Foundation, a group founded by her father that awards education grants to kids. She also oversees the Give Giggle Back program: Shoppers return used Giggle products, which are then donated to families in need. How does she fit it all in? She laughs. "I should sleep more than I do," she says.
Next Page: Wing's Proudest Moments and more
