I have been on both ends of this situation. My mom opened her first store when I was in 3rd grade and continued it (and expanded) until she passed away almost four years ago. My own kids have also spent time in her stores. You can raise kids around a store, but you shouldn't plan to have them there 100% of the time and expect to be able to run a business.

As a child, we would often walk to the store after school instead of taking the bus home. I enjoyed working in the store, but my sister didn't like to be there at all. We spent many hours in the store, but it would not have been reasonable to expect us to be there ALL the time.

When I had my first baby (he just turned 7), I quit my full time job and worked again for my mom. I spent a lot of time in her store together with my son, but if I was scheduled to work alone, I really needed to have somebody watch him. It is really hard to focus on customers, phone calls and other work, and still give your kids the attention they need. There were times when I would get distracted helping a customer, and my son would wonder off somewhere around the store. By this point, we were in a large mall, and I realized how easy it would be for him to wonder off and get lost, or worse, for someone to walk off with him.

After my mom passed away, I had my second son, then closed her stores (in two malls by then). I started over on my own, but began online with the intention of going back to the mall in a year or two. I realized that focusing on my online boutique made a lot more sense for my family. I could work from home and be with my kids. They could come with me to my warehouse, to the post office, to UPS, etc.

My days are completely flexible because I am not tied to retail business hours. My younger son will start preschool this fall, but only for the hours we feel are best for HIM, not because I need him to go somewhere so I can work. My kids are home in the summer, and we can choose the less-crowded morning swim lessons that regular "working parents" can't make it to. My weekends are mostly free to spend with my family. I always answer the phone, and I'll work on the computer sometimes, but I am not tied down. I don't have to be in a store for the busy weekend days, and nobody expects me to ship until Monday.

I strongly agree with those who have suggested starting an online business while your kids are young. Make sure you do your research and learn how to do it right. There may be a bit of a learning curve, but you are not risking nearly as much money either. Retail is a tough way to make a living, and will rarely make you rich. You may be even better off selling what you KNOW rather than merchandise you have to buy. Whatever you choose, you need to really love what you do to do it well. If you do decide to open a retail store, plan to have employees there most of the time. You will still spend plenty of time in the store yourself, and you can often bring your kids with you, but you should be the back-up as far as actually covering shifts, not the primary salesperson. That's a smarter way to run a business anyway - hire & train well, run the back-end, and spend your time marketing.

As for the person who mentioned the kiosk, I would say, ABSOLUTELY NOT! The kiosks in high-profile malls rent at a much higher rate (relative to space) than inline stores, and are even more difficult to make money with. You have to put all your eggs in one basket with a very limited product offering that has to sell like gangbusters. Putting any ol' teenager at your kiosk is not going to accomplish that for you!

Good luck with your plans. I hope that reading about my experiences helps you make the right decision for your family.

- Kristin