Where: Cherry Creek North

Go For: Customizable furniture for your nursery or kids’ rooms and unique gifts for both mom and baby.

5280 Pick: This 24-by-18-inch U.S. map pulls double duty as a cute decoration and a learning tool—plus, in a world of gender-stereotypical pink ballerinas and swarthy pirates, it’s a perfect fit for a boy or a girl. $119

With the kids back at school for the year, there’s no better time than September to take advantage of vacated rooms and redecorate. Firefly Furnishings has been a go-to kids’ furniture spot in Cherry Creek for decades, and it’s better than ever under the new ownership of Abby and Craig Clark. The husband-and-wife team, who bought Firefly in March 2014, bring insider knowledge on what kids like, courtesy of their four young children. The key word at their store? Personalization. Practically every item at Firefly has some element you can customize, whether it’s the material the crib is made of, the colors of the sheet sets and bed skirts, the artwork for the walls, or the fabric for the nursery armchair. Finish off your kid’s room (or get a head start on Christmas shopping) with selections from the store’s expertly curated soft goods. Gift items range from magnetized onesies to corduroy elephants so snuggly you may want to keep one for yourself. After visiting the pint-size wonderland, we chatted with Abby about the business of making nursery dreams come true.

5280: How did you come to own Firefly?

Abby Clark: Craig runs pillows.com, and he was looking for a store that had furniture and bedding because lots of suppliers really want to see a brick-and-mortar store to accompany an online store. [Firefly] was a good fit for us—it’s in a great area, and it had been established for a while. When we found this, I was pregnant with our fourth child. Everyone asked, “Oh, did you buy a baby store because you were pregnant?” No! We definitely did not.

How have your children impacted your work at Firefly?

My kids are just starting to go back to school—our youngest is going to preschool now—and I’m focusing on new products. We’re trying to make it more of a children’s store, rather than just a nursery store, with products that appeal to older kids. In doing that, we can say, “Our kids are really into this particular brand,” and look at stocking that because we can see that kids like it. One of our daughters has special needs, and she’s really drawn to nursery toys and items that you can play with and engage with. Looking at what she likes is a great way to tell, among the nursery items out there, what’s really good.

As a furniture store, how do you appeal to shoppers like grandparents or aunts and uncles who would be interested in smaller items?

That’s where we’re going to be focusing in the coming months. People come in looking for a crib or a big furniture item, see our other stuff, and pick that up, too, and we could use more of that. Grandparents do come in looking for a cute item for their new grandchild or for a grandchild-to-be. Furniture is what Firefly is known for, but we’re trying to become a one-stop shop.

Why is custom furniture for your nursery a must-have?

The selection is a lot greater than what you’ll find in a big-box store. Whether it’s your first [child] or your fourth, it’s worth it. There are way more options available than I ever thought there were going into it. It’s so much more unique and special for your child than a five-piece set that looks the same. Plus, it’s higher quality. This stuff can last for years and years.

Who is the ideal Firefly parent?

The ideal Firefly parent is someone who’s looking for something. I had a picture in my mind with our most recent child—lots of parents do—of exactly what I wanted for the nursery. People will have a room in mind, from Pinterest, or from a nursery website. Firefly is perfect for someone who has a picture in their mind but hasn’t seen it in a store yet, or has seen bits and pieces of it but not the whole big picture. They haven’t walked into a place and said, “That’s the room I want.” When you come to Firefly, you can tell us what exactly you want, and we can create that.

Shop: Firefly is located at 2445 E. Third Ave., Unit 5; 303-333-4463; fireflykids.com