It was late in the afternoon on July 7, 2004. The motley crew inside the Coolidge Corner store had just about finished stocking the shelves and putting the finishing touches on all the displays. It was time to peel the brown paper off the windows and open the doors.

Within minutes, the store was bustling. We'd built it; people were coming. 

Over the last eight years, we've been busy. We've grown from that one location to five. We've launched a nationally-recognized website, mbeans.com. We've createdDrool, Boston's best expo for expectant and new parents. And none of it would've been possible without our amazing team. We are lucky to have so many incredible, dedicated employees who are always willing to dive in to a new project or test out a new idea. 

But there's another reason we've been able to grow our business: our customers. To all of you who have ever walked out of a Magic Beans store swinging one of our colorful bags, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. We appreciate your business and your referrals more than you'll ever know.

As a way of saying thanks, it's become our tradition to offer a 7% discount on all items in all our stores on 7/7. Come by any of our store locations this Saturday and enjoy great savings, delicious Party Favors cupcakes, meet Elmo and get a snazzy glitter tattoo from a friendly UrbanSitter babysitter. Check out a complete schedule of happenings by store on our website. 

Magic Beans is also hosting 31 Days of Giveaways all month long. There's a new prize every day, and there's more than $13,500 of the best baby gear and toys up for grabs. Enter at mbeans.com/31days!