About Us

We opened our doors to Portland families in 1974 and have been helping to raise readers ever since! A Children’s Place has been through many changes over the past decades: expansions, contractions, and relocations, but we've still got the same passion and community mindset as when Lynn Kelly and Jan Bruton started up in a small store front on Broadway fifty years ago. We have many parents who remember coming in when they were kids!

Since the time that Lynn and Jan opened A Children's Place, the store has been through several owners. In 2024, Kira and Ariel became the next generation of caretakers. Both born and raised in Portland, Ariel and Kira have long histories with the store and each other. Friends since high school, Kira started working at A Children’s Place right out of college, and Ariel joined a few years later. Now, as parents with young readers themselves, Kira and Ariel (and their families) are thrilled to keep this Portland treasure alive and committed to raising readers for another fifty years! 

​

Throughout the years, we have always been motivated to inspire a love of reading while building community and creating enduring connections.