Blabla: A word that seemingly means nothing. But to others, it's an entire world of whimsy, inspiration, and laughter. This is the blabla that exists right here in Atlanta, hidden in the backstreets of Virginia Highland. Their well-loved children’s line is distributed to boutiques all over the world; their hand-knitted dolls have been featured in the pages of ELLE Decor, People, and on TV thanks to Kia Sorrento’s Superbowl ad (follow Mr. X’s adventures here). Yet only few know that the blabla calls Atlanta home. Blabla l’atelier (which, in French, means “workshop”) is the only standing blabla store in the world and their design studio. They test out all their prototypes - dolls, hats, backpacks, t-shirts, finger puppets, rattles, and knitted mobiles - and visiting little fans become toy testers and mini clothes models.

Scout Notes: It doesn’t matter how old you are. Or if you have kids or not. When you walk in here, you can’t help but be swept up in the whimsical world of blabla. The elaborate window displays, the tinkling music, all the colorful characters will melt any size heart. And even if personalities like 'Squirrelly McNutt' don’t make you want to reach out and hug somebody, the story behind these dolls surely will.

French designer Florence Wetterwald and business partner Susan Pritchett started blabla after a trip to Peru. They came across entire villages of expert knitters passing down generations of traditions in hand-stitched panchos, sweaters, cardigans and, with leftover materials, finger puppets for the village children. With Florence’s background in art and design and Susan’s passion for family values, they put their own spin on the Peruvian puppet tradition, creating playful designs and passing the knitting part on to these expert villagers. What they created is now a cross-culture world of dolls, backpacks, knitted mobiles, and blankets. They use natural fibers of exceptional quality grown in Peru, which explains why all these little friends are so incredibly cuddly. They look fresh and new, but feel as if they’ve been passed through the clutches of many loving hands. Which is exactly why kids and parents immediately fall in love.

Susan and Florence say the whole reason they opened their studio-front store here in Atlanta was to share the blabla world with the community. It’s also, as Florence says, “just for fun”. And they seem to have a lot of that - their family-friendly events like 'Pancakes and Pajamas' bring in parents and kids to eat, do crafts, and listen to recitals put on by the next-door Eclectic Music School . So while the design team draws their inspiration from children and cultures all over the world, this is where blabla creations take on a whole new meaning. This magical workshop is where blabla's best customers turn the hand-made creations into real-life companions.