March 20, 2019

A single dad in Hartford has started a store with clothing and more for fathers.

Lilly & Co. sells items such as T-shirts, men’s accessories, onesies for babies and children’s books celebrating dads and grandpas. The merchandise is available online at lillyncompany.com and at Stomping Grounds, the Hartford coffee shop and restaurant that Lilly & Co. founder Rob Davis manages.

“Everything is targeted toward mothers, and we thought about doing something different,” said Davis, whose business partner is Justin Eich, who owns Stomping Grounds.

The business is named after Davis’ daughter, Lilly, who is 3.

“The first two years I was like, gosh, is there a place for dads to go? Everything is mother and mother.”

The merchandise has taken over part of the seating area at Stomping Grounds.

“I’m trying to get a little bit of everything,” Davis said. A shipment of ties arrived last week.

He hopes the business grows to the point of having its own storefront, “maybe even in Sioux Falls.”