the beginning

Bangles N Bows, now Bowfish, was born in 2013 when our founder, Caitlin Quirk, saw a need in the Ocean City, NJ community for a children’s boutique.

With a background in fashion design, a love for children’s clothes, and a heart for community connection, Caitlin named the store Bangles N’ Bows and opened the first storefront on the boardwalk. We slowly outgrew the name and location, and eventually became Bowfish Kids, located "in the heart of the downtown", on Asbury Avenue.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FAMILIES

A brick and mortar storefront has been important to us since the beginning, allowing us to get to know our customers and engage with the community. From interactive events through Bowfish Studios to personalized style tips, we love meeting and interacting with the people shopping at our store. We also see it as an opportunity to create an engaging storefront – a meeting place where kids can experience the delight of discovery and where adults can find the perfect, sustainable gift for the little one(s) in their lives.

Community

As a way to interact with the community, Caitlin came up with the concept of Bowfish Studios; an imaginative salon that would transform children into mermaids and pirates. It soon grew to offer many different makeovers, events, parties, camps, and salon services. When the world was shut down due to COVID-19, Bowfish Studios partnered with Princess Party Playtime to continue entertaining our community in the comfort of their own homes. After many virtual events and parties, Bowfish Studios was able to open its doors back up in June of 2020. 

Working together

In 2020, Caitilin opened Bowfish's newest venture, Driftspaces. Inspired by community, Driftspaces is south jersey's first Coworking space. With sustainability in mind, driftspaces offers a space for working members of the community that need a fresh creative space, along with a fresh venue for small scale social events. The space has already hosted a number of parties, showers, weddings, dinners, meetings, and more! 

expanding our impact

In 2023, Caitlin became a commissioner on the Ocean City Environmental Commission, where she focused on reducing waste in her community and even began installing compost systems throughout the area. But it never felt like enough. After working in the retail industry for over 13 years and witnessing firsthand the amount of waste it produced, Caitlin felt called to do more. She learned that only 10–20% of donated clothing actually stays in circulation—the rest ends up in landfills. Determined to create another option for people looking to part with unwanted clothes, she launched The Garb Collection. Through this innovative consignment model, people can rent a closet for anywhere from 5 to 60 days and sell their unwanted clothing directly, keeping textiles in circulation and out of landfills.