Kiddie Kandids was a popular chain of children's portrait studios, primarily located within Sears and Babies 'R' Us retail stores across the United States and Canada. It specialized in capturing candid and traditional photographs of infants, toddlers, and young children. Acquired by CPI Corp. in 1998, Kiddie Kandids became a significant part of CPI's portrait studio operations. The company, along with its parent CPI Corp., faced financial difficulties in the early 2010s, leading to widespread studio closures and the eventual bankruptcy of CPI Corp. around March 2013, which marked the end of Kiddie Kandids' operations.
Served as the central management and administrative hub for Kiddie Kandids operations under CPI Corp., overseeing studio management, marketing, finance, human resources, and overall strategy for the portrait studio chain.
The headquarters was housed in a corporate office building within St. Louis's historic garment district. No specific architectural highlights unique to Kiddie Kandids' branding were noted, as it was the parent company's office.
The work culture at the CPI Corp. headquarters, which managed Kiddie Kandids, would have likely been a corporate environment focused on retail operations, sales performance, customer service standards, and efficient management of a large, distributed network of studio employees. Emphasis would have been on brand consistency and profitability.
The St. Louis headquarters was crucial for the centralized command and control of the extensive Kiddie Kandids studio network across North America, enabling standardized practices, national marketing campaigns, and operational support.
Kiddie Kandids primarily operated portrait studios within retail stores across the United States. It also established a notable presence in Canada through partnerships, particularly with Sears Canada. Its operations were predominantly concentrated in North America, focusing on leveraging foot traffic in major retail chains.
1706 Washington Ave
St. Louis
MO
USA
Address: Located within host retail stores (e.g., Sears, Babies 'R' Us, Kmart at various times)
To offer convenient, accessible, and affordable professional children's photography services to shoppers in high-traffic retail environments across different U.S. regions.
Address: Located within host retail stores, primarily Sears Canada locations.
Expansion of the Kiddie Kandids photography service model into the Canadian market, leveraging established retail partnerships like Sears Canada.
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As of April 2025, Kiddie Kandids' leadership includes:
Kiddie Kandids has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:
Specific executive news for Kiddie Kandids as a distinct entity in its final 12 months of operation (roughly 2012-2013) is not readily available. Major personnel changes and leadership decisions during this period would have been part of the parent company, CPI Corp.'s financial restructuring efforts and eventual bankruptcy proceedings. The company ceased operations following CPI Corp.'s Chapter 11 filing in March 2013, making 'last 12 months' executive changes largely reflective of the parent company's crisis management.
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As Kiddie Kandids is defunct, active email formats do not exist. During its operation under CPI Corp., corporate communications and employee emails would have likely used CPI Corp.'s domain (e.g., cpicorp.com). Common corporate email formats at the time included variations of first name and last name.
[first_initial][last]@cpicorp.com (speculative, based on parent company's typical format)
Format
jsmith@cpicorp.com (speculative example for a CPI Corp. employee)
Example
0%
Success rate
Reuters • March 19, 2013
CPI Corp, operator of some 3,000 photo studios in retailers like Sears and Wal-Mart (which included Kiddie Kandids branded studios), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing declining sales and an inability to secure new financing....more
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via archives) • November 7, 2012
CPI Corp. issued a warning about its potential need to file for bankruptcy if it couldn't improve its financial situation, highlighting the severe challenges faced by the portrait studio industry, including its Kiddie Kandids operations....more
PR Newswire (or similar business wire service) • July 19, 1998
CPI Corp. announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Kiddie Kandids Inc., a national chain of children's portrait studios. The acquisition was intended to strengthen CPI's market position in the children's photography segment....more
Various consumer reports and local news (aggregated) • Circa 2010-2013
During the period leading up to CPI Corp.'s bankruptcy, numerous customers reported sudden closures of Kiddie Kandids studios, often without notice, leaving them unable to retrieve photos or fulfill prepaid packages. This was a widespread issue reflecting the company's financial distress....more
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