About Us
We love children, we love design, we love art, and we love fashion. Yoya was born out of the desire to combine these passions to create a modern, innovative take on children’s retail. Happily we succeeded, and YOYA has continued to grow and evolve, drawing inspiration from the city we call home and all the colorful kids in it. In our first year, 2002, New York Magazine voted YOYA "Best Kid's Store" and since then we’ve proudly been featured in numerous magazines, TV shows, and films, helping weave us into the fabric of the city.
For the last seventeen years, we have been bringing the best in children’s fashion and design to our cozy little shop in New York’s West Village. We have a great team known for our downtown sensibilities toward community and personal attention and we’re always happy to help you find the perfect gift or help budding fashionistas hone their taste with an impromptu styling session. We are all dedicated to making your experience at YOYA a special one. We are a neighborhood store with an international appeal, reflected in our nearly 60 rotating brands from many different countries. Our focus on simple, special, and beautiful products has helped us build a community that spans all over the world. As it turns out….people seem to love what we love.
Thank you for sharing and supporting our vision to make our dream a reality.
CRISTINA VILLEGAS
Cristina Villegas was born and raised in Colombia but has spent the past 27 years building her life and career in New York City. She is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters, twenty-one-year-old Mila and sixteen-year-old Uma. On top of being a full time mother (and mom-ing anyone nearby who needs a hug or a little advice), she is the owner of YOYA in Manhattan’s West Village.
In addition to being the buyer and head creative behind YOYA, Cristina is always eager to share her love for fashion and great taste with friends and clients (many of whom end up overlapping!) in a more one-on-one setting. Cristina loves to do wardrobe styling and personal shopping for children and women so you will never have to worry about what to wear again. Whether building a whole new wardrobe for the season or just finding the perfect outfit to wow for a special occasion, Cristina carefully chooses every piece for you or your child.
Cristina also flexes her design muscles with a specialization in interior consulting. Her design services bring her unique aesthetic, discerning taste, and playful spirit to your home’s interior, with children’s bedrooms and playrooms being her favorite spaces to create. Her philosophy on designing for children is to first listen to the wants and needs of each client and then collaboratively create the perfect environment for their family. With each design project, her goal is to create a beautiful, functional atmosphere that reflects the desires and personal style of her clients, while remaining conscious of their budget. Cristina believes that a child’s environment affects their mindset, self-esteem, motivation, and overall happiness so she focuses on meeting practical needs and adding a personalized touch, without compromising a stylish, cohesive design. This attention to detail and her distinctive style have helped streamline and brighten the day-to-day lives of many of New York’s growing families and earned her a bit of a following.
When it comes to fashion and design for women and children, Cristina has become a go-to name in downtown New York. No matter the outlet, Cristina’s passion for creating beautiful spaces, warm spirit, and commitment to her clients shines through.