Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hotels and Heels

While most of Zoe's customers are people who live locally (Virginia, DC, Maryland) we do get some visitors to Alexandria who also enjoy boutique shopping.  The key is making sure that they know we are here and what we have to offer!  We have an ad on a map (ResortMaps) and are in the 2012 Alexandria Visitors Guide.  Last year's holiday coupon book was distributed in hotels and brought some visitors to Zoe.  But what if a fashionable shopper asks the hotel where he/she might find boutique clothing?

I had wanted to visit a number of the walking distance hotels in the area for quite some time but my "Monday time" had been limited by other commitments and errands.  And, honestly, I wanted to look my best when I met with them and I rarely dress up (or put on make up!) on Mondays!  Rather than let inertia hold me back, I sent Intern Anna on a mission!

I had her go to four local hotels with a handful of the store's business cards, introduce the store to the concierge, invite them to visit, and let them know that if they would ever like to work with me on developing a promotion for their guests, I'd be delighted to do so.  Her feedback upon her return from the field trip was very positive - the concierges appreciated the contact, the business cards, and were looking forward to learning more about the store!

Now on to the heels!  In the last two weeks, not only has friend Jamie suggested that I make sure to have some heels for women to use to try on clothing but I've also had at least 4 other requests!  It's one of those small things that you think "Duh!  Why didn't I think of that?"  In 3 of the cases, I was able to lend the platform Steve Madden heels to customers so that they could get an idea of how a dress looked with heels.  But since those are mine, I'll be wearing them sometimes!

I decided to select three pair of dressy yet inexpensive shoes (in common sizes) to keep in the store to aid try-ons.  And I already had one woman use them this morning!  I think these have a classic but fun look!


Next up:  Intern Anna's Last Day :(

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