When we introduced Intern Anna to you in early January, we had NO IDEA how quickly time would pass! Each item that we had planned for the course of the internship took place and Anna was an invaluable help to me. I could not have accomplished inventory nearly as quickly without her. She was a rock star during the warehouse sale. And we had a fabulous trip to NY to finish buying for Fall. In addition to those big events, we focused on the day to day tasks of running a store. I had Anna create two window displays for me, both of which got rave reviews (and helped to sell the clothing!) She assisted me in merchandising the store as new items arrived for Spring. She reviewed packing lists and entered inventory into the point of sale system. We talked about different advertising strategies and what would work and what wouldn't. It was always fun to have someone to share and discuss ideas with on a regular basis. On her very last day, I did teach her how to ring up a customer because I had to run a quick errand in Old Town. I felt that ringing up a customer was the least important thing she needed to learn - she already knew how to do that from her previous retail work!
On her last day, Anna brought me a bouquet of my favorite spring flowers - tulips! Each color had a purpose - the purple to match Zoe's walls, the pink to match the "Z" in Zoe's logo, and the orange/coral to match the brand new Beth Bowley Poppy Fields dress!
Anna's final project was on display at the National Building Museum on Wednesday. Dear friends Janice and Karen came to the store to watch Zoe (and decorate the Spring windows!) while I went downtown to see Anna's display.
It had been quite some time since I had been to the National Building Museum. I love the fountain in the middle of the Main Hall.
I checked in at the main table and was given directions to the Fashion Management area. Since the Art Institute has coursework in a variety of disciplines, I had to pass many of the Culinary students and their final projects - many of which were cupcakes (and me unable to partake since I gave up sweets for Lent)!
To my delight, Anna's project was located close to several of the other students who had participated in the case study on Zoe last summer/early fall. It was nice to talk with them again and see the culmination of all of their hard work!
Anna's project was a Women and Children's Boutique called Dahlia to be located in Frederick, MD (she is from the Frederick area). On display were copies of the business plan they had developed, their marketing plan, and even VERY detailed designs for clothing (I was blown away by just how many different measurements there are for each garment!)
Anna is engaged to be married next year and is in the process of relocating to Towson, MD. She has a job currently lined up in Towson but we hope to have her back at Zoe to help with some special events in the future!
On my way back to my car, I got to enjoy the view of this beautiful flowering tree.
Congratulations Anna! We will miss you!
Next up: Zoe's Springtime windows
It sounds like you've had a really positive intern experience. Do you think you'll have another intern in the future?
ReplyDeleteJuice, I'd like to have another one as long as it was the right person. I was so fortunate that Anna was a great fit for me and for Zoe.
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