District Sample Sale - The Recap

On Monday, I posted about Zoe's invitation to the District Sample Sale.  Today I give you a recap of the event!

If you remember my planning for the Old Town Alexandria Warehouse Sale, you know that I always have a checklist.  This event was no different.  And it was slightly more challenging because I was unfamiliar with the event, the venue, and the logistics.  So the checklist was a must!!

When Tara arrived at Zoe yesterday, items were already being staged next to the front door.  And although I've been grumpy about the designation of several parking spaces in front of Zoe as "Loading Zoe" from 6 am - 11 am, I took full advantage of the Loading Zone yesterday morning to get our Honda Pilot fully packed up with clothing, racks, and other support items!

Janice arrived at 12:30 to take care of Zoe in our absence and Tara and I set out for DC at around 1:20 pm.  The email that we had received over the weekend indicated that we were to unload at the service entrance at 2 pm and we did not want to be late.  As we approached the venue, Tara said "What if you have to keep driving around and we just unload incrementally?"  I laughed and said "I don't want to explain that usage of gasoline to Jim!"  Oh, how little did we know how accurate her words were!

(Note - Jim has often said things similar to what Tara said and then they end up coming true.  Ask him sometime about what he said one night when we arrived in Atlanta en route from New Orleans to Alexandria) and he commented on the fact he had never stayed in the Westin next to the runway.  Guess where we ended up staying that night because our connecting flight had already departed?  Yes.  Nothing else need be said).

So, as you can imagine, there was no parking in the service area in the alley behind the venue.  And the police and others were just waiting to tow and ticket vehicles.  So what did we do?  Tara got out and found our space and then each time I circled the block, pulled more out of the Pilot.  I think I circled that block about 15 times as she ran up and down two flights of stairs (the service elevator was slow and crowded).  Finally, when there was very little left, I parked in the 24 hour parking garage close by and carried my card table down K Street.  (We've already established in this blog that I really have no shame).

(Second Note:  Jim called this a "learning experience".  I called it a "cluster".  He was just glad he wasn't there.)

Tara already had our rack set up when I reached our space (in the Sphinx Club in DC).  We then determined the ideal configuration for the space and went to work.  We finished in plenty of time and took a few deep breaths before I went to the ladies room to change into my "uniform" for the night (ankle boots, black tights, Rebecca Taylor leather skirt, black turtleneck, and Chan Luu scarf).

We were happy to see and visit with fellow Old Town Alexandrians Periwinkle, Bishop Boutique and Hysteria.  And then the madness began - the VIPs began entering the event at 5:30!

One of the best things about the event?  The opportunity to meet a friend from Twitter/Instagram (you may know her as @DCCeline) as well as her friends (shout out to @kcesledd) and the winner of her VIP giveaway (@EmilyKateDC).

In addition to Tara, former Zoe employee Julie joined us to help at the event.  I could not have been successful without the two of them managing our "dressing room", keeping our racks from complete chaos and calling our purchases so I could ring them up. Not to mention their role in the tear-down process!  They are the BEST!

Check out our dressing room behind us - we set up the Chinese Screen when the organizers moved the Step and Repeat Wall from this space!

It was a great opportunity to introduce Zoe to new customers - so many people asked "Where is your store?"  We hope that many of them will venture out to Old Town Alexandria soon!

When the event ended at 9 pm, I started to bring the Pilot back up to the loading area (hoping that I wouldn't have to repeat the multiple drive around the blog scenario again)!  I had parked on P4 of the parking building and I suddenly discovered as I was driving out that there was a direct entrance to the venue on P2.  Guess who parked and ran inside to share the news!!  This made the loading of the Pilot much easier!  Tara and I had already decided we would not unload on Tuesday night - we saved that fun for this morning.  At least we had less to unload that we had taken with us!

We enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in the 2013 District Sample Sale!  If you shopped it, what did you buy? And what was your favorite part?

Zoe's First Scavenger Hunt

If you've been a long time reader of this blog, you may remember when I posted two years ago regarding participation in the Old Town Boutique District Annual Scavenger Hunt as a customer.  I had such a fun time and looked forward to the day that Zoe could participate too!

This being our first year as a member of the Old Town Boutique District, this was our first scavenger hunt!  One of the first things I did was have Cori develop postcards that would give a discount through October 31 to everyone who participated in the event.  The event was slightly different from previous years in that the participants did not receive a gift at each store but were instead incentivized to complete the entire Scavenger Hunt in order to receive a SWAG bag full of gifts from all 35 stores!

I had also asked Cori to provide me with a graphics file of just the Zoe "Z" for my stamp.  The folks at Minuteman Printing of Crystal City (a long time tenant from my Charles E. Smith days) took excellent care of me.  Even to the point of creating a special "cut"for the stamp so that it would fit perfectly within the squares on the Scavenger Hunt Passport Card.  (Yes, I measured the size of the square before placing my order.  I wanted it to fit correctly.  This probably ranks up there with my sending myself a piece of mail to see if the Post Office was holding my mail properly before I opened.  I'm particular about certain things.)  And they delivered the stamp to me at no cost.  How I love people who make my life easier!

Now, when talking to Minuteman Press, I asked if they could also provide me with a stamp pad with bright pink ink.  They could not but suggested that I visit a Michael's store to find one.  Anyone who knows my lack of craft skills knows that I do not do well in a Michael's store.  In fact, I think some sort of alarm goes on in the back when I enter, indicating an intruder in the store.  This trip was no different.  I walked in, was immediately overwhelmed by all the stuff and just stood there for a minute or two.  I found a young woman who guided me to the stamp pads.  Thank goodness - I might still be in there if not for her!

I also decided that I wanted to add something to the discount post card that we would be putting in the SWAG bags.  So I ventured off to Costco to purchase bags of the Ghiardelli chocolates that I offer to customers in the store.  Costco ranks up there with Michaels as another place that I do not like to go.  But off I went on my quest.  My hand got quite the workout stapling those chocolates to the postcards!  But well worth it.

I did some practice stamping on Friday morning before customers were set to arrive.  I had been in NY the day before (see previous blog post) to buy for Spring but felt it was very important to be back at the store for this event.  I had been told that people really enjoy meeting the owners and, for me, it felt very important to be there to welcome people who had never been to Zoe before to the store. 

We had our first Scavenger Hunt customers arrive at around 10:30 on Friday morning.  Of all of the people who came through the store, only one person was a previous customer from my mailing list.  So it was fantastic to get to introduce so many people to Zoe!  We printed out Passports for several customers and I also gave away the Passports that had been mailed to my home (we had received two since Jim is also on my mailing list, good husband that he is). 

It was fun to see people's approaches to the Hunt.  Some were all about the stamp - in one case, a group had set a goal of completing ALL the stores in 2 hours!  Others looked around to see what we had to offer and some purchased items in the store.  Everyone we met seemed in a good mood and had lots of fun with the event.

On Sunday, our lovely neighbor Mystique Jewelers was closed.  The owner, Liz, had called me the previous night to ask if we would stamp their symbol on people's Passports.  On Sunday before I opened, I put a note on their door directing people to Zoe for their stamps.  We noted that we stamped our final passport at 3:46 that afternoon!  (The participant was done and ready to drive her passport to Periwinkle for the final stamp and SWAG bag!)

We eagerly awaiting the drawing of the winners so that we could notify Zoe's winner right away!  I was so pleased that she remembered the store and was happy to win our gift card.  We are looking forward to having her shop with us soon!

It was a very fun event for me and the store.  Already looking forward to next year!

Next Up:  Customers Make My Day

Fashion's Night Out - The Recap

I've heard it said that you can tell how much fun you had by how long it takes you to recover from said event.  Considering it has been almost two weeks since Fashion's Night Out and I am just now recovered enough to blog about probably says more than all my words can express!

The morning of September 6th found me loading the car at home with chilled prosecco and sparkling lemonade, a change of clothes, and a whole lot of hope.  After a stop at the Old Town Safeway (and enduring the jokes "Where's the party?" after buying 6 bags of ice), I arrived at Zoe. And.....it started to rain.  I made several trips from car to store and back (with the help of a local neighborhood man who took pity on me), got the cooler packed with drinks and ice and took a deep breath.

As the morning went on, the rain got heavier and steadier.  Was this going to be a washout?  Would anyone come out in the rain?  Was I going to have a whole lot of prosecco all to myself?  I busied myself with making the swag bags and tried not to think about it.

Fortunately, the rain cleared by mid-afternoon and everything started to dry up.  As soon as the sun came out, people started to come out too!  I had a couple of people come during the afternoon hours who weren't going to be able to make it that evening.

At 4 pm, Tara and Zoie arrived to help me begin the set-up process.  These young ladies had volunteered to help with FNO at Zoe because they love fashion!  The first thing we did was prep the table for the arrival of the cake pops from Alexandria Cake Pop Company and prepare the glasses for the beverages.  Then we determined that the patio was dry enough to "Roll Out the Red Carpet" and set up the table to show off the raffle items and collect entries.  Between those tasks and changing into our "uniform" (the FNO T-shirt and dark pants/denim) for the evening, we stayed busy.

The cake pops were everything I had hoped for and more!  Tamara had recently purchased a machine that allowed her to print logos and words and she put it to work for my order!  We had agreed she would do cake pops in the shape of purses and she added to Zoe logo to some of them!

At 6 pm, people started arriving and it was non-stop busy!  We had photographers stop in from WJLA 7 News as well as the Alexandria Times.  Just like our Sidewalk Sale experience, we had quite a bit of time where we were having to ask people to wait for dressing rooms!  Alexandra arrived at around 5:45 and barely got her breath before she was managing the dressing room queues!  Sarabeth arrived at around 7:00 and keep the clothing orderly, replenished the sale rack and made sure everything got back to the proper place.  Janice and Karen arrived and immediately jumped behind the counter to help me wrap and bag the sales.  We ran through our 20 SWAG bags (gifts with purchase) before 8 pm!

While all this was going on inside, Sally and Jamie were snapping red carpet pictures outside and Tara and Zoie were registering everyone for the raffle prizes!

Tara and Zoie

Red Carpet Lovlies

We had a slight lull during the time of the Fashion Show (at 8 pm at the Torpedo Factory) but it picked right back up again at around 8:25.  Jenn of The Medestrian watched the Fashion Show for me and reported back that Zoe's model looked stunning in her Chan Luu top and Rebecca Taylor Skirt.

Zoe's clothing at the Fashion Show

I couldn't believe that we still had people walking in right at 10 pm.  Everyone we spoke with that evening had a wonderful time!  At the end of the evening, Tara and Zoie brought me a huge stack of cards from everyone who had connected with Zoe that evening (several inches tall!)  Since I was so tired, I decided to hold off on the drawing for the raffle items until the next morning.  I had no idea how sales were totaling (I knew we had been busy) and was delighted with that result too!  And the next morning when I saw how much our Facebook "Likes" had grown, I had another smile on my face!  Plus, everyone had a good time!  I couldn't ask for more!

The one question I know you've been asking yourself....did the Essie Nail Polish arrive in time to be included in the SWAG bags?  The answer would be NO!  UPS Driver Freddy did have a delivery for me on Thursday afternoon (a beautiful box of Chan Luu Fall Ready to Wear) but no nail polish.  It arrived on Friday.  So, Zoe fans, you can look forward to another event in the future where you will get a bottle of this lovely nail polish.

From the Lessons Learned column...have multiple corkscrews on hand.  We managed to break 2 during the evening.  That is one "Business Continuity" item I had not thought to include in my plan. 

Next up:  Why I Don't Make Decisions When I'm Tired

Zoe's First Birthday

The week leading up to Zoe's First Birthday celebration was actually a pretty emotional one.  I used it as a time of reflection (hence the three previous posts) but also a time to feel happy about having made it for a year!  There isn't much in life I do halfway - I'm either all in or all out.  And I've definitely been "all in" with Zoe.

I was somewhat anxious about the timing of the birthday - it fell during the local school systems' Spring Breaks, Easter Weekend, and the start of Passover.  But, I'm a big believer in doing things on the day they are supposed to happen so I forged ahead.

In an earlier post, I spoke about the planning for the event.  But now that the day was here, what happened?

Well, we actually have to start with the previous evening.  After I closed the store on Thursday, I hung up Zoe's First Birthday Banner.  I loved the bright pink!  Believe me when I tell you that you could see it FAR down the street!

It is too bad the window panes blocked the cute "1" candle but you could see it better from other angles.

Jim was traveling so I knew I was on my own for the icky stuff that I don't like doing (such as coolers and ice).  I got up early on Friday morning (Birthday Day!) and stopped by Safeway on my way to the store for ice.  I got the cooler set up and started chilling the Trader Joe's Sparkling Lemonade.  I rearranged the front table to prepare for the birthday displays.  And before I knew it, the first delivery arrived!

The delightful Emily and Tamara from Alexandria Cake Pop Company brought the beautiful displays of cake pops for Zoe's birthday.  They are always so happy and full of energy - it is infectious!  And, as I've mentioned on this blog before, their cake pops are DELICIOUS and beautiful.  Here is a picture of the ones they made for Zoe as well as a link to their blog post on Zoe's Birthday.

The cake pops were so popular that I had to save one for myself to make sure I got one!

While they were visiting with me, I got a call from The Enchanted Florist - could they bring down my deliveries?  Of course!  Within moments, I had the beautiful tabletop arrangement (a birthday gift from my mother) and a complimentary arrangement from my friend Michelle in NC (who could not come for the festivities).  How beautiful!

Zoe's Entry Table with the tabletop arrangement.  This was the morning of Day Two.  You can see the cake pops were disappearing rapidly!

Michelle had called The Enchanted Florist to ask if she could buy my main arrangement.  When they told her that it had already been purchased, they suggested she get a complimentary arrangement for the cash wrap!  It was so beautiful!

So much excitement to start the day and more to come!  I positioned the box of "Gift with Purchase" items next to the cash desk.  After lots of thought (and brainstorming with Intern Anna), I decided on BPA free water bottles.  So many of my customers learn about the store when they pass by during their exercise on the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail (which goes by the store on Union Street).  Plus, the beautiful Zoe Girl always has a water bottle in hand!  Why not feature her on one?

She was definitely a hit with customers!  

Before I knew it, Zoe's Aunts (Janice and Karen) arrived to celebrate her birthday.  They brought the pretty card pictured with Michelle's arrangement above!  We had such fun shopping together and another neighbor of theirs and her husband joined in the fun!  The afternoon flew by and Zoe's true First Birthday was complete!

Saturday kicked off another busy day with visits by so many of Zoe's friends!  Many of you who read the blog stopped in to see me and made the day even more special!  (And just think, you didn't have to endure any Chuckie Cheese pizza).  When the doors closed on Saturday, I spent about 40 minutes getting everything set up back in normal (non-birthday) state.  I would be closed on Sunday (for Easter) and on Monday and didn't want to leave the store in perpetual birthday mode during those two days.  

All I can say is "Wow".  I could not have asked for a nicer birthday for Zoe!  Thank you.

Next up:  Edison High School Fashion Marketing Visits Zoe

Planning for Zoe's First Birthday

I've experienced some over the top first birthday parties and some very sweet, low-key ones.  I've always wondered what kind of mother I would have been - a big blowout at a park with a moon bounce?  A Chuckie Cheese extravaganza?  A quiet, at home event with a few friends and family members?

When planning for Zoe's first birthday party, I'm trying to strike a balance.  I'm doing a lot to try to publicize the event (meaning lots of people are "invited") but the event itself will be reflective of my particular tastes (and budget).   As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm working with Affordable Signs and Banners on a banner for the celebration.  I've ordered the MOST delicious cake pops from the ladies at Alexandria Cake Pop Company.  And I'm working on a surprise gift with purchase featuring Zoe herself! We will also have store-wide discounts and drawings for gift cards over the two day celebration (April 6th and 7th).

Yum!  Cake Pops!

The biggest challenge is getting the word out.  Of course I'll use all of the normal methods (email list, Facebook, Twitter) but I've also posted the event on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association website and the Old Town Alexandria Patch website.  I've asked the bloggers behind the Alexandria Lifestyle website to publicize the event.  I've made requests of a couple of organizations associated with the Washington Post to include the event in their publications and I plan to run local newspaper ads.  As I am preparing to join the Old Town Boutique District, I'll be adding the event to their calendar and email blast.  I hope it will turn into an opportunity to celebrate with current friends and make new ones!

I'm also thinking about asking my brands to publicize the event (or at least wish Zoe a Happy Birthday!).  I am confident that some of the smaller ones will be happy to do so but will find out about the larger ones!

It is hard to believe my "baby" is almost 1!  We've definitely had our challenges and have more to come but I LOVE her!

Note:  One of Zoe's biggest cheerleaders, the one and only Juice, visited us in the store on Saturday!  It was wonderful to see her walking up the stairs!  Thank you for making the long trek to see us, Juice!

Next:  Working with Zoe's model for the Junior Friends Toast to Fashion

Warehouse Sale - Part III

The big day is almost here and I have to think about "what do I know for a fact that I don't know?"  And is there anything I can do to mitigate the risks of the "don't knows"?

One thing I did (call it double disaster recovery planning) was get an old fashioned manual credit card device.  You remember them - the ones where you place your card on the metal surface and a paper form is laid over the card.  A large "block" is then swiped back and forth over it to create the imprint.  I was very anxious about the ability of my iPhone device to have a strong enough signal (and also unsure of the Wifi we were told we would have) in order to process cards on it.  So, to be sure, I went back to manual!

I had already planned to offer the people on my mailing list a preview of the items going to the Warehouse Sale (at Warehouse Sale prices) the night before and the morning of the set-up.  So, I set up my H-rack in the store and filled it with the hanging items going to the sale.  It gave me a good idea of whether or not I had enough (or too much) in terms of merchandise.  Fortunately, it was "just right"!

Before I knew it, Friday afternoon was here and Jim arrived to help me move the sale items to the Masonic Memorial for set-up.  As he carried things out of the store he said "Now, none of this is coming back, right?"  I didn't know how to answer that!

We did our best to make creative use of things we already had on hand.  We used Zoe's "Coming Soon" Sign (which was hanging in the store window at this time last year) doubled over to mark the check-out table.

We turned the H-rack to the side so that it would allow people easy access into the space.

Anna pictured with the H-Rack prior to the start of the Sale.  We had a small sign on the end of the rack listing the brands we had at the sale.

We also turned the table to the side to allow people more space to browse and to also provide a natural dividing line between Zoe's space and the next space over.

That evening, we made an emergency trip to Home Depot so that I could buy two inexpensive (less than $6 each) mirrors to prop up in the space.

The table was completely full when we started the sale!

Due to significant track work on Metro on the weekends, we picked Anna up on Saturday morning to make sure she didn't have any issues getting to the sale.  Jim took this picture of the sun coming up from the hill on which the Masonic Memorial is located.

Ah...the things we do for our children (Zoe)

There was a little bit of early shopping going on (other store owners/team members buying from each other) as well as the four lucky shoppers who won a drawing and got to come in at 8:30!  Zoe probably had 4 sales prior to the sale officially starting!

The next several hours were almost a blur.  I was processing sales as quickly as possible.  Clothes were flying on and off the racks - it was all we could do to occasionally try to get them back into their proper size groupings!  We had two instances where a customer was in such a hurry to get to the next store that she left her credit card with us (fortunately, Anna was able to track them down both times - it helped that they were carrying the bright Zoe bags).  The table was a mess!  My original stock of business cards was depleted and I brought out more from my purse.  By the end, I was writing the store information on pieces of paper. (Lesson - bring more cards next time).

One big mistake of mine was not having something with me to drink - I definitely started to feel dehydrated.  Fortunately, Jim had a neighbor follow him to the Memorial in the mid afternoon (so that he could leave my car there) and he brought Anna and me something to drink.  I think he was blown away when he walked in and saw how empty our racks and table were!  

As you can imagine, sometimes clothing ended up in the wrong places - it was not unusual for another store owner to bring one of our items back that had ended up in their area (and we did the same).  The mirrors were a huge hit - not many others in my area had mirrors so many people were coming to look at themselves in them.  At one point, the line was 4 deep just to look in the mirror!

Although things slowed down a little in the afternoon (to the point where we were able to straighten out the remaining items on the racks and tables) we remained steadily busy until the close (our last sale was right at 4 pm).  

The tear down was much simpler than the set-up - simply because there just wasn't that much to take back.  Jim came over again to take the clothing and racks back to the store.  And Anna and I headed back to the store to now process everything that had been sold that day.

Janice and Karen had gone far beyond the call of duty to man the store all day for me while I had been at the Warehouse Sale.  They told me that several people had come all the way down to the store after shopping at (or learning about) Zoe at the Warehouse Sale.  It was really wonderful to be in the position to have the store "open" in both places at the same time!

Anna and I started processing the sales through the Point of Sale system at around 4:45.  Each item we had sold that day had to be removed from inventory and, for those items paid for via credit card, each card had to be hand entered.  We developed a system by which Anna read out the items sold on the ticket.  Once I had entered them, I confirmed the total with her.  If the total matched, she then gave me the payment method and I entered it in.  Much to our delight and relief, all of the credit cards processed with no issue!

Then, the moment of truth - how had we done?  I really had no idea, we had been processing sales so quickly.  I ran the end of day program and my hand flew to my mouth - I told her "That can't be - did we make a mistake?  Did we really do that well?"  We double and triple checked totals!  I almost cried for joy - I couldn't believe what a success it had been.  We totaled 80 individual sales and had a sales day that even beat Black Friday.

Besides the items listed above and in previous posts, what would I do differently?  I would definitely take additional items to sell as the table and racks got cleaned out.  I do think in several cases we could have probably sold even more if we had it available.  I'll definitely try to find the right "Chinese Screen" to provide a semblance of a dressing room.  

It took me a couple days to recover from all of the activity of the previous week.  I hope to have the opportunity to do it again next year as a smarter and wiser shop owner!

Next:  The Credit Card inspection

Warehouse Sale - Part II

Like anything that I'm uncertain about in life, I was extraordinarily anxious about the news segment scheduled for Wednesday morning.  So I went back to my tried and true rules (from corporate life) of how to quell as much of that anxiety as possible.

#1 - Wear something that makes you feel entirely comfortable.  This goes back to my earlier blog post on not letting your clothing choices be part of the reason you feel anxious.  I chose the cute Beth Bowley Wool Shift that I had been wearing during the Fall and Winter.  I knew it fit well, was comfortable, and had no likelihood for wardrobe malfunctions.

#2 - Don't overstudy.  Let's face it - I'm going to be talking about something I know and I love.  There is no reason to over-think it and over-rehearse it.  Go over it a few times and then let it go.

#3 - Go to bed early.  I always do this and then end up waking up about 10 times during the night.  This was even worse because I knew I had to get up early to be there by 6 am.  At least I didn't have to go far from home (I can see the Masonic Memorial when I walk out my front door).

The night before, I had decided that I did not like the mascara I had on hand as well as the lipstick.  A trip to CVS was necessary to remedy this situation.

Wednesday started early (I got up at 4:15).  When I arrived at the Masonic Memorial, it was raining.  I (and others) had even beat the TV crew there!  We got in and got settled and the models arrived as well.  The TV host (Annie Yu) would do short teasers about 15 - 20 minutes before each longer segment.  Everything was live!

Once I got there (and made sure I knew how to pronounce the brand of shoes my model was wearing), I started to calm down.  I'm like that - once I get the lay of the land and once the train has left the station, I'm ok.  At that point, I figure I can't get off any way so I might as well enjoy the ride.

In between segments, we got to take some pictures.

Me (Zoe), Amy Rutherford (Red Barn Mercantile), Annie Yu (Fox 5), Toni Henderson (Mint Condition), Jill (Treat), Elizabeth Todd (The Shoe Hive)

Brianna (Zoe's lovely model in Alice & Trixie) and Me.

Before we knew it, it was really showtime. The first long segment had Elizabeth talking about the origins of the Warehouse Sale, the Boutique District, and pointing out some of the great finds.  Zoe got some good press during this segment.  The second second included each of us talking about the outfits displayed on the models - my speaking part!

The link to both videos can be found here.

As soon as we were done with the second long segment, we were told that we could go.  Knowing that Janice and Karen were on the way to open the store for me, I quickly packed up and headed to the store.  It was so nice to have them there (they were finishing the Valentine's Day decorations) while I got settled in and took care of some of my morning routine items.

The challenging part?  I already felt like I had done a days work and my day hadn't even really started yet!  And I still had the sale to get ready for on Saturday!  Lots of caffeine was consumed that day...

Next up:  The Actual Sale

Warehouse Sale - Part I

At the very end of 2011, I found out that Zoe would be part of the 2012 Old Town Boutique District Warehouse Sale.  This event, in it's 7th year this year, is traditionally held on the first Saturday of February (barring bad weather) at the George Washington Masonic Memorial at the top of Old Town (at the intersection of King Street and Callahan Drive).

Each participating vendor has either a small or large space and is allotted one (for small) or two (for large) 8' x 2' table.  The rest of the design of the space is up to the individual vendor.  The main purpose of the event is to allow the vendors (local Alexandria boutique owners and jewelry/accessories designers) to sell stock at drastically discounted prices (anywhere from 65 - 90% off) to fashion-minded bargain hunters.  The vendor boutiques are a mix of shoes, clothing, and home goods.

Since this was Zoe's first year to participate, there was much to learn.  Each participant pays a set amount for their size space and also provides a copy of their certificate of insurance.  Part of the money paid for the space goes toward publicity for the event.

Intern Anna and I started preparing for the event by updating the Point of Sale system with the items remaining from Spring/Summer last year.   Then it was time to determine what to do about the price tags.  We decided to print out new tags (showing the original price) and then mark the Warehouse Sale price with a "Zoe Pink" ink.  Anna was dispatched on her first field trip to PaperSource to obtain the proper pen.  I would also do the same for the Fall/Winter items that I would take to the sale but would wait until closer time to the sale to make those changes.

About two weeks prior to the event, we learned that there would be an opportunity to publicize the event on the morning broadcast of our local Fox affiliate.  Those of us who were participating were assigned a model from a local high school to showcase an outfit that would be under $100/$150 at the sale.  We were encouraged to pick items with color to better show up on the broadcast.

We were told of our model's sizes and were sent a picture so that we would have an idea of what would work best for her.  Of course, Brianna (Zoe's model) was even prettier in person than she was in her picture.  Her mother brought her to the store to try on the dress (a great Alice & Trixie Pucci inspired print) and we also picked out some ADMK Jewelry earrings (not on the sale) to compliment the look.  She was then dispatched to The Shoe Hive to be outfitted with appropriate shoes for the broadcast.

How adorable is she?

Before I knew it, Tuesday afternoon had arrived and it was time for me to take Zoe's items to the Masonic Memorial to get set up for the television broadcast.  Of course, I took far too many things.  But you don't know until you've gone through it at least once!  After a little (actually, a lot) of anxiety on my part, Zoe's "broadcast table" was ready to go.

Gorgeous Tracy Reese 3/4 Shift on Table, Beth Bowley Geometric Print Dress on Mannequin

Next up:  Warehouse Sale - Part II - The Broadcast

Inventory

On Monday, we performed inventory at Zoe for the first time.  While the Point of Sale system that we use  has physical inventory functionality, it was not a feature we had used so I arranged for our software consultant to help with the inventory.

As a plus, when the consultant arrived, I had him perform the update to the point of sale system (remember my delay in doing so a couple months ago).  So far, so good.  Glad I let someone else work out the bugs in the system!

He brought two types of handheld scanners to assist with the inventory.  He tried both types on Zoe's tags and we determined that the older model scanners actually worked better.  As he finalized the scanner testing, he asked me to draw a map of the store and label it appropriately.

Anyone who has EVER seen me draw ANYTHING knows that it is not high on my list of talents.  In fact, the joke has been that I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler.  But I made a go of it, drawing both the front of the store and the back storage area.  Good enough sufficed in this case.

The reason for the drawing was to divide the store into segments for inventory.  When I had been in other stores, I had seen pieces of paper indicating what areas had already been inventoried.  But since Anna (the intern) and I were splitting the work, it made sense to just take an area and be done with it!  After we had completed an area, we would bring the scanner back to the point of sale computer, link it up with the software and then clear the file of inventoried items.

We quickly learned how to best scan the tags, how close we needed to be, the kind of light they needed for the scanner to work most optimally, even tricks like turning them upside down to get them to scan!  We did have problems with some tags, mostly for those that I had printed out when I first opened the store.  When that happened, we would print a new tag and scan it instead.

The consultant also told us about some best practices for keeping track of where we were in the scanning process.  If we got interrupted, we were to place the scanner just after the last item we had successfully scanned.  We were also to work from top to bottom, left to right.  Also, once he had transferred the scanner data to the point of sale computer, he placed the scanner upside down to indicate it was ready to accept new scans.

Every once in a while, a tag would indicate it had scanned but when connected with the Point of Sale system, would give back gibberish.  In those cases, we were able to type the correct SKU into the text editor.  As we continued to load inventory into the system, it kept a running count of how many items were still missing as well as showed the unidentified items (like those with the incorrect SKUs).

The toughest part was the jewelry.  And this was my mistake for not understanding the requirements (or as I would call it, the limitations!) of the point of sale system.  I do not print and attach tags to the jewelry but instead write the SKU and price on a small tag that can be easily attached to each piece.  But the inventory can only be done through scanning - there was no option to manually enter the jewelry pieces.  Our solution?  We printed tags for all of the jewelry in the system (whether it was still on hand or not) and I went through and identified the quantities we had of each item.  Once I did that, Anna scanned the tags for the items.

When EVERYTHING had been scanned, we ran a final report.  Much to my chagrin, it showed a variance and some missing items!  The consultant printed two reports - A Missing Items Report and a Count/Variance Report.  Imagine my shock when he then started clicking buttons and "fixed" the items that had shown up on both reports!  Can you imagine my "But...but...I don't understand...do we want the system to do that....wait!!!"  Although he explained that our physical count was the most accurate representation of what the "truth" was, it unnerved me to just correct it without knowing exactly what had happened!  I needed to work on that one for a while.

After the consultant left, Anna and I grabbed lunch.  The total process had taken us 3-1/2 hours.  Had I known about the jewelry tag issue, I would guess we may have been done in about 2 hours and 45 minutes.  Over lunch, I was already in the mode of "what went wrong...what would I do differently next time."  I appreciated Anna's perspective though - she felt it had gone really well!  She has experienced inventory at a large chain women's clothing store and said that Zoe's was very smooth.  We all need people to encourage us to look at the positive.

We came back to the store after lunch to straighten everything up (you aren't taking great care in how well things are folded when you are scanning the tags).  Although the two reports bothered me, I decided to review them the next day.

Fortunately, the explanations were clear as to what had happened with each item.  So, for the most part, the "fix" completed following the inventory was the correct thing to do.  I had one item from the Missing Items Report that I just couldn't figure out where it was in the store.  Had it been shoplifted?  As I was typing this dilemma to my mother in an email that evening at home, it all of a sudden dawned on me where it was.  It was layered on a mannequin and we just had neglected to count it.  Problem resolved!

Overall, a good process and lots of great lessons learned for next year!

Next:  The 3/50 Project.

The Photo Shoot

On Tuesday afternoon, I received an email from a member of the editorial staff of a DC based magazine.  She had been given Zoe's information by a representative from the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association.

The email told me that they were planning a photo shoot for the magazine this upcoming weekend and they were working with a local stylist to select the clothing for the shoot.  The editor asked if Zoe could provide clothing.  Well, of course!

I emailed with the editor and the stylist to confirm my interest.  The stylist came by on Wednesday afternoon and selected some pieces from the early spring/resort wear offerings at Zoe.  She confirmed that an associate editor would be by on Saturday to pick them up.

I enjoyed talking with and working with the stylist.  She had a strong retail background and it was clear that she was a pro.  She told me a little bit about the model who would be wearing the clothing so we could make sure we had the right sizing.  Just getting her feedback was great validation for me.  She selected items from Issa London, Rebecca Taylor, Alice & Trixie, and Mother Denim.  It was definitely a bright spot in a yucky, rainy day.  I'm not "naming names" in this post as I want to make sure it does come to fruition (meaning that Zoe does have clothing featured in the photo shoot).  So I'll definitely follow-up in the future to let you know the end result.

Next up:  My First George Mason Counseling Session

Zoe Gets An Intern

Following the public relations project that Zoe did with students at the Art Institute of Washington, the professor asked me if I would ever be interested in hosting an intern.  I told her that I would and to feel free to contact me if there seemed to be a good fit.

In mid-December, the professor contacted me to say that one of the students who had participated in the public relations project was interested in an internship with Zoe.  The internship is part of the student's requirement for graduation and Anna was on track to graduate in the Winter Quarter of 2012.

After reviewing her resume, conducting a phone interview, and holding an in-person interview, Anna and I agreed that it would be a good fit.  Honestly, I was more concerned that I could provide a good and appropriate experience for her than I was about her fit for the internship.  She shared the documentation with me and I filled out all of the required fields, including all of the items I hoped to allow her to experience during her three months.

My next challenge was determining what hours I'd like to have her in the store as well as any special projects I might ask her to participate in.  We would be working around her remaining class schedule as well as as the two days a week she works at Ann Taylor.  We agreed on Tuesday afternoons (beginning at 1 pm) and Friday mornings (beginning at 10 am).  She will need to log 100 hours in her internship and she will update a school-provided blog on her experience.  The school will also contact me at different intervals to get an update on her progress.

I've also identified some special projects that she will work on, including participation in inventory, assisting me at the Alexandria Boutique Warehouse Sale on February 4th, and a trip to the NY Showrooms in late February to complete the Fall buying process.  The goal is to expose her to all aspects of owning and managing a boutique.

Anna's first day was yesterday and she went right to work.  I asked her to assist me in filing all of the orders I had written at market the previous day and told her to take her time to review the linesheets and note the variations in what the different designers provide to buyers.  As she was working on that project, UPS Deliveryman Freddie brought in a shipment from Rebecca Taylor.  I asked Anna to unpack the box and tie it against the packing list and invoice.  She then entered the items into the Item Card program in the point of sale system, completed receipt of the purchase order and printed the price tags.

I also asked her to review the current set up of the store and ask me any questions as well as provide feedback on things we might change.  The time truly flew by!  I'm already making Friday's list of new tasks!

Not long before Anna arrived, Janice and Karen stopped in to retrieve the snowflakes from the windows in preparation for the transformation for Valentine's Day!  I can't wait to see what they come up with!  The poor windows look naked right now (with the exception of the mannequins).  Don't worry - you will NOT be asked to vote on the Valentine's window display!

Next up:  The photo shoot

Analytics

You can't escape it - numbers have a level of importance in every business.  And not just sales and profits and expenses but also your online presence and engagement with potential customers.

For example, I write this blog for a few simple reasons - 1) It is a way for me to share the process of creating and running the store with friends and other interested parties, 2) It provides me with a method for documenting all of the key events (and helps remind me how far I've come!), 3) It provides a reference for anyone who might want to know more about the experiences of a normal person trying to build and run a boutique, and 4) It provides a real look at the person behind the business.

I will never know who reads it and, unless they comment or email me directly, what they think of it.  But I do enjoy looking at the statistics for the blog to see what topics are being read, where my readership is located, and how they arrived at the site.  (Don't worry, I don't know who any of you are!)  This week, I seem to have a strong readership in The Netherlands (Juice, were you carrying a Zoe bag when you visited Amsterdam?)

Google provides not only the map shown above but a detailed breakdown of the browsers used and even the operating systems/device types used to read the blog.

The blog is one thing because it is fun and interesting and if people enjoy it or find it useful, that is wonderful.  But I decided this week that I needed to start tracking the visitors and their engagement with Zoe's webpage (shopatzoe.com), especially with the knowledge that I am planning to add eCommerce to Zoe's site next year.  I contacted Web Developer Phil and had him apply the Google Analytics code to Zoe's website.  And timing was perfect as I had just sent out a Constant Contact email that included a link to Zoe's site.

While it has only been up and running for a few days, I'm already finding the statistics fascinating.  Please note I do control myself and only check it once a day!  It is really interesting to see what city the user is located in while looking at the site, what browser and operating systems are used, which service providers they are using and even the screen resolution if they access it via mobile device!  It is also very helpful to see "where" they came from (the referring sites vs. an organic search).  I know there is much more to learn from the information!

Next: Halloween at Zoe!

Planning For The Holiday Season

It is hard to believe that Christmas is now less than two months away!  But in the retail world, we've been planning for it for quite a while.  I am very curious to see how Zoe's first full holiday season will play out!

You may remember my Black Friday post from soon to be a year ago - it was the first time Jim had seen Zoe's space since I signed the lease just prior to Thanksgiving.  I had been curious to see the shopping traffic in Old Town during that time frame.

Let me make the confession that I have not ever been a Black Friday shopper.  I have a friend who, with his wife, does ALL of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday.  I've just always struggled with the concept of early rising and the crowds. But Zoe will be participating in the Black Friday promotions in Old Town!  Like last year, parking will be free on the streets and at many garages in Old Town.  And many merchants will be opening early and offering great deals to their customers.  For more information on Old Town's Black Friday promotions, you can visit this special page on the Shop Local website.

And then there are the coupon books.  For years, we've received the "Shop Alexandria" and "Dine Alexandria" coupon books.  And now Zoe is going to be in the coupon book!  The team that publishes the book sent a photographer to take exterior and interior shots of the store and designed the coupon based on the offers that I determined would work best for Zoe's customer.  I had an opportunity to see a proof of the coupon yesterday and had very few adjustments.  That book will be mailed to local zip codes (both residential and business) in mid-November as well as distributed in local hotels and in the visitor's center.

Back for another year is "Small Business Saturday" sponsored by American Express.  They have already sent me a window cling for the store with the message "Shop Small" (I love it!)  The same offer stands as last year - Cardmembers who have registered their eligible American Express Card for the Small Business Saturday offer can take advantage of a $25 statement credit by shopping at Zoe and other small businesses on November 26th.  American Express also provides a number of promotional tools for businesses to help get the word out, including a $100 worth of targeted Facebook ads.

I will look forward to reporting to you on the results of all of these different promotions in a future (post holiday) blog post!