ADMK Trunk Show

It is always so much fun to host a designer in store at Zoe!  Especially when it is a personal favorite and customer favorite like ADMK Jewelry!  We had been anticipating this trunk show for quite some time - probably even since the one we had with Meagan last year!

It is always so much fun to have a trunk show, especially because it allows you to offer your customers so many pieces that you couldn't normally have in store!  We had agreed to have Meagan in from 12 - 5 pm on Saturday, December 8th and she was set up and ready to go right on time!

As she was coming in and out of Zoe performing her set up, we had a visit from all of these adorable French Bulldogs!  Meagan and Tara had to give them a warm Zoe greeting!

It was a really nice December day so we were able to have the door open for much of the day.  We had announced the trunk show via our email list, Facebook, and Twitter as well as on our website, the ACVA Events page and the Patch Event page.  So many of Zoe's customers love ADMK so they enjoyed getting to shop her great selection.  I'd have to say about 50% were gifts and 50% were gifts for themselves!!

I had Tara and Alexandra pick out  a pair of earrings that I could buy as my "every day" pair for work.  They did an excellent job and I truly have been wearing them EVERY DAY!  Although this isn't what I bought, don't you love this pairing?

People kept coming in to look at the ADMK line so Meagan did not get to pack up at 5 pm as planned.  But before we let her leave, we asked her if we could interview her and record a short video!

What a fun day!  We got to see lots of our regular customers AND host a talented designer like Meagan!

Next Up:  Meeting Katie Bartels

Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend and Dressing a Model

The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend in Alexandria is a huge event!  It occurs on the first weekend of December every year and is coordinated by the talented members of the Junior Friends of the Campagna Center.  I wrote about the event last year on the blog.  Disclosure - I am a member of the Junior Friends.  But like Groucho Marx, I am always suspect of any organization that would have me as a member! :)

I was a little anxious about being out of town over that weekend but knew that Zoe was in good hands with Tara and Alexandra.  A week or two earlier, I had been asked (through a large group email) if the store would be willing to provide clothing for models who would be having their pictures taken during the weekend for publicity shots for the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Bureau.  I hadn't heard anything and assumed that they had gone in a different direction.  Just before the weekend was upon us, I got an email saying that the stylist for the shoot would like to work with Zoe!

Tara does an excellent job of helping people find clothing that works for them.  So I knew I could tell her the plan and leave it in her capable hands.  The stylist and model arrived on Saturday morning as planned and Tara helped them selected the perfect outfit.

I LOVE this outfit - some of my favorite designers are represented - the Velvet vest, the Rebecca Taylor top, and the Red Engine jeans complete a great look! 

It is such a passion of mine that people support the locally owned stores of Old Town. So whenever I have a chance to support local advertising or promotions initiatives, I love to do it.  And I must confess, I love seeing Zoe's clothing "in print"! 

Next Up:  Our Second Annual ADMK Trunk Show

The Best Of

Who doesn't want to be the best at what they do?  I know you've seen various "Best Of" lists in magazines, newspapers, and blogs.  Everything from beaches to cities to restaurants to colleges to denim is reviewed and compiled into a list of some kind.

I knew that the Washingtonian Magazine was compiling a "Best of Old Town" feature for their December edition.  Several of us in the Boutique District went in on an advertisement for the magazine but we did not know which businesses would be featured in the article.  Of course, I hoped that Zoe would be included!

Jim and I were headed to Georgia on November 30th to attend the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.  Once we got through security and to our gate that evening at National Airport, we had the following conversation:

Me:  Hey, I think I'm going to walk over to that newsstand.
Jim: OK
Me:  I want to see if they have the new edition of the Washingtonian.  There is supposed to be a "Best of Old Town" section in it.
Jim: That's cool - is Zoe in there?
Me:  I don't know.  If she isn't, I'm not buying it and I'm going to be mad.
Jim:

A few minutes elapse...

Me (returning to gate area):  I need some money.  Zoe is in it!

Yes, I was very happy to find Zoe listed among the Best of Old Town and to see the pretty advertisement that had been designed for those of us who had participated in the OTBD ad.  You can read the full article here.

So what happens when you are featured in a "Best Of" list?  Well, first off, you feel pretty fantastic!  Second, you immediately start getting emails and faxes from a company trying to sell you a plaque that you can hang in your store showing that you are part of a "Best Of" list.  (If you were ever in Who's Who, you know the drill - you get named to Who's Who and then the company starts sending your parents multiple letters about buying the Who's Who book.  Which of course they are going to do.  They sent letters when I was that age.  Now they probably send emails.  And the book is probably on a CD.)

While I am truly honored to have Zoe on the "Best Of" list in the Washingtonian, I've been suspect of other "Best Of" lists.  The store had been open for about 6 months last year when another publication came out with a "Best Of" edition.  Zoe was not on the list.  Shortly after I had reviewed the magazine and discovered this, one of the magazine's ad salespeople called for the umpteenth time, trying to sell me advertising.  Although I know that the sales and editorial staffs are separate, I asked the ad salesperson about the criteria for being included and if their editorial staff even knew about Zoe.  I also asked that if they had come into the store and they had decided that we were not appropriate for the list, I'd like to know more about how I could improve Zoe and make the store eligible for future lists.  The snarky reply was "Oh, we know who you are.  And we can't tell you if we've been in the store or not." 

Sigh.  Don't ever make a mother angry.  Because that is exactly what that reply did to me.  My not so nice comment was "I know that you know who I am when you want to sell me something!"  Despite the conversation not ending very positively, I felt a little better when I took a closer look at the stores listed in the article.  In a couple of cases, they had stores listed that had been closed - one for at least 3 months prior to publication of the article.  I didn't feel quite so bad that Zoe wasn't included, especially since it didn't appear that they had gone out of their way to do any homework whatsoever for the list.

That bad experience behind me, it was fantastic to be part of the Washingtonian's Best Of list!  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my "daughter's" name in print!

Next Up: Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend and Dressing a Model

A Look Back (and Forward)

I actually love the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.  Each year, I take time to remember what I thought the year would be like on January 1st and then reflect on what actually happened.  The year never turns out like I thought it would - there are happy times, sad times, and many surprises along the way.  But each event has its purpose, even if I don't always understand it at the time.  But there is always something magical about a new year - it is like having a blank notebook full of pages to be filled with the next chapter. 

As part of my reflection for 2012, I read my end of year blog post from last year.  It was encouraging and fun to read my feelings at this time last year and to review what has actually happened for Zoe and for me this year.  At the time, I think I could only look about 3 months ahead.  And I had a full plate and then some! 

After the store closed this afternoon, I stayed to catch up on some administrative tasks and do a little clean-up.  When I finished, I sat there in the quiet for a while, listening to the excited voices outside from First Night Alexandria attendees and couples and groups heading to dinner.  I thought about the year in review and what makes Zoe special to me (and, hopefully, my customers). 

One of the things that stands out to me most is the relationships that I and the other ladies at Zoe have the opportunity to build with our customers, our designers, our neighborhood friends, and our business partners.  There is nothing that lifts my heart more than seeing someone I know walk through Zoe's door.  I want all of our relationships to be genuine - to be more than a potential transaction (and that goes for Zoe's vendors as well as Zoe's customers).  I want to always feel that, at the end of the day, I have conducted business in such a way that is honest, fair, and authentic.  I can be very hard on myself (constantly evaluating what I could be doing better) but I want to know that I've always given it my best.

I am grateful to every person who was part of my and Zoe's life in 2012.  And I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!  Happy New Year!

Small Business Saturday - Year 2

I learn something new every day as the owner of Zoe.  And I always try to learn even more when something doesn't turn out as I expect it to.  If you remember last year's post regarding Small Business Saturday, I was generally satisfied with the day but felt I should have approached it differently.  So this year, I tried some new strategies.

First, I included details on Small Business Saturday in my "Holiday Happenings" email that went out to the people on my mailing list.  I included a link to register the American Express card for the $25 statement credit and announced a 20% discount for the day (for all customers).  As a result of that email, we had our first "pre-shopping" for Small Business Saturday!  One of my customers had been eying a dress and uses her AmEx regularly.  She contacted me and asked me to hold it for her so she could get it on Small Business Saturday and get the discount and the credit!  A win-win for everyone!

When Saturday came, it was much colder than Black Friday had been and very gloomy.  I wasn't sure how many customers we would have and even said as much to Tara.  Much to our surprise, we were steadily busy throughout the day and customers were delighted with the 20% discount. 

My favorite story of the day was a couple who came back on Saturday who had briefly stopped in the store on Friday late in the day.  The husband said to me "After we looked around and said good-bye, you gave us a look like "I know you'll be back!"  And here we are! " (Please note I have no idea what sort of look I had on my face after being up since 3:15 am on Friday morning!)  But I was delighted they came back to shop with us.

American Express does a great job of advertising Small Business Saturday.  I appreciate that they offer their customers this incentive without passing the cost along to the merchant (don't worry - we pay plenty to accept AmEx on any given day).  When we totalled the day, I had almost tripled the total from last year!  What a great surprise, especially considering the weather! 

Next up:  The Best Of

Black Friday

Before I logged in to Blogger this evening, I tried to tell myself that it REALLY hadn't been a month since I wrote in the blog.  Being delusional works for about 3 seconds until you are forced to face reality.  Sad.  Just Sad.

I'm not one to make New Years resolutions (I could write a whole blog post JUST on that!) but I do vow to do better in the coming month with Zoe's blog.  It is important to me but I just haven't been placing the right amount of emphasis on it this month.  There was this thing called Christmas...

Speaking of Christmas, it is a perfect segue to talk about Black Friday.  Technically, this was Zoe's THIRD Black Friday at her location on Union Street.  Let me explain....

The first was just after I had signed the lease for Zoe's space.  The signing took place 2 days before Thanksgiving and I spent the day before Thanksgiving running around like a mad woman to get things done now that I had a REAL address!  So on Black Friday 2010, I was eager to show the new space to Jim (you might remember he had been afraid to look at locations since I seemed to lose every location he previewed!)  We went to Old Town so I could take him in to show him the space! 

The second was in Zoe's first year of business, 2011.  As you can read from last year's blog post, I was nervous and didn't know what to expect but was pleased with the result (and exhausted!)  And I always learn lessons that I can apply the following year.

Well, one thing that hasn't changed is that I'm always nervous.  I got to the store an hour early to turn up the heat, make sure the computers and credit card processing capabilities were in good shape, and make some last minute adjustments to the store.  Janice and Tara joined me and we had our first visitors not long after 6 am!

The publicity for the event was very well done and more stores participated this year than any previous year.  The Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association were very much behind the effort and the DASH bus system operated the King Street Trolley beginning at 6 am that day. 

Zoe had several customers "pre-shop" this year, which was very wonderful.  It is great when people do this - they try on items prior to Black Friday, have us hold them and then are able to come in to pay during their chosen time period (we did the same sale as the previous year - 30% off from 6 am - 8 am, 20% off from 8 am - 10 am, and 10% off from 10 am - 6 pm). 

We also had our first Facebook Store sale during the 30% off time period!  So exciting!

I was so pleased that the store was pretty consistently busy the whole day.  It was so much fun to get to see so many of Zoe's customers, especially since I am not in the store as often any more. 

One woman and a friend came into the store and had a number of bags from other Old Town Boutique District stores!  We told her that it looked like she had had a very successful shopping day thus far!  We found out that she was the Grand Prize winner from the Old Town Boutique District Scavenger Hunt held back in September (remember this blog post?) and she was making the rounds using her gift cards!  We thought that was SO cool!  I had to have my picture taken with her.

Patricia with her Zoe purchase!

My second fantastic surprise was a visit from designer Kathlin Argiro and her husband!  They were in town for the holiday to visit Kathlin's parents and stopped in to see me.  Kathlin had seen Tara in Firehook Bakery (just down the street) and had thought to herself "She must work at Zoe - she looks very stylish!"  And in she walked and saw Tara behind the counter!  So perceptive!  It was such a treat to see Kathlin - she is one of my all-time favorites!

Me with Kathlin and her gorgeous wrap dresses - already thinking about what to order for Spring!

Although I have never been a Black Friday shopper myself, I am glad that there are Black Friday shoppers out there!  Like last year, many people were buying for themselves although we did sell a few items as gifts.  It was a long but enjoyable day!

Next Up:  Small Business Saturday (Year Two)



Window Wonderland 2012

Remember all the fun and frenzy of last year's Old Town Alexandria Window Wonderland contest?  And remember when I said that the voting/campaigning process reminded me why I got out of politics?  Well, we won't focus on all that right now.  But I do want to tell you more about the windows and the process for creating them.

Let me first state that I am ALWAYS the last to know what Zoe's windows are going to look like each season.  This time around, both Tara and my husband, Jim, knew about the windows and were sworn to secrecy!  I was outraged!  (Not really)

Janice and Karen wanted this year's design to match the chic offerings at Zoe so they selected sparkly chandeliers as the foundation!  They took lampshades

And created these beauties!

If you notice, the first two shades above had their covers completely removed but the ladies incorporated the cover into the design of the third shade/chandelier!

They then added snowflake and colored ball ornaments, plastic pink and clear crystals (previously used in the Valentines window), strips of tulle and some tinsel.

Rather than lighting the chandeliers themselves, they used a lighted strand of garland (found at one of the many estate sales they scour on weekends!)  They added more colored balls and snowflake ornaments as well as Chinese food containers wrapped up as packages (in pink polka dot Zoe tissue paper, of course)!  The floating packages were the brainchild of Tara and Alexandra's creative thinking one Sunday afternoon earlier in the Fall!

The end result looks beautiful day and night!

And, you guessed it...here it comes...please vote for Zoe's window display in the Old Town Boutique District Window Wonderland contest!  The link for voting is:

www.oldtownboutiquedistrict.com/windowwonderland/

 

You may vote through December 9th!

Next Up:  Black Friday - Year 2