Warehouse Sale - Year Two

It is fitting that the Old Town Boutique District Warehouse Sale has taken place the day before the Super Bowl over the last two years.  When people asked me to describe it this year the best I could come up with was "The Super Bowl of Fashion" (don't try to Trademark it...I'm already working on that.  Got to love having the PTO in your backyard.)

Planning begins in December for this annual event held at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Old Town.  One of the first decisions I had to make after deciding to participate (Yes!) was the size space I would request.  Last year Zoe had a small space but this year I felt a large space would be the better choice.  So then all the planning for properly outfitting that large space goes into motion.

First up was ordering a second H-rack from the Furniture & Fixtures Warehouse in Richmond.  I didn't have the opportunity to make a trip there during their business hours so I had to have the H-rack shipped to the store.  Then I had to make sure I had all the right Size guides for the rack (I ordered the missing ones from Barr Display in Florida - they are the ones who have provided much of my fixtures at Zoe).  I ordered two Chinese screens from Amazon (Tara scouted these out for me) to use as "Dressing Rooms".  And I made sure we had plenty of credit card slips and receipt books.  I have to say, it was great to have been through it last year and to know so much better what to expect and what lessons to learn.

As time got closer to the sale, we had to start figuring out exactly what would be included on the sale.  Of course all of our Fall/Winter items that were on sale but did we have any remaining Spring/Summer items that should go?  Any accessories?  And is all of it going to fit in the large space?

One of the things that is important is determining the discount on each item.  We knew that we would have items on sale from 65 - 80% off their original retail prices.  But what about those items that may have been marked down 2 or 3 times?  Their tags really look confusing.  So we set up all the discounts in our point of sale system and printed brand new tags.  The new tags were printed with the original retail price and we marked the new Warehouse Sale price on each tag with Zoe's signature pink marker.  Makes it easy to see just what kind of deal you are getting at the sale.  Tara went through on Thursday afternoon and retagged every item to go to the sale.  That's a lot of work.

I was in the store on Friday, February 1st to prepare for and participate in the set-up.  I am always incredibly anxious before big events so I make lists.  With check boxes.  Because I feel better when I see things checked off.

You wouldn't think there would be that many things to consider for a one day sale, would you?  But it really is like opening a second Zoe for the day.

Tara had staged all of the clothing out into the store so that when Jim arrived after 3 pm on Friday afternoon, we wouldn't be pulling items out of the back.  As he and I were loading our cars, Alexandra arrived after school to help me go to the Masonic Memorial to set up.  We loaded the cars as best with could with the knowledge that Jim would need to unload and then come back to Zoe for more.  He always lectures me that he had better not have to bring back as much as he is taking!

We found our space right away (we were happy to be in the Upstairs Dining Room again) and immediately got started in configuring the space with the tables the way we wanted them.  Next comes set up on the H-racks - you want to get those perfectly spaced from the start as they are heavy when you have lots of clothes on them!  Alexandria and I were hard at work.

Alexandra sets up our sweater table. 

The young lady who does our social media set up this lovely scarf display on the accessories table.

After some strategizing, we figured out where to put the "Dressing Room"

Mirrors are a "must have" - we had two again this year!!

Setting up our "cash desk" - a card table from my house covered with a curtain from Target and my "coming soon" sign from the time I was preparing to open Zoe in Spring 2011!

Me discussing display strategies with Alexandra as we finalize set-up

We're done!  Game Faces On!  Ready to go home and "try" to get some rest.

Yes, well.  Good luck with the "rest" part.  It turned out that none of us slept well the night before.  In order to limit the number of cars in the parking lot, Jim and I picked up Tara and Alexandra the next morning.  Jim dropped us at the Memorial just at 7 am and we were faced with a small line already outside the door. 

It is never good to get in my way when I've got my "Game Face" on.  As we walked up to the door, I explained to those waiting in line that we were working the event.  They said "The door is locked."  Those who know me know that a locked door never deters me.  I marched right up to it a pressed the doorbell (probably more than once...) and could hear the bells clanging inside.  It sounded like a church bell!  Rapidly, the head of facilities for the Memorial came to the door and growled "Who rang the bell?"  I said "Me!  We need to get inside!"  He instantly changed his tone and let all of us in (and was frighteningly nice to me for the rest of the day!)

Workers for the other stores get a chance to check out the items from each store during this early period.  I'm too busy going into "game mode" to shop.  But I wasn't too busy to answer questions from a remote customer who was shopping the pictures we had put on Facebook!

Everyone loves a prompt response...even on sale day!

At 8 am, the local bloggers and the 4 lucky winners of early entry were allowed in.  And before you knew it, the regular shoppers, many who had been queued up for a couple of hours, were in!  Remember our pretty sweater table?

The picture below is how it looked about 5 minutes into the sale. 

It's hard when you are used to things looking nice!  Especially for the Zoe Girls!

We split up our duties.  I would handle all of the transactions, Alexandra would assist me in calling and bagging the items and Tara would manage the sales floor.  At one point, Tara found herself holding a large collection of clothing for an enthusiastic shopper.

Alexandra and I were busy ringing people up - as the sale went on, we had the happy problem of running out of receipts! 

Things do get pretty nutty during the sale - clothing ends up all over the place.  Tara had to even briefly moderate a small "disagreement" when one customer thought another was touching her stuff!

It is so much fun to meet new people and get to see friends and current Zoe customers!  We had a great mix of both on that day.  It always makes you feel good when you start to see those racks and tables thinning!  Our last customer purchased from us just after 4 pm.

Jim had brought my car to the parking lot a little after 3 pm and had neighbor Mike follow him over so he could go back home.  That way, when we closed, we could start packing up while Jim made his way back to the Memorial.  The pack up always goes so much faster that the set-up!  Especially when you have a lot less to pack up!

Tara and Alexandra and I (as well as Alexandra's family and a friend) started the pack up.  The great news was that we were able to get the return items in 2 cars with some room left to spare.  Janice had taken loving care of Zoe's real home on Union Street that day.  I had called to let her know we were on our way and to pull the rolling racks into the store so that we could hang up the clothes as they came in. 

The unload completed, Tara and I started ringing in the sales.  It is a tough process.  I do it manually because I'm always afraid the electronic card swipe on the iPhone/iPad won't work well (I had problems at another event) plus I have to relieve the inventory anyway.  We finally finished up at around 8 pm and I asked Tara to give me the total!  Great success and slightly over 50% better than the previous year!  Exhausted, we packed up and I drove Tara home.  We had some additional "clean-up" work to do at the store the next day, but it could wait.  Year Two was done and it was a success!

Next Up:  The Other Side



A Customer Rewards Program

Yes, so...how is that commitment to blogging more regularly working out for you?  It's ok - I know you want to say it.  But I'm back again.  And hoping that, if it counts for anything, all the fun and interesting things I have to write about will make it worth the wait.

One of the things the Zoe ladies and I have been brainstorming about is related to a Customer Rewards Program.  And as you've probably picked up in my prior posts along this adventure, my personal biases tend to be reflected in the decisions that I make for the store.  Good or bad, it is a fact.

So what do I think makes a good customer rewards program (for me?)

1) It has to be simple.  I don't want to have to think about it.  I don't want to have to track anything on my own or have expiration dates or have to click on a link and do something twice and then come into the store.  I hate complicated.

2) It has to give me something I care about and will use (and has to make it easy to use it).  I used to travel a great deal in a previous job.  I amassed a large number of Marriott points (their hotels are everywhere - no matter how large or small the locale) and significant frequent flyer status on United (helpful because Dulles is one of their hubs and they went everywhere I needed to go).  Adding to my points balance required no effort from me (except to remember to reference my rewards number when booking reservations) and redeeming them was also simple.  Go online, submit the request, receive confirmation, enjoy. 

3) It needs to make me feel special.  Now, let me be clear.  The silly "red carpet" and a different "lane" to board the plane in the United gate area did NOT make me feel special.  Getting to go through a shorter security line and check baggage for free...that made me feel special. 

Probably my biggest customer rewards program now (besides Starbucks) is Amtrak.  Although I don't travel enough to make any sort of Elite Status, I do build points that I could cash in for a free trip.  I can get excited about that.

So I think about all these things when I think about what might make sense to reward Zoe's wonderful customers.  And I think about...what do we do today?

We offer a bag discount - if you bring your Zoe bag when you come shopping with us, we offer you a 5% discount on your purchase.  The bags are really nice and are reusable.  But I realize not everyone wants to carry their Zoe bag around.  But we do have a core group of customers who loyally bring in their bags when they shop with us.  (I love it!)

For those customers who sign up on our email list and give us their birthday month, we offer a 15% discount in their birthday month (doesn't matter whether it is sale or full price item...and we layer it on top of any other discount going on at the time). 

We have certain things we do for customers, depending on how they choose to interact with us - if you are on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter, we sometimes have short term contests or giveaways.  But if you follow us on email, sometimes you know about events before everyone else.  Or you are eligible to win a $100 Gift Card that we give away at the end of every quarter.  Or you might win prizes from attending an in-store event. 

But how does all this translate into building a Loyalty Program that is meaningful to Zoe's customers?  (and, conversely, to the business?)  I have some ideas but would love your feedback.  What makes for a great loyalty program in your eyes?

Next Up:  Warehouse Sale - Year Two

Summer Market

I know that I've done a lot of posts about my trips to market to buy for Zoe.  It is always fascinating to me that no matter how many times I've gone, each time is a slightly different experience. 

I'll never get used to the fact that we buy so far in advance.  I had resort/early spring items arriving at Zoe this month that I ordered back in July!  So, with that knowledge, it makes sense that I would be buying Summer deliveries in early January.

The minor fashion seasons (Summer, Winter/Holiday, Resort/Early Spring) have smaller collections.  Usually, I can accomplish everything I hope to accomplish in one day.  But I always make a list prior to the show to make sure I know who I want to see and their booth locations.

That's a lot of people to try to visit in one day! (But don't you love my Oscar de la Renta notebook?)

When I asked the young lady who manages Zoe's social media if she'd like for me to Tweet about the experience throughout the day, she said "Yes!"  So I had to make sure I left time to Tweet!

I departed Union Station on a 5:25 am train for New York.  Union Station early on a Sunday morning is NOT the place to be.  Nothing is open and there are some questionable people hanging around.  I was happy to get ON the train.

The train ride was uneventful and we had a slightly early arrival in NYC!  After making sure my Mom and Jim knew that I arrived safely, I was off to catch a cab.  The fantastic thing was that the cab line early on Sunday morning was non-existent! 

Note that the ease of catching a cab does not always translate into a quality cab ride.  When I got in and told the driver my destination (Piers 92/94 please!) he asked "Is that East side or West side?"  Uh oh.  I gave him more precise cross streets and off we went.  In short order we arrived!

Because this was a smaller show, I only had one specific appointment and the rest of my designers had told me to drop in when I had the opportunity.  I started with accessories first and made a stop at San Diego based leatherworks Leatherock.  I love their belts!

Next up was one of my (and Zoe customer) favorites Chan Luu!  My one appointment of the day!  It is always such fun to work with Natasha to pick out great jewelry and scarves.

Quite often, the denim is also located in the same area as all of the accessories designers.  So of course I had to make a stop at Red Engine to visit sales rep Jenny!  I picked some colored denim for the store for Spring as well as stocked up on some new washes for some of our customer staples.

A quick glance at the time told me I had better get going on my apparel shopping!  So it was off to new store fave Amy Matto.

Loving the pinks in these dresses!

Beth Bowley also does some great prints in easy to wear shapes.  I have a hard time editing to exactly what I want to bring home for Zoe's customers!

When I tweeted about this dress, I got an immediate positive response!

Alice & Trixie does some fabulous Summer pieces.  I always have a hard time deciding what to buy!

Next it was off to one of our favorites - Velvet.  The Zoe Girls had given me assignments of pieces that they wanted me to look at during the market.  Velvet is one of the brands that provides access to their linesheet information prior to the show so that you can start "pre-shopping". 

So many style choices!

And color choices!  How do I decide??

Next door was Velvet's higher end brand Graham & Spencer.  Oh, how I love this brand.  I wanted one of everything!

Another personal favorite is Rebecca Taylor.  My rep, Noelle, has been my rep since my very first market in October 2010 in Atlanta.  It is always great to see her and she knows me and my store so well that she can help me start to edit as we are going through the pieces.



How cute are those little stripped peplum tops on the right?

And yes, I had to succumb to picking up a couple of pieces for myself....

Noelle was also so sweet to allow me to charge my iPhone in their booth.  All that Tweeting taking up battery power!  The funniest thing?  The most compliments I got all day were related to my iPhone cover (a pink Kate Spade cover).  Every time I lifted it up to take a picture, the rep would comment on how they loved it!

Then it was off to Tracy Reese.  The rep there also has been with me since day one.  It is so wonderful when they understand my store and know the items NOT to show me!  My editing here was really tough - I loved everything!

Please note that any bias toward red and black was purely coincidental! (mostly)

Just prior to market, I had heard from a great sales rep for another line that she was leaving that line.  Imagine my delight when I ran into her in another booth!  While I don't carry this line in the store, I liked the design, function, and quality of this line.

And before I knew it, it was time to catch my train back to DC.  Not wanting to get caught in the "taxi shift change" that I experienced in August last year, I took the show shuttle bus back to Penn Station!

An uneventful train ride later, I was back in DC.  What a whirlwind!  Everyone always says "Oh, it must be such fun!"  I always tell them that it is one of the most fun parts of owning a store and one of the most stressful!  I always hope I've found the things my customers are going to LOVE! 

Next up:  A Customer Rewards Program





The Scout Guide Party

I promise that this is the last post from my catch-up from December.  And I realized that I've posted a bit out of order since there was just so much going on.  But I would be remiss if I didn't mention The Scout Guide Holiday Party.

If you have been a regular reader of the blog, you may remember how much I enjoyed my photo session for The Scout Guide last February.  The guides were published in late May/early June of last year and we've been sharing them with our customers since that time.

Recently, a new editor (relocated from The Scout Guide corporate offices in Charlottesville) took over The Scout Guide for our area and decided to hold a holiday party for current and potential new members of the Guide.  She held the party at my lovely down-the-street neighbor, Mystique Jewelers.

The party was set to start at 6 pm so Tara (Zoe's Assistant Manager) and I walked the block to Mystique immediately after closing the store.  Things were already in full swing with wine from Scout Guide store Unwined and catering from A Thyme and Place (how clever is that name?)

So many of us who are store owners are so busy with our businesses and life that we don't often get to visit with each other.  It was such fun to get to see my fellow Old Town Boutique District store owners Kelly (Bishop Boutique) and Liz (Mystique).

We were also encouraged to invite our customers!  I was so thrilled that Friends of Zoe Christina and Maggie also attended the event (Christina looks fabulous in the Rebecca Taylor top she purchased from Zoe that very day!)

Before the event ended that evening, they took a picture of all of the business owners in attendance that night!  Pretty exciting to be associated with such a great group of people!

They had beautiful SWAG bags for all of the attendees - each one had treats from the store owners as well as all the Virginia-based Scout Guides!  It was a very fun evening and was a great example of the enthusiasm that the editor is placing on The Guide!  Looking forward to Volume 2!

Next Up:  Summer Market

Hayfield Fashion Show

Word gets around.  Especially if someone has a good experience or a really bad experience.  Fortunately, Zoe's involvement in the Hayfield High School Fashion Show in December was born from a good experience by Edison High School earlier in the year!

On a field trip this fall, the Fashion Marketing teachers from Edison and Hayfield were talking about Hayfield's Winter Fashion Show.  The teacher from Edison shared the good experience they had working with Zoe for their Spring Fashion Show.  I was delighted to help Hayfield High School in the same way.  Both schools are not far from my home and I always love being involved in my community.

The Hayfield team came to Zoe a couple of days in advance to select clothing and perform the fittings.  Janice worked with them that afternoon and raved about how polite and well-behaved the students were during their time at Zoe.  All total, we sent 18 pieces of clothing and 7 accessories with them!

The day of the fashion show was a busy, intense day for me.  It is always important for me to attend events where Zoe's clothing is on display but I felt especially tired on this day.  As I stood in line to get into the auditorium for the show, I looked around me and thought "What on earth is a 40-something woman doing at a high school fashion show?"  But I quickly remembered it was because Zoe was involved!

I tried to get a seat close to the stage so that I could take pictures!  The students had a slideshow projected on the stage as we waited for the event to begin.

Their theme was "Falling Into Winter" and the show was made up of 4 acts as they transitioned from the fall to winter clothing with changing colors and fabric weights.  In addition to Zoe, the students would also be modeling clothing from Men's Wearhouse (for the young men in the show) and Select Seconds, the thrift shop associated with Inova Mt. Vernon Hospital.

Once the show started, I was not sorry at all that I had made the time to attend!  The young ladies looked stunning in Zoe's clothing and strutted with runway with just the right amount of sass, style, and attitude!  I felt my grin getting bigger with each model who emerged from the wings!

Even more impressive was how they had combined the Thrift Shop items with Zoe's pieces.  The looks were seamless and they never appeared mismatched or forced.  The saddest note?  That the lighting (and my iPhone camera) did not combine well for good pictures.

The best ones I could get were from long distances (even though I was seated in the second row) and just don't do the girls (or the outfits) proper justice.

After the show, I made sure to introduce myself to the teacher and let her know how much I enjoyed it and what a good job they had done with the whole production.  She was charming and you could tell she really appreciated Zoe's willingness to work with them.

And the next day, all of the items were returned without a single issue.  If only all relationships could be like this one!  We actually ended up getting an extra scarf in the return and when I contacted the teacher to let her know, she told me that the girls were still talking about the store!  Those comments can make you glow for hours!

This is one forty-something who isn't at all sorry she spent her Wednesday evening before Christmas at a High School Fashion Show!

Next Up:  The Scout Guide Party

It Must Be The Month of Jewelry

It seems like so many of my December catch-up posts are all about jewelry!  And it is no surprise as we have great jewelry pieces at Zoe AND jewelry is a very popular gift for the holidays!

As I have posted before, every trunk show is different.  We kicked off a trunk show with Cayetano Legacy Collection on December 15th that was unique.  Rather than having the pieces for a day or a weekend, we would have them for 3 weeks! 

But let's back up - how did we get here (to quote David Byrne)?  In November, Zoe was contacted via Twitter by the local Cayetano rep to ask if we would be interested in a trunk show.  We met with the rep, Lauren, one Sunday afternoon at Zoe to see the pretty pieces and hear more about the line.  This wasn't a line we had carried previously at Zoe so we wanted to see if it would be a fit for our customer.  One look told us it would be a great offering for the holidays!

Lauren arranged to bring the pieces to Zoe on December 15th and set up a beautiful display on our round table.

She really brought some gorgeous, statement-type necklaces.  And they were reasonably priced!  Another bonus!  She also left us with some beautiful bags for the jewelry as well as a candle (that we gave away during a Facebook trivia giveaway - more on that in a future blog post!)

One of the things that made this trunk show unique was that we kept the pieces for 3 weeks.  It gave people lots of opportunity during the holiday season to see the items, rather than having them have to come out on a a single day.  For those who did come on the 15th, we had Baked by Melissa mini-cupcakes as well as our favorite prosecco (no cork this time - remember Fashion's Night Out)

We all loved the pieces and many of our customers visiting at the time did too!  Lauren came to collect the remaining pieces on January 6th.  What do you think?  Should we carry Cayetano year-round?

Next up:  Hayfield Fashion Show

A Visit from Katie Bartels

As you can imagine, I find lines (or they find me) for Zoe in myriad ways!  In May of last year, I wrote about a site that connects buyers with designers (JOOR).  In late May/early June, I got a request on the site to connect with a jewelry designer named Katie Bartels.  When you get a request, you can look at the offerings of the designer, the price points (both wholesale and retail) and can link directly to their website to learn more about them and their designers.  The site is used by large, well-established designers (like Tracy Reese and Rebecca Taylor) as well as small, independent designers.

I took a look at Katie's designs and her website.  I loved her creative use of color and different materials as well as her beautiful pictures and detailed descriptions of the composition of each piece.  I also liked her passion for "giving back" and her history of leaving the corporate world to start her own business.  We traded some emails but before I made a purchase, I wanted to speak with her on the phone.  It all goes back to relationships and if I feel a connection with this person who will be doing business with Zoe.

We had a lovely phone conversation early one morning and our business relationship was born!  I placed an order within the week.  And Katie has been nothing less than fantastic to work with!  I have had two instances where I had an item in store, it got purchased by someone and then someone else wanted it too!  She has twice drop shipped items to my customers on my behalf.  And the coach's wives at the University of Georgia LOVE her Janna earrings!

Katie was headed to DC when Superstorm Sandy hit our region and New York City (where she lives).  We had hoped to meet in person during her visit that week but with train travel between our cities canceled, we had to put it off.

When Katie was able to reschedule for early December, I couldn't wait to have her visit Zoe!  She and her friend stopped by to see us one December afternoon.  She is just what you would imagine a jewelry designer to be - fun and fashionable.  And one thing we know about Katie - she loves sparkle!  She came in to the store and showed me and Tara the sparkle tape she had just purchased from Paper Source on King Street!  (It was such fun to later see that show up on her Facebook page and her blog!)  And we were loving her ring selection for the day!

Katie has also brought me a couple of pieces I had ordered (now that is delivery service!!!)  Tara took a picture of me perusing our new items.

Katie stayed to visit with us and tell us tales of NYC and her past (India, Korea) and upcoming (Iceland) travels.  I told her that I live vicariously through her!  She is delightful in every way and I love carrying her beautiful pieces at Zoe!

She does a great blog too - you can follow her at Passports and Pearls!  I do!

Next up:  It Must Be the Month of Jewelry