Boutique Blowout: Urban Garage Sale
I am proud to announce my recent addition to the Stephanie Horne Boutique team, and what better way to dive head first into this internship than with an event?
With winter clearance in hand, the boutique returned to the 6th annual Shorewood Boutique Blowout. This urban garage sale, created in part by Shorewood resident-and funny enough a family friend-Jennifer Anderson, is comprised of resale shops (Swanky Seconds), boutiques (Stephanie Horne), home goods stores (The Workroom), bakeries (Miss Cupcakes), outdoor outlets (Yellowwood) and more. The $5 admission fee benefits the Shorewood Recreation and Community Services Department and is well worth the insane discounts inside!
On Saturday, February 6th, the grueling task of hauling racks, accessories, and thirteen garment bags from our Third Ward location to the Atwater cafeteria commenced at the crack of dawn. Accompanied by my fabulous manager, Tan Honsa (top middle), and fellow employee Rtajia (top left), we set out to return with nothing but a max-capacity cash box.
Surrounded by an atmosphere of bargaining, organized chaos, and the encouragement of Tan, a.k.a. salesman extraordinaire, I began to talk up the shoppers. Armed with the power of suggestion (75% off original prices didn’t hurt either) I shuttled armfuls of garments to the makeshift fitting room and got my first taste of some one-on-one costumer dialogue.
As the racks began to dwindle, our team started adding up receipts and before we knew it we had surpassed our goal and previous numbers with a total of over $4,500! I would like to say I contributed to that total, however the majority truly was an ode to the relentless and tactful salesmanship of Tan.
Having never taken part in that kind of retail or sales environment, the day was rich in adrenaline, credit card swipes, newly learned sales techniques, and customer relations. Needless to say this event proved successful and valuable for not only the Shorewood community and our store, but also little ol’ me.
