I wear my heart on my sustainable soy sleeve. 
Baltimore’s First Fridays on the Avenue, hon! was one of my favorite nights of the month. Gals and guys would gather to peruse hip clothing stores, vintage finds and local indie arts, crafts, and home-wares, all the while sipping complimentary boozy bevies and nibbling tasty treats.
These Friday evenings provided businesses a fun, social way to interact with their regulars whilst attracting new customers under the guise of ’special late night shopping’. In truth, we initially went for the tasty freebies and chance to preview new season stock at discounted prices. However, we kept returning each month because it WAS fun and because it was a great way to meet, get to know, and support local businesses….In essence we came back because we were made to feel ‘Special’ aka: Fantastic Customer Service.
Why am i telling you this? Fast forward to a new city, new shops and new invites….
two of hearts boutique at 3728 Main Street in SOMA, sent out invites to their one month anniversary party. The evite promised family and friends a celebration not to be missed…come join the party! All righty! Discounts and previews? Appies and bevies? I was in. And so was my partner in crime.
Now admittedly, you don’t get on these lists by just being. You get on them by going… supporting…buying…signing up. So, somewhere along the way I had been to two of hearts boutique,sought, shopped and bought. And I *heart* what I bought. In fact, I remember making a very special trip to the store specifically because they stocked a particular artisan’s jewelry that I had I fallen in love with… but that’s a story for another thread.
So, on a recent Friday night we trekked down to Main Street, excited about the prospect of what was in store. Based on my previous ‘Special Preview-Invited Guest’ party shopping experience (see above), I was pretty pumped. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to:
a) meet and get to know local business owners
b) see what’s new in-store and in-season
c) spread the love to the masses….
Alas, this was not the case.
Upon walking in, I was struck by how intimate the event seemed: as though we had accidentally walked into someone’s private living room party, uninvited. We paused at the door; waiting for someone, anyone, to acknowledge us and when that minute passed, decided to work our way around the store and check out ‘the goods’. Now, what two of hearts boutique does, it does well: stocking clothing and accessories from local and up and coming designers….their in-house label is made from organic cotton and sustainable materials like bamboo and soy… best described as functional, fun, modern and sophisticated clothing.
But what it does not do well is customer service. In the time we were in-store browsing the racks and displays and generally casing out the joint we were not:
a) welcomed to the ‘party’
b) approached and given the ‘sales/marketing pitch’
c) offered a bevie or directed to the appies (tucked away behind the crowd at the counter)
It wasn’t until we were standing by the door telepathically sending SOS messages and blinking discrete ‘you want to stay or go?’ signals, did we get a half-hearted pitch.
Now, just to be clear…I know my way around a store and how these shindigs work and I whole heartedly support them. But as the invited guest at one of these events, I expect (on some level) to be wooed and welcomed to the buying party so that I leave:
a) ladened down with bags
b) with the desire to rush back with my BFF the next time I’m in the market to buy an organic soy tunic
c) in anticipation of the next special Friends and Family mix and mingle event
Sadly, we two hearts left broken.
