Stop by the Opening Night Prom Party, “You Look Wonderful Tonight,” tonight at 5:30 p.m. We’ll have food, beverages and live music! It will be the perfect way to celebrate one more day of buying! It’s on the 5th Floor at Atlanta Apparel…look for the band, balloons and banner!
The excitement is building at Atlanta Apparel Market as models hit the Fashion Center Stage in the Atrium for the first fashion show event of the August Market. Ready-to-Wear styles in the inaugural show ranged from casual dresses and pants to stylish denim and white cotton loungewear.
The styles keep coming throughout Market with another show at 3 p.m. on Friday. At 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, 
Accessories will take center stage, while shows at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday will spotlight Ready-to-Wear and Children’s styles. It’s a great chance to scout a variety of looks from a range of exhibitors.
The unparalleled Style Runway Fashion Show of prom, pageant and special occasion looks is Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the Fashion Theater on Floor 15.
If you’re here at Market and need to know exactly what’s going on when, link here or check out the Atlanta Apparel guide which can be picked up at registration.
Events include:
Daily fashion shows
Parties
Giveaways
Style Runway fashion show
and more! Check them out!
AmericasMart is now on Twitter! Be sure to follow us, especially during Market. Our name is AmericasMartATL. Find out daily happenings here on the blog and up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter.
Market is here! Come check out great lines for Accessories, Shoes, and Personal Care & Spa on the 4th floor. Great lines for Accessories: Ethel & Myrtle, Susan Shaw, Sue Cox, Clay Cox, Bonnie Leigh, Bamboo Style, Hila, Nikita Lynn Designs, Anthony Alexander, and more.
For shoes, we have Jessica Simpson, Naughty Monkey, Restricted, Rampage, Consolidated, Sperry, Jim Luckie, Italian Shoemakers, Alegria, Yellowbox, Olem, Lovely People, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Enigma, Born, and many more.
Check out the website for more lines. We hope to see you here.
Don’t miss the daily fashion shows on the 2nd floor this market! On Friday, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Young Contemporary and Contemporary looks will be featured. You can find the stage located in the center of the pit and visible from all 13 floors above, Freeway, Funky People, Kitty, Survival, Wish Collection, and XOXO are just a few of the YC lines from the 3rd floor that will be participating.
When I tell women that I own a designer jeans company, countless women respond with the same statement. ”I bet you don’t have jeans that will fit me!” And I love to respond with, “Oh yes we do.” I am always confident in responding this way because I have fit so many women in our jeans and I know that our jeans are designed for real women. But I am also always somewhat troubled by the fact that so many women consider their bodies “unable to fit.”
Since we started Beija-Flor we’ve probably fit thousands of women in our jeans, each with their own story, which has been invaluable in helping us develop and design our collection. I’ve done Beija-Flor events at boutiques, in women’s homes, in salons, and even at workplaces. Women are always very honest with us on their feedback about the jeans and their issues with fashion in general. I used to tell people that in these scenarios women spoke with me almost as if I was their doctor, open and honest, which made for some very funny conversations, but also made me realize how many women out there struggle with their body image, and natural shape.
This realization inspired us to sponsor the Shape Event at the Atlanta Apaprel. And the first person we thought of to speak at the event was Mary Ann Sudnick, one of our retailers, and a truly inspirational woman who specializes in image consulting and proportional profiling. Mary Ann has seen the fashion industry from all angles, as a buyer for Macys in New York, a successful retailer, and a certified image consultant. She has a gift in fitting and styling women of all body shapes and personal styles.
We are so excited to share her knowledge and expertise with the Atlanta Apparel buyers, and hope that they can spread this new mentality to their customers across the Southeast. As former retailers ourselves, we know how important store owners can be to their customers and how wearing the right clothes can make a huge difference in how we all feel. We hope to reshape how we look at body type, fashion, and retail.
Stop by The Shape Event: Reshaping how we look at body type, fashion and retail, taking place on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Floor 9, NE Quadrant.
There are more additions to the 4th floor for Market, including a small personal care & spa section that has great product. Be sure to check out Natural Elements Organic Soaps. This product is eco friendly and all organic. It has great price points, and it’s something you don’t see everyday. It makes your skin feel silky smooth.
Two new lines that will be showing in the Accessory category are C’est Chic Paris and The Clear Bag store. These are great bags and a great addition to the show. And, there is a new shoe exhibitor with the line Kelsi Dagger.
All are making their Atlanta debut in just a few days!
There is no question that the Internet is a place where you can find great prices if you are willing to give up personalized customer service. So why does a Full Service Specialty Boutique need a website?
Many would argue that having a website works against the whole concept of “Full Service.” Why is that? Is it the Internet or is it the attitude of most retailers that are on the Internet that has perpetuated this perception?
Why can’t a website be used to enhance customer service rather then work against it?
Let me give you an example; my family and I enjoyed a wonderful mini-vacation in Savannah, GA this summer. My wife, Carrie, always makes sure to visit “Jezebel,” a boutique on Riverwalk. When we walked into the shop we were greeted like old friends, even though it had been over a year since we last visited. As usual Carrie purchased a fabulous skirt from some obscure designer that I had never heard of. As I was leaving the store I asked the owner if she had a website. “Oh no,” she said, as if having a website for her type of boutique would be ridiculous. She said that they are constantly getting in new merchandise and it turns very quickly. “It would be impossible for us to keep a website updated.”
As I left the store I thought, “What a shame. My wife loves this boutique, yet she can only purchase from this store when we come to visit.
How might a store like this use a website and the power of the Internet to extend their incredible customer service on their website?
Is it really “impossible” to keep a website updated with new merchandise? Of course it’s not! It is simply a matter of integrating a procedure into your normal day to day routine.
A box arrives, you unpack it, remove the plastic bag, attach the proper hanger, perhaps a quick steaming, then you put it on a rack for later integration into your inventory. Decisions are made; should this go on a mannequin? Didn’t I unpack a top yesterday that will go with this skirt? Oh my goodness, Mary Smith would love this jacket, let’s put it aside and give her a call!
If Jezebel had a website, another decision would be considered. “Should we put a picture of this on our website?”
If the answer is “Yes,” a picture is quickly snapped with a digital camera. At some point in the day, or even the next day, the pictures are downloaded to a computer and uploaded to the website.
Now let’s face reality; some of those items may be sold by the time the pictures can be uploaded to the website. So what! When you are uploading the pictures simply don’t upload the ones that have sold already! Think of it; why would you not upload the pictures of 50 items that didn’t get sold just because there are five pictures on the camera of items that did get sold? Wouldn’t that be silly?!
So how does this tie into enhanced customer service?
Simple; I know Carrie would LOVE to receive an email from Jezebel whenever they have updated their website with new images. I can assure you that this is an e-mail she would NOT delete! I would even go so far as to say that it would result in a guaranteed sale!
This is just one example of how someone with a “Full Service” mentality can use a website and the Internet to enhance customer service and increase sales!
Let me leave you with this thought. If you are the owner of a Full Service Specialty Boutique, you will implement your ‘Full Service” attitude into how you use your website.
Did you miss Sal’s presentation at Market?
Don’t worry. You can now watch it and see what you missed. Click here to view the presentation.
Sal Macaluso is the creator of the eFashionCentral.com program-a complete website and Internet marketing tool designed exclusively for Full Service Specialty Boutiques.
www.eFashionCentral.com
800-729-8233
Make sure to stop by Kitty‘s booth, #3-331 this market! The featured dress in the picture is a top-seller and the best part of all is that it is under $35! This dress has made its way into lots of stores on the east & west coast. Retailers cannot keep them in stock! This style from Kitty, along with the hottest dresses in the US, will be available for purchase this market in the Young Contemporary category on the 3rd floor. Check it out!
