BRIEF ALERT! A La Mode Intimates
This Week’s Intimate Discovery: A big risk pays off for a Maryland lingerie entrepreneur
Location, Location, Location; The first lesson I learned as a merchant is that nothing is as important to the success of a retail operation as its location. It’s not only where you position product in the store, it’s also all about where the store is situated. That is why when I spoke with partners Patti Platt and Sharon Borland, owners of A La Mode Intimates
in Annapolis, Maryland about the current success of their new store I was very impressed with their courage, particularly in this economy. In January 2011, they took the leap and moved their 7 year old boutique from its downtown historic location focused on tourism to a new venue in an outside shopping center replete with businesses that nurture like-minded consumers. Only a 5 minute drive from the old site, their business has completely turned around realizing healthy volume increases. It was not an easy decision, “quite scary” I was told, but now this upscale bra fitting shop has just won a small business owner’s award for the extra consumer value it has contributed to the retail environment. And A La Mode is reaping the rewards!
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“Leap And A Net Will Appear” . . . John Burroughs
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inquiries: patti@alamodeintimates.com
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Hi Ellen: Sharon and I would like to thank you for the time you took to write about our move and mention of A La Mode in your beautifully done Blog. We love it. As I am sure you realize, many small businesses in this industry look forward to reading your piece. It’s always nice to read about not only new product and manufacturers but also learning about other boutiques. I think it’s wonderful that you’ve focused on our industry and towards the small businesses.
Bravo! Brava! Good story and good for A La Mode. Thank you for sharing the story. I’m going to steal the John Burroghs quote.