Combo Tours - Teen/Recessionista Shopping and Vintage/Chic Boutique Shopping Tours

Last week's Teen/Recessionista Shopping Tour skipped all the showy flagships and headed straight for the bargains! From their hotel, the towncar took us straight downtown to Noho where we stopped at Necessary Clothing. The teen found a super cute pair of gladiator sandals for just $19.99.

Next door, at Joyce Leslie, she found a lot of really cute tops and tanks while her mom browsed some of their jackets. I figured it would be a fun addition to head over to the Juno New York Sample Sale since the mom admitted to being the shoe addict when we drove through the shoe district. I also knew that the teen was looking for some black flats and they have a huge selection of them. The stop was a success! Not only did the teen find her black flats, but she found a cute leather bracelet as well.

Our next destination was TopShop and the ladies were super excited after I showed the a short video about the store. The teen was a huge fan of Urban Outfitters so I knew she'd love TopShop too. We definitely spent the most time here. How could we not with the three levels of endless clothing, shoes and accessories! The teen tried on a few things while the mom found some cute clutches for just $5.

After TopShop we headed over to the West Village to the Marc Jacobs Special Items store. The teen found a cute, hawaiian-print MJ tote and a few souvenirs for her friends at home.

As we headed back to their hotel, they enjoyed their yummy Magnolia Bakery cupcakes.

The other combo shopping tour we had last week was for a mother and daughter from the UK. They wanted to visit some chic boutiques along with some vintage boutiques. They were such lovely ladies.

We began the tour near Union Square and headed south on University Place where we headed to Jodi Arnold NYC and Pia. Following, we headed over to the shoe district where they visited some of the best shoe stores in the city along with Monk Vintage, where they enjoyed browsing the unique pieces.

From here, we headed past Washington Square Park and I told them a little bit about the historical MacDougal Street. We stopped at Cover Up and the daughter bought a cute headband that was also very practical in that, it was knitted and covered her ears.

Moving on, we walked over to Thompson Street, where I took them to Purdy Girl, where the mother found a beautiful necklace (all their jewelry was half off) and then to Stella Dallas, where the daughter found a pair of vintage shoes she absolutely loved. I told them that we had to visit both Purdy Girl stores, so we walked to the LaGuardia Place shop next, and we also visited Helianthus, which was just a few steps away.

At this point, I figured we should go to Soho, where they could find some more mainstream contemporary fashion at New York Look. The daughter was looking for a trench coat and I knew they'd have a good selection. She actually ended up loving a few of their spring handbags.

We were running on schedule for once, so I suggested we go to the Meatpacking District. The daughter had asked about ScoopNYC and I knew that their best stores are located on Washington Street. On the way, we made a quick stop at Chelsea Girl Couture where I told them they could find the famous Moon Bags by Patricia Smith along with some dead stock Diane Von Furstenberg.

We hopped on the subway up to the Meatpacking District next, and made a stop at Darling. The mother sat for a little, while the daughter tried on a few of their gorgeous, colorful silk dresses. From here we walked (it was a beautiful day) by Elizabeth Charles and Tracy Reese up to Gansevoort Street. Since the ladies were Carrie Bradshaw advocates, I mentioned Christian Lou Boutin and they wanted to take a quick peak inside.

Finally, we made it to ScoopNYC (they visited Scoop and Scoop Street) and I pointed out that the Diane Von Furstenberg flagship store was across the street. This was where the daughter found an adorable dress.

From here, I escorted them back to the subway and pointed them to their hotel.

If you'd like to take a customized combo shopping tour, visit our website for more information at www.shop-nyctours.com/guidedtours. We look forward to shopping with you!

Chic Boutique Tour with Carolina Gal!

I absolutely LOVE North Carolina!  So when I found out I was giving a shopping tour for a woman from Greenville who currently lives in Raleigh, I was really looking forward to some "Carolina bonding."  Afterall, I went to college in Wilmington, and pretty much partied all over the state (in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Greenville) during those days of youth..... ;-)  I have a lot of fond memories of NC.  

This woman was really sweet, early 30s and engaged (her fiance lives in New York.)  She works as an attorney and pretty much comes to New York every weekend to visit.  The shopping tour was a gift from him and since it was just a solo tour, he opted for the subway/walking tour which she actually preferred.  She said she felt like walking and taking the subway was more authentic to NYC.  She also commented how she could see tourists really benefitting from having a tour guide to teach them about the subway system.  

At any rate, the tour stops were all the same as usual.  In Greenwich Village, she particularly liked La Petit Coquette (as did her fiance) for their classy lingerie.  (In fact, I think she pointed out some neglige sets she liked to give him an idea of her taste.)  She also tried on quite a few outfits in Owl's Lab, which seemed to be one of her favorites.  She took a card and made a note that she wanted to go back there after the tour.  She wanted to have some time to think about her purchases before she bought them--smart girl!

She actually made a comment halfway through the tour that even though she lived in New York for almost five years and visits every weekend, she had never been to the stores I was introducing her to.  Like most New Yorkers, she was always too busy to explore the often "hidden gem" boutiques in the city.  

When we got to Soho, she really enjoyed New York Look and tried on a few things there as well.  Instead of sticking to the more commercial stores, after New York Look, I suggested we head to West Soho to visit some of the vintage boutiques.  She really enjoyed Chelsea Girl Couture and Laurel Canyon (where she tried on a pair of their awesome vintage cowboy boots.)  I also mentioned Flying A and she commented that she had been there before and had been meaning to go back.  I told her that this would be a good time, since they offer 15% off vintage items to my tours.  

While in transit to the last stop on the tour, we talked about some of the amazing vintage stores in North Carolina, including Buffalo Exchange (which I told her recently opened a store in NYC) and a lot of the cool vintage shops in Chapel Hill.  We also talked about downtown Raleigh and how it's such a beautiful, quaint town.  I told her I went to school in Wilmington and she told me she had been there within the last month and actually bought the sandals she was wearing while she was there.  (These sandals were adorable and she got SO many compliments on them throughout the tour!)  

Darling, in the West Village/Meatpacking area, was the last stop, which I knew she'd enjoy because by this time, I had a good feel for her personal taste and style.  I also think she was a little overwhelmed by this point since we had been shopping for 3 1/2 hours and she had seen a lot that she really liked and wanted to go back to see after the tour.  She had also been awake since the crack of dawn and had plans to go out with friends that evening so I walked her to the nearest subway and pointed her in the direction of her fiance's.  She was really grateful to me for the tour and said she had a wonderful time.  I had a great time too.  We hugged goodbye.  I'm telling you, it's something about those Carolina connections...... :-)

If you'd like to take one of our subway/walking shopping tours, visit www.zerve.com/ShopNYCTours for more information and to purchase tickets.  I hope to shop with you soon!

Chic Boutique Tour - Bachelorette Party!

Saturday's tour was the first Chic Boutique Tour that I've given in a while.  My Vintage Boutique and Teen Fashion and Fun Tours have been more popular, probably because of the state of the economy.  The Chic Boutique Tour definitely visits boutiques with higher overall price points than the other tours, but you can still find select items that don't cost a fortune, and window shopping is always welcome too.  

The group was a lot of fun.  There were two women from Reno, Nevada and then, of course, the bachelorette party, from Pittsburgh, PA.  Due to the size of the group, we took a limo, which always puts a smile on women's faces--especially when it's a surprise.  

First stop was in Greenwich Village at Make-up Forever.  The bride-to-be got some advice from the sales associates (who are all professional make-up artists) about how to do her makeup for the big day.  A couple other ladies in her party made some purchases too, while the ladies from Reno visited an art gallery across the street.  

Around the corner on University Place was Pia, where all of the ladies took a look at the beautiful handbags.  Bruce, the owner, was friendly, as always.  They all loved the store but the price range wasn't in their budget.  So I suggested, since it was a bachelorette party, that they head across the street to La Petit Coquette to take a look at the cute, feminine and funky lingerie selection.  The ladies from Reno showed a strong interest in gift shops and housewares stores so I pointed them in the direction of William Wayne & Company.  In the last 15 minutes of our stop in Greenwich Village, both groups ended up in Ibiza, which they all seemed to take a strong liking too.  They were all pretty amazed with their beautiful collection of jewelry, their cool hats and their funky handbags.

After Greenwich Village, it was back to the limo and off to Soho.  Since I had a good feel for the group by this point, I decided to take them to the west side of Soho rather than the east side, since the boutiques in that area are more unique than commercial but still reasonable in pricing.  They visited Laurel Canyon Vintage (one of the ladies in the bachelorette party wanted to see their cowboy boot collection after viewing the video), Chelsea Girl Couture (one of the ladies from Reno was interested in the Moon Bags after viewing the video), The Hat Shoppe, Lunessa and DKNY to name a few.  The ladies from Reno also visited Clio (a housewares store.)  This was a perfect area for the combination of groups since there is such a wide range of boutiques.  There was definitely something for everyone.  

After Soho, we got back in the limo and they each enjoyed a glass of champagne as we headed over to the West Village/Meatpacking District.  Next stop was Darling, which is one of my personal favorites.  Darling is awesome because they have a range of contemporary fashion, vintage fashion, vintage-inspired fashion and of course, a lovely dress collection on the lower level.  They also have some amazing accessories like broaches, earrings, necklaces, belts, and hats to name a few.  Darling carries some select handbags and shoes and some scented candles and oils for the home, which gives the entire store the most pleasant smell.  

Everyone enjoyed this store but since the bachelorette party was taking more time than the other women, I suggested they head over to the next block where they could visit Mxyplyzyk, which is one of the coolest gift shops in the city.  I also suggested that they visit Tea & Sympathy across the street where they could find some great gifts as well.  I would normally suggest The Bathroom too but it turns out that they're Greenwich Avenue store closed.  Times are definitely tough.

The West Village/Meatpacking was our last stop and after some successful purchases, the limo picked us up and dropped off each group at their requested location (another advantage of having a small group), which they really appreciated, considering it was raining like crazy all day.  

If you'd like to do something special in NYC for your bride-to-be, visit www.shop-nyctours.com and book one of our tours.  Both public and private groups tours are available.  Hope to shop with you soon!

Private, Customized Tour for Two Lovely Ladies

As I walked into The Plaza Hotel with my ShopNYC Tours tote, I must say that I felt a little anxious about the palace-like decor and what it conveyed.  Were my customers staying here and, if so, were they going to be friendly or a bit prude?  I wasn't sure what to expect.  Maybe they were just exploring and touring The Plaza and staying somewhere a little more "low-key" like The New Yorker?  I quickly found out.  Just as I entered, they were conveniently standing in front of me, saw my tote and we introduced ourselves.  

There were 2 ladies and a gentleman who quickly explained that he wasn't going on the tour, but rather just seeing them off.  We walked out to the car and he took a photo of them getting in.  Then he smiled and waved goodbye.  The ladies were somewhat quiet when we first got into the car and even up until we neared the first stop.  

When we arrived at East 11th Street, I think they were a little apprehensive about the neighborhood.  They asked if it was more of a local area and I told them that it was but assured them that the most interesting boutiques are located in "local" neighborhoods.  I wasn't really sure what they were going to think about the boutiques on 11th Street but figured I would find out!  The boutiques in this area are mostly bargain/consignment boutiques, which can turn some people off.  Within a few minutes though, one of the ladies was trying on a pair of shoes in Tokyo Joe's so I knew they were liking it!

Next up was O Mistress Mine, which they loved!  One of the ladies bought a black patent-leather handbag with red, satin lining and the other almost bought one of their vintage hats. They had a great time exploring O Mistress Mine, as people usually do.

Even though they were loving the vintage and consignment, I decided to take them down to East 9th Street where they could find a nice mix of vintage and trendy fashion boutiques.  It's a beautiful block and it was a little difficult to see that since they were filming Step Up 3.  But I guess they thought it was interesting that they were filming there.  We visited a fairly new place that I hadn't been in before called DejaVu, which is both a boutique and tailor service.  I was extremely impressed with it.  They had a beautiful collection of dresses (some made in France) that were actually pretty affordable.  They also had some beautiful, unique handbags in the back.

Some other places we visited on East 9th were Local Clothing, Fialka and Meg.  We were going to head to East 7th Street but were running out of time allotted for the East Village so we decided to head over to Soho.  

I knew that they would absolutely love Chelsea Girl (I could tell by their reactions from the videos) and I figured that they might like Laurel Canyon as well.  I was also sure to point out INA since they took a liking to some of the designer consignment in the East Village.

At Chelsea Girl, one of the ladies tried on several vintage dresses but didn't have any luck with the sizes.  At INA they did more browsing and then headed across the street to the jewelry store, Lunessa, where they made a few purchases.  Last stop in Soho was Sacco and this is where they made quite a few purchases.  One of the ladies fell in love with their headbands which consisted of unique feathers, flowers and bows (a la Gossip Girl) while the other found a comfortable and stylish pair of shoes.  

Next up was their requested stop--Lulu Guiness.  This was something they told me they wanted to do when they first booked the tour.  Since Lulu Guiness is located in the West Village, I wanted to allow time for more than just one stop because I knew they would absolutely love the neighborhood.  

When one of the ladies stepped into Lulu Guiness, you'd have thought she stepped into her personal heaven.  She quickly scoured through every little, unique handbag with glee!  They didn't have the one that she wanted in the correct color, which was disappointing, but the disappointment quickly went away when I pointed them in the direction of the Magnolia Bakery, where they bought two cupcakes.  On the way to the West Village, I had shown them the video of Darling, so they decided that in the remaining time they wanted to shop there.  So we hopped in the car and headed that direction while they finished their delish cupcakes. 

They really adored everything at Darling.  They both ended up purchasing a lovely pair of earrings.  And one of the women bought a belt as well.  So the tour ended on a good note for both of them!

On the way back to The Plaza, the ladies said they had a wonderful time.  They said that they thought 4 hours of shopping would be too much, but that it went by so quickly.  They also commented that they would have never found the boutiques that I introduced them to if it weren't for the planned shopping tour itinerary and transportation.  I was really glad to hear it. That's what I'm trying to provide people:  a relaxing, unique, comfortable NYC experience that you just can't have when you're on your own in the Big Apple.  

If you'd like to have one of these NYC experiences, visit my website for more info at www.shop-nyctours.com.  Thanks for reading and I hope to shop with you soon!