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!

Vintage Boutique Tour for Browsers

Yesterday's tour was unique.  It consisted of 2 women: one from Vermont and one from California.  They were on a short weekend getaway.  I could tell from the beginning that they weren't going to be big shoppers, which was completely fine.  I think what some people don't realize is that my tours are meant for shopping, but even if you're not a shopper, you'll have a wonderful time just experiencing the neighborhoods and browsing the boutiques.  On my tours, you can have an AMAZING experience even if you don't buy on thing.  

We began, of course, in Soho--but on the west side of Soho.  I always explain to people that the east side of Soho is where they have the more commercial stores (Old Navy, H&M, Victoria's Secret) and high-end designer stores (Prada, Chanel.)  I focus on west Soho on my tours because it's a quaint, clean, quiet area of Soho where there are a lot of individually owned, smaller boutiques.  In fact, there's actually something called "S3" (which stands for Shop Small Stores) that smaller, locally-owned boutiques have created to promote shopping in their boutiques.  At any rate, the ladies really seemed to enjoy the neighborhood immensely.  They weren't spending a lot of time in any of the stores because they were just browsing--not shopping but it still allowed them to enjoy themselves.  One of the ladies commented on how it was fun just simply exploring.

After Soho, we headed to the East Village and they really enjoyed Buffalo Exchange on East 11th Street.  They spent quite some time browsing but didn't end up buying anything.  It was the same with O Mistress Mine.  They loved looking through Wanda's (the owner's) collection but they didn't make any purchases.  Again--they were just having a nice time strolling through the stores and exploring.

On our way to East 9th Street something very exciting happened!  We saw Leonardo DiCaprio!!!  Yes--even though I'm a local, I admit, I was very excited.  We weren't sure if it was him so one of the ladies said she wanted to go back to the cafe where he was sitting to get a drink.  She didn't really buy a drink, of course.  It was just to confirm that it was him.  And it definitely was!  I couldn't believe how grungy he looked.  You know, he's one of those Hollywood stars that dresses very chic and sophisticated for the most part.  He looks very polished on the red carpet whereas someone like Johnny Depp tends to look a little more grungy.  But to my surprise Leo looked like a regular East Villager.  I do think, however, that he had to TRY to look this way.  He was TRYING not to stand out which was cool, I guess.

Anyway, on East 9th Street, they explored Fabulous Fanny's and Cadillac's Castle for a bit.  They were also excited to see AuH2O so we headed to East 7th Street immediately after that.  One of the ladies bought a pair of Obama earrings for her mom and the other tried on a top but didn't make a purchase because it didn't fit.  They definitely had a really strong interest in Kate's boutique though.  

We had a little time left after East 7th Street so I decided to take them to St. Mark's Place.  I figured they might enjoy seeing an area that was still a little "off the beaten path" but also a little more touristy and with shops that have some lower prices and some souvenirs.  (I knew they had teenagers they might want to buy for.)  So we strolled along St. Mark's.  I told them that was one of the perks to it just being the two of them.  I was able to show them something that wasn't part of the usual itinerary.

Following St. Mark's, I asked if they'd like to visit the West Village since we still had an hour left with the car service, but they decided to head back to the hotel.  They said that they had a wonderful time already and they were anxious to change clothes and have dinner before their show.  One of the ladies was actually waiting for her lost luggage to arrive at their hotel so she also wanted to get back to check on it.

I think the tour started out a little rocky but as time went on, the ladies realized that there was no pressure to shop.  I was happy just showing them around and they were happy just exploring.  

If you'd like to browse with ShopNYC Tours, visit www.shop-nyctours.com for more information about us!  I hope to shop--or browse with you soon!

Vintage Boutique Tour - Erin Go Bragh!

Friday’s Vintage Boutique Tour was really a lot of fun.  I knew the tourists were going to be from Ireland but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  It ended up being three ladies on a girlfriend getaway for the weekend.  One of them currently lives in Seattle, Washington, so she met the other two, who still reside in Ireland, “halfway” in NYC.

When I arrived at the pick-up location I was happy to see three ladies.  I don’t mind having men on my tours (especially the Vintage Boutique Tour since there’s a pretty big selection for men in most of the boutiques) but I knew that if my customers were ladies, they were more likely to be there by choice. 

I knew this was going to be a good tour because when I started the tour videos of the Soho stores, they were super-excited about what they saw and they couldn’t wait to shop. 

First stop was Flying A and they started shopping immediately when they walked in the door.  They were picking up items to try on in the dressing rooms, trying on accessories, etc.  I was glad to have them stay at their first stop for 30 minutes because I knew that they had a true interest in what I was showing them.  Sometimes when people aren’t shopping, I wonder if they aren’t liking the tour, if they were expecting something different, etc.  I think the case lately for non-shoppers is simply that they enjoy browsing and they want a unique experience of the city.  Also-with the suffering economy, it’s definitely understandable when people don’t want to buy.  If the economy were booming, I would expect pretty much all of my customers to spend money on my tours.  But in this difficult time, I (along with the boutique owners, sales associates) completely understand and expect it.

So after Flying A, we headed over to Chelsea Girl Couture where they tried on some truly amazing vintage dresses.  This store never ceases to amaze me with their absolutely stunning collection.  David, the store manager, is also a gem when it comes to selling vintage.  He has an amazing knowledge of the business and really enhances my vintage tours both in the videos and in person. The ladies had a ball trying on several dresses each.  One of the ladies made a purchase and despite a slight misunderstanding about the discount, left the store very pleased.

So following Chelsea Girl we, of course, visited their other store, Laurel Canyon Vintage.  Laurel Canyon is geared toward more of a college customer, but still, they have some really great 60s and 70s apparel that can appeal to appeal to all ages.  After a quick stop, the ladies decided they were ready to head to the East Village. 

Once again, on the way, watching the store videos got them excited about what was coming up next (especially AuH20.)  First stop was East 11^th Street, as usual.  They took a strong liking to Tokyo Joe’s, which is really well known for their amazing collection of designer consignment such as YSL, Prada, Fendi, Ferragamo, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few.  When I saw that they were loving these consignment items, I knew that they would absolutely love Tokio 7.  So I let them know in advance about it so they didn’t spend all their money in one place.  Again, that’s one great thing about a small group.  I can actually cater to their preferences. 

We made a quick stop at O Mistress Mine since they loved the video of it and I spoke so highly of the owner, Wanda.  They didn’t make any purchases here but were still highly impressed with the collection.  I knew they had their heart set on the designer consignment so I suggested we head to Tokio 7 next and they strongly agreed. 

We stopped along the way on East 9^th Street at Mudd Coffee for a bathroom break and a pick-me-up.  Mudd Coffee is amazing at giving a late afternoon boost.  The Irish ladies even said so themselves. 

When we arrived at Tokio 7, I waited outside with their coffees (it was a beautiful day) while they browsed around consignment “heaven.”  Almost 45 minutes later, they walked out with items like a beautiful Chloe handbag and an elegant pair of Chloe dress pants among several other items.

Last stop was AuH20.  After seeing the video of it, they were very excited to visit Kate’s unique boutique.  They tried on quite a few vintage and recycled items and made several purchases.  Kate, being her sweet self, was very happy to have them.  And it was great seeing her new space (she moved to the boutique next door from where she was originally.)  I also had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the new boutique next door who carries some amazing handbags that are made in New York.  I may end up working with her too! 

After the East Village, they asked if I could drop them off on 46^th Street at Bourbon Street, where their other friends were having drinks.  I was happy to do it since it was just the three of them.

I think they had a lovely time.  They gave me a lot of compliments and they were very curious as to how I started my business, when I came to NY, where in the city I lived, etc.  So it was another success, I hope.  As usual, I’ll patiently await the reviews! 

For more info about my shopping tours and my upcoming web series, visit www.shop-nyctours.com.  Hopefully I’ll be shopping with you soon!