It’s a simple question, but it’s the first of many.
“Are you clueless at Christmas?”
No idea what your girlfriend or wife would really want this year? Stump? Frustrated? Desperate?
No fear, Ingrid Loy is right there at Nini’s Treasures in the Town Centre area of The Highlands, and she and her staff claim they enjoy helping even the most oblivious spouses during the holidays.
“We really love when we have boyfriends and husbands come into the store with no idea what they’re looking for when it comes to their girlfriends or wives. We have a lot of fun guiding them by just asking the right questions,” Loy explained. “They usually know what they should get after we help them realize it.
“It’s funny when those men come in, too,” she said. ”They usually come in with their phone in their hand and they say, ‘I need something like this.’ Or they just admit that they have no idea. That’s when the questions begin.”
Do they wear bracelets? Necklaces? What kind of purses do they carry? Jeans they wear? Blouses, vests, earrings, rings, hats, or scarves?
“We do ask them if they’ve ever heard their girlfriends or wives mention brands like Pandora or Brighton or one of the others we feature, and that usually helps get them started,” Loy said. “We talk to them about what their wives already have and like to wear. Do they like bracelets? Do they like to stack them? What about necklaces?
“We really talk about building the bracelets at Pandora and at Brighton because I love that my husband did that for me,” she said. “It was Pandora. He went in. He bought me a little boy, a little girl, and their birthstones. That was where the bracelet started, and for years he went into the store and he would buy something for my birthday, for our anniversary. It was my life through his eyes.”
Loy celebrated her one-year anniversary of owning the unique boutique last month, and during that time, she’s realized that knowing her patrons and their preferences is imperative to her success.
“We have a lot of repeat customers, and that includes a lot of men who came here to shop for their significant others, and our system allows us to see what you purchased before, so we know where to start. We also have the ‘Wish List’ book at the counter because some wives tell us what they want just in case their husbands come in.
“Now that we’ve been here more than a year, we’ve become friends with a lot of our guests, and that allows us to help them whether it’s with a new sweater that just came in or the latest arrivals from one of our jewelry brands,” she explained. “If you like E. Newton or Nora Fleming or Judy Blues, we’re the place for you, and we’ll let you know when something comes in that we think you’ll really like.
So, yes, if this final weekend of the Christmas shopping is causing panic, Loy insists there is hope for help for Nini’s Treasures.
“It’s really fun when a husband comes in, and he recognizes a brand name,” Loy said. “That’s when they can really shop for their wife. They can pick out what they think is going to look beautiful on her. That’s one of the best parts of owning the shop.
“This time of year is very busy, but it’s so much fun, too,” she said. “And yes, we offer gift wrapping, too.”
