I found myself downtown earlier than I had expected and I had an hour to kill before I met my wife for lunch so I took the opportunity to wander around a bit.  I soon found myself outside of a small boutique that sold upscale clothing for young professional women.

Being a man who is decidedly not young and casually attired, I clearly did not look like the target customer of the store.  But it was a wonderfully merchandised store that I just had to check out.  So I went.

  I was the only customer in the store and there was an employee steaming a dress towards the back. As soon as I stepped through the door, she set aside her work and looked up smiling to see who was coming in.  I waited for her reaction.  Even though I was not a young professional woman, her smile never wavered as she approached me.

“Welcome!” she offered in a warm and friendly way.  “Thanks for coming in.”

“You’re welcome.  I really like the look of your store and I just had to step in,” I replied.

“I am glad you like it” as she continued to tell me about the store, the owners and their goal as a shop.  It was great to talk to some one excited about retailing.

The store had a great look and great merchandise.  They are conveniently located for downtown working professionals.  The prices looked appropriate.  But more importantly to me, when I entered the store, the staff set aside their work and greeted me in a warm and friendly way.  She was not disappointed that I was not a likely customer and she did not judge me passed on my gender. age or apparent income level.

She just wanted to make me feel welcome.  I did and I am sure that anyone else entering the store will feel the same way.