Second Opinion Sue Lovell on her buying spree... and her love affair with both product and people
H
ow was it for you? For me Harrogate was brilliant. I fell in love with Jupon accessories, Morilee did not disappoint – in fact, it truly excelled – and my hard and fast plan to stick to a budget fell away like conkers from the tree outside my office. I went in focused and determined to be ruthless, placed my super large order in recordbreaking time and with such ease, even Mr T looked impressed at my no-nonsense approach! No dithering about, I just went for it! I like to think I’m a woman of my word; if I take a stand, I usually stand firm. I can hold a grudge though; in fact if grudge holding was a sport, I’d be right up there with Serena Williams, world class and dedicated. So this trip to Harrogate came to me
as a bit of a shock. I have held firm to the decree I issued in my store a few years ago that Hell would freeze before I sold another pair of shoes. After stock issues, poor customer service, customers getting a better service online or in a department store than we as a shop got from the very same supplier, I deleted shoes from BridalLive and the shop floor. Financially for me at the time, it didn’t stack up and the stress caused from a particular supplier was just irritating to me. Life is too short to be arguing over a heel falling off a bridal shoe at the altar, to be told “well, she obviously wore it”. I do not forget these things, it may seem petty, but customer service is key, and if you can’t get that right over something so small, then the trust is gone. So, “begone with you, bridal footwear!” But… I DO love shoes, and shoes had brought a lovely man into my life. As firm as I usually stand in my conviction, I am loyal and once someone gets into my battered old heart, I hold them dear. Seeing the warm and smiling face of
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old friend Graham Lewin at The Perfect Bridal stand changed everything. He greeted me with a hug and a welcome that made me melt, and I stepped onto, yes, a shoe stand! We chatted as old friends do, and he expertly turned the conversation to the joy of shoes. Oh, he’s so slick, he knows me so well; he enticed me in with a gorgeous pair of ivory leather bridal boots. From there he smoothly guided me to bridal trainers and before I knew it, I was falling back into a relationship with footwear. As with any rekindled love, I am taking it slowly. I’m no fool, I’ve been bitten before, but I’m hoping that dipping the proverbial toe back in, it may be a good thing for me and my brides. I am certainly seeing more bridal trainers at fittings, and these ones from Perfect Bridal are so cute! So, although I said baby steps, Graham has already visited me in my studio, and shoes will soon be back in my shop floor. Hell may just have experienced a cold snap, but Graham is one of the good guys, and I trust him to lead the way, and he
