photos by AMBER CALDWELL
Connecting through fashion is one of the things women do best! Take a girlfriend shopping with you, find a few treasures, grab lunch, and that’s a nearly perfect day!
No one knows that better than savvy entrepreneur and owner Anitra Mitchell and her dynamite team at LoveWell Boutique in Winston-Salem. They offer carefully chosen apparel, jewelry, and shoes, in styles they know customers love, with a goal of empowering women in their everyday lives. Since 2012, the LoveWell ladies have also watched their loyal customers marry, have children, lose jobs, seek new careers, and weather so many of life’s storms. All those connections strengthen client relationships, and Anitra considers being part of those lives a pure joy!
“Being in our Oakwood Drive location for over 10 years has allowed for so many connections to take place within our walls,” Anitra says proudly. She and her staff like to think of the store as their home away from home, so when someone enters, they are greeted like they’ve come to visit a friend!
“The connection we make with our customers is what sets us apart,” says Anitra. “I often say you can buy a top anywhere, but our customers come here for so much more. We love to celebrate the women who take time out of their day to visit us, and offer special events to have more time to connect on a personal level.”
While some customers like to shop without interruption, others are excited to be treated as one of the girls! That’s where it’s important to gauge what makes the best shopping experience for each person. As part of that “homework” the LoveWell staff (Anitra, her husband and business partner, Brad, plus five full-time and two part-time team members) connect with each other through a monthly team building session with a certified therapist.
“We walk through communicating and connecting with each other,” says Anitra. “I love seeing how it plays out in our daily lives. Our relationships play a big part in how we serve our customers.”
When 2020 changed retail life, Anitra knew it was time to meet her customers right where they were – and that was at home!
“We have always hosted exciting in-store events, so we brainstormed how to keep those connections strong while people were staying home,” she adds. “That meant it was time to take the store truly online.”
The boutique was able to connect with and serve so many more online customers, in addition to those slowly returning to the brick and mortar store. Among the staff’s favorite online happenings are the daily Live events – where customers see new arrivals in the store. They’ve done after-hours make-up tip events, celebrated birthdays with customers via Zoom, and Brad even hosted a few cooking shows! Building on those online connections is at the top of the list for 2023 – with more events planned than ever before.
“We love offering Live events on our free LoveWell Boutique app, on the website (www.lovewellboutique.com), Facebook, and Instagram,” says Anitra. “It’s allowed us to reach women from all over the country. Some of our best customers have never been to the store, but they show up regularly on Lives, they private message us, and we are able to connect with them in a way that is unique to this ever-changing world.”
And it’s not unusual for women to grab their friends and road trip to see what’s happening at LoveWell Boutique. After all, that’s what we women do!
Visit LoveWell Boutique at 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite D, in Winston-Salem, and immediately become part of the family. You can reach them at 336-893-6589, online at Lovewellboutique.com, via their free app by searching LoveWell Boutique in your app store, or on Facebook and Instagram. Boutique hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
