PHOTOS BY JODIE BRIM CREATIVE
With plans to take on 2022 with a flurry of her enviable fashion sense, Anitra Mitchell knows more than a few things about overseeing a successful business and fostering customer relationships. Best of all, she makes all that work alongside her own unique work/life balance! She and her husband Brad own LoveWell Boutique and, along with Brad’s more behind-the-scenes support and a spot-on team of six full-time and two part-time employees, continue to grow the most loyal customer base around!
In a time where the world seems to pivot daily, and building each other up has become absolutely essential, Anitra and her energetic team never miss an opportunity to send a customer home feeling awesome about themselves.
“We keep to our goal of building women up so they can make a difference in the world,” explains Anitra. As weall know, when women feel good about themselves (and what they are wearing!) only good things flow from that feeling.
Always customer-oriented in their business philosophy, and known for really listening to what their customers want, what’s been more evident in the last few years is how much the retail environment has changed. Anitra and Brad rebranded as LoveWell Boutique in 2019, and embracing those changes keeps the LoveWell ladies busy, happy, and constantly looking for new friends and clients! Customers come in all ages and sizes – from mothers to daughters – and having been in the same retail space for 10 years, the boutique has become firmly established in the community. “We’ve put together quite a style team, covering a variety of ages, sizes, and style preferences, to best serve all our customers,” says Anitra.
“However and whenever we can meet the customer, we do that,” she adds. “We meet them where they are right now, and we even have one current customer in Australia!”
That translates to in-store browsing, finding treasures via the LoveWell Boutique shopping app, online, or through social media. She and Brad have hired additional full-time people, including more stylists, as personal styling for clients has always been one of their main offerings. Anitra says they’ve discovered most customers download their app to stay connected between store visits. “They may make regular purchases on the app, but they enjoy coming by the boutique to pick up what they’ve purchased – and, of course, to chat and visit with us!” (Hint: First time app users can apply code LOVEWELL to get 15% off your first purchase!)
Anitra believes 70% of their current business is online, and they are picking up many out-of-state customers as well. Some prefer to purchase on the app, some enjoy being part of the LoveWell Text Club, and some like seeing new arrivals in their email. Facebook Live and Instagram Live have become true collaborations among the team, and their light-hearted, personable presentation of new styles has garnered quite a following.
Catch them on your phone throughout the day to see what new jacket or accessory is calling your name! You’ll see what’s hot for the coming season, and, as spring approaches, Anitra happily sees a much-needed burst of color coming on the fashion scene. “We’re finally dressing up just a bit more than we were last year,” she notes. “It’s just as easy to put on a pair of great jeans and a cute sweater, right? A lot of attention is also on denim, as changes in pant styles are ongoing, but comfort is still the deciding trend!
As part of their personal shopping promise, there’s also a “wait-list authorization” program through the app and web site that allows customers to keep tabs on when a favorite item might be back in stock – and they are happy to walk you through that process when you visit the store!
In business as a husband and wife team since 2011 – and always family-focused as the parents of two sons – Anitra and Brad have mastered the winning combination of a retail business that offers the latest in clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, and beauty items for the clientele they know so well, while keeping current with how the retail world has evolved!
Visit LoveWell Boutique at 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite D, in Winston-Salem, and become fast friends with the team of stylists there. You can also 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.
