And on entering the store, no one was disappointed. They immediately saw all our fun giftware and an upright piano which featured a mannequin wearing the latest Unicorn creation that we proudly displayed. To dial the mood up a notch and make it even more glam, we went out and bought every “Tiffany” shade we could find (and in 1963 their were lots, believe me). By the time you took all of this in, you were intrigued to take the nine stairs to our second floor which was full...

Joyce appraised our little rolling rack of fashions but explained she was going to do a big article on white shirts. She nonchalantly noted that we had none. I felt like an arrow had pierced my heart. “I’m working on some,” I practically whispered. “Pardon?” she intoned, turning her self-possessed head to listen more intently. “White shirts,” I replied. “I’m working on white shirts at this very moment!” I bluffed. “When would you need them and how many would you like?” I...

Lansing was a really big challenge. My store was ranked 33 out of 34 in the Chicago division. We only had one way to go. To say we desperately needed help was an understatement. Shoplifting was a big problem. So I attacked that first, shortening the curtains in all the fitting rooms so you could see the customer’s legs and shopping bags. I also had signs put up in all the fitting rooms: “SHOPLIFTERS will be PROSECUTED!” When we did catch someone shoplifting, the...

When a light bulb goes off in your head, don’t be shy about using it to guide the way. Got a competitor keeping you up at night? Don’t over-look the strategy of inviting him or her into your business and removing the threat. You can’t do too much research. Our enthusiasm for expansion overcame the fact-finding we should have done about Victoria. Could have saved a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and...