I absolutely LOVE North Carolina! So when I found out I was giving a shopping tour for a woman from Greenville who currently lives in Raleigh, I was really looking forward to some “Carolina bonding.” Afterall, I went to college in Wilmington, and pretty much partied all over the state (in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Greenville) during those days of youth….. ;-) I have a lot of fond memories of NC.

This woman was really sweet, early 30s and engaged (her fiance lives in New York.) She works as an attorney and pretty much comes to New York every weekend to visit. The shopping tour was a gift from him and since it was just a solo tour, he opted for the subway/walking tour which she actually preferred. She said she felt like walking and taking the subway was more authentic to NYC. She also commented how she could see tourists really benefitting from having a tour guide to teach them about the subway system.

At any rate, the tour stops were all the same as usual. In Greenwich Village, she particularly liked La Petit Coquette (as did her fiance) for their classy lingerie. (In fact, I think she pointed out some neglige sets she liked to give him an idea of her taste.) She also tried on quite a few outfits in Owl’s Lab, which seemed to be one of her favorites. She took a card and made a note that she wanted to go back there after the tour. She wanted to have some time to think about her purchases before she bought them–smart girl!

She actually made a comment halfway through the tour that even though she lived in New York for almost five years and visits every weekend, she had never been to the stores I was introducing her to. Like most New Yorkers, she was always too busy to explore the often “hidden gem” boutiques in the city.

When we got to Soho, she really enjoyed New York Look and tried on a few things there as well. Instead of sticking to the more commercial stores, after New York Look, I suggested we head to West Soho to visit some of the vintage boutiques. She really enjoyed Chelsea Girl Couture and Laurel Canyon (where she tried on a pair of their awesome vintage cowboy boots.) I also mentioned Flying A and she commented that she had been there before and had been meaning to go back. I told her that this would be a good time, since they offer 15% off vintage items to my tours.

While in transit to the last stop on the tour, we talked about some of the amazing vintage stores in North Carolina, including Buffalo Exchange (which I told her recently opened a store in NYC) and a lot of the cool vintage shops in Chapel Hill. We also talked about downtown Raleigh and how it’s such a beautiful, quaint town. I told her I went to school in Wilmington and she told me she had been there within the last month and actually bought the sandals she was wearing while she was there. (These sandals were adorable and she got SO many compliments on them throughout the tour!)

Darling, in the West Village/Meatpacking area, was the last stop, which I knew she’d enjoy because by this time, I had a good feel for her personal taste and style. I also think she was a little overwhelmed by this point since we had been shopping for 3 1/2 hours and she had seen a lot that she really liked and wanted to go back to see after the tour. She had also been awake since the crack of dawn and had plans to go out with friends that evening so I walked her to the nearest subway and pointed her in the direction of her fiance’s. She was really grateful to me for the tour and said she had a wonderful time. I had a great time too. We hugged goodbye. I’m telling you, it’s something about those Carolina connections…… :-)

If you’d like to take one of our subway/walking shopping tours, visit www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information and to purchase tickets. I hope to shop with you soon!

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Mammi-Ama (also known as the Purple Vintage Space Princess!) I was at the Vbar Cafe (or what I refer to as my office) on Sullivan Street ordering a coffee and she approached me about being on “Tough Love.” We had a short conversation about the show and then she went on to tell me about her music and her passion for vintage fashion. We exchanged cards in the hopes to network since she is so fond of vintage and I give a Vintage Boutique Tour here in the city.

Saturday’s tour was the first Chic Boutique Tour that I’ve given in a while. My Vintage Boutique and Teen Fashion and Fun Tours have been more popular, probably because of the state of the economy. The Chic Boutique Tour definitely visits boutiques with higher overall price points than the other tours, but you can still find select items that don’t cost a fortune, and window shopping is always welcome too.

The group was a lot of fun. There were two women from Reno, Nevada and then, of course, the bachelorette party, from Pittsburgh, PA. Due to the size of the group, we took a limo, which always puts a smile on women’s faces–especially when it’s a surprise.

First stop was in Greenwich Village at Make-up Forever. The bride-to-be got some advice from the sales associates (who are all professional make-up artists) about how to do her makeup for the big day. A couple other ladies in her party made some purchases too, while the ladies from Reno visited an art gallery across the street.

Around the corner on University Place was Pia, where all of the ladies took a look at the beautiful handbags. Bruce, the owner, was friendly, as always. They all loved the store but the price range wasn’t in their budget. So I suggested, since it was a bachelorette party, that they head across the street to La Petit Coquette to take a look at the cute, feminine and funky lingerie selection. The ladies from Reno showed a strong interest in gift shops and housewares stores so I pointed them in the direction of William Wayne & Company. In the last 15 minutes of our stop in Greenwich Village, both groups ended up in Ibiza, which they all seemed to take a strong liking too. They were all pretty amazed with their beautiful collection of jewelry, their cool hats and their funky handbags.

After Greenwich Village, it was back to the limo and off to Soho. Since I had a good feel for the group by this point, I decided to take them to the west side of Soho rather than the east side, since the boutiques in that area are more unique than commercial but still reasonable in pricing. They visited Laurel Canyon Vintage (one of the ladies in the bachelorette party wanted to see their cowboy boot collection after viewing the video), Chelsea Girl Couture (one of the ladies from Reno was interested in the Moon Bags after viewing the video), The Hat Shoppe, Lunessa and DKNY to name a few. The ladies from Reno also visited Clio (a housewares store.) This was a perfect area for the combination of groups since there is such a wide range of boutiques. There was definitely something for everyone.

After Soho, we got back in the limo and they each enjoyed a glass of champagne as we headed over to the West Village/Meatpacking District. Next stop was Darling, which is one of my personal favorites. Darling is awesome because they have a range of contemporary fashion, vintage fashion, vintage-inspired fashion and of course, a lovely dress collection on the lower level. They also have some amazing accessories like broaches, earrings, necklaces, belts, and hats to name a few. Darling carries some select handbags and shoes and some scented candles and oils for the home, which gives the entire store the most pleasant smell.

Everyone enjoyed this store but since the bachelorette party was taking more time than the other women, I suggested they head over to the next block where they could visit Mxyplyzyk, which is one of the coolest gift shops in the city. I also suggested that they visit Tea & Sympathy across the street where they could find some great gifts as well. I would normally suggest The Bathroom too but it turns out that they’re Greenwich Avenue store closed. Times are definitely tough.

The West Village/Meatpacking was our last stop and after some successful purchases, the limo picked us up and dropped off each group at their requested location (another advantage of having a small group), which they really appreciated, considering it was raining like crazy all day.

If you’d like to do something special in NYC for your bride-to-be, visit www.shop-nyctours.com and book one of our tours. Both public and private groups tours are available. Hope to shop with you soon!

Saturday’s Teen Fashion and Fun Tour was great, not only for the teen, but for the adults too! There were 3 ladies—one being a young lady of about thirteen. I can honestly say that all three of them enjoyed the tour immensely. From Fifth Avenue’s Abercrombie and Bendel’s to Noho’s and Soho’s Joyce Leslie and TopShop, they shopped, shopped, shopped! They enjoyed the fashion videos I showed them along the way and seemed to gain a lot of knowledge from them. (They were making comments about info from the videos when they visited some of the stores.)

It was a rainy day but fortunately, with the spot-to-spot transportation provided, it didn’t really make a difference. They barely even needed their umbrellas.

As usual, in the West Village, I picked up their cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery while they browsed the Marc Jacobs Special Items Store. The ladies told me that they had been to the Georgetown Bakery outside of DC and were anxious to compare the cupcakes to Magnolia’s.

When they finished their shopping, we dropped them off at their final destination, which was Chelsea Piers. (Sometimes I can drop people off at a place of their choice as long as it’s in Manhattan and time permits.) On the way to the Piers, they ate their cupcakes and came to the conclusion that Magnolia’s icing was much better but that if they combined it with Georgetown’s cake, you would have the perfect cupcake!

As the tour came to an end, the ladies said they had a wonderful time and that they would have never found the stores I took them to on their own. In fact, they were in Soho the day before the tour and said they had no idea about TopShop (which was one of their favorites) and passed it up. They also absolutely loved having their own transportation around the city. The commented on how nice it was to not have to walk everywhere. They also said they would tell all their friends about ShopNYC Tours and that I should consider starting tours in San Francisco (which is where they were from.) I think I’ll have to stick to NYC for now, but it’s definitely a possibility in the future!

If you’d like to have a ShopNYC Tours experience, visit www.shop-nyctours.com to book a tour.

Last Saturday’s Teen Fashion and Fun Tour was aweseome! There were two teens from Charlotte, NC with their moms and one teen from Texas with her mom. They were such a sweet group. They (teens and moms) were really excited to find out that since another group cancelled last minute they were all going in a limo! Their faces just lit up.

Last Saturday’s Teen Fashion and Fun Tour was a really great time. There were three teenage girls and one of them was the birthday girl! She was visiting from Chicago and her uncle was treating her. (He came along too!) As for the other girls, one was from the city and the other was from Queens. So they were a really cute, diverse and interesting group.

When the limo pulled up, they were super-excited. I can’t imagine being in NYC when I was 13-years-old and riding in a limo with friends….. So though I never experienced it myself, I could kind of guess what they were feeling!

First stop, as usual, was the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship. They absolutely LOVED it! From the male models, to the strong aroma of A&F cologne, they totally enjoyed the whole experience. After they shopped, they took pictures with the model at the front of the store. They were SO excited! One of the girls even said, “Wait til I show my mom!”

Next stop was Henri Bendel, but they weren’t that crazy about it. I mean, it’s not exactly in the teen budget, but they had fun browsing for a minute.

Following Bendel’s they saw the Disney Store, which isn’t normally a stop on the tour, but since we were ahead of schedule, I told them we had time to take a look.

The last store we had time to stop in on the UES was the Juicy Couture Flagship, which is always a teen favorite! They had fun browsing there for over 20 minutes (which is quite a long attention span for teens, of course!)

Next it was back in the limo and time for the “teeny” cosmos which they enjoyed very much. (They especially had fun taking pictures with them.) We were headed to the West Village to the Marc Jacobs Special Collections Store, but I realized we had about 30 minutes before they opened. So I suggested we stop at Joyce Leslie in Noho first. All the girls loved it here because the prices are 100% absolutely “teeny.” I’m sure the uncle (who was treating the birthday girl) appreciated them too though. Who wouldn’t? Cute t-shirts under $10 and cute dresses not more than $20. Heck, I’m a HUGE fan!

Last destination was the West Village. I knew they would LOVE the Marc Jacobs Special Collections Store. There was also a street fair on the same block, which was fun to browse. Although, as expected, they spent most of their time in MJ. This store is raved about all around the world. People don’t understand how things are sold for a small fraction of the regular MJ price. I don’t really understand it either. All I know is that it’s awesome for people who like labels. You can still get the MJ label without paying a fortune. The birthday girl absolutely adored this store and she came out with quite a few gifts from her uncle. The other girls made some small purchases too.

When we got back into the limo to return to the starting point of the tour, I pulled out their special treats. Magnolia Bakery is on the same block as the MJ Special Collections store and what’s a birthday party without a delicious cupcake?!? So on the way back uptown, the teens took some cute cupcake pictures and left not one crumb behind. All in all, the tour was a success!

If you’d like to plan a tour for a birthday party, a bachelorette party, or any other special occasion, visit the Contact page of www.shop-nyctours.com and inquire about our private group tours. Hope to shop with you soon!

As I walked into The Plaza Hotel with my ShopNYC Tours tote, I must say that I felt a little anxious about the palace-like decor and what it conveyed. Were my customers staying here and, if so, were they going to be friendly or a bit prude? I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe they were just exploring and touring The Plaza and staying somewhere a little more “low-key” like The New Yorker? I quickly found out. Just as I entered, they were conveniently standing in front of me, saw my tote and we introduced ourselves.

There were 2 ladies and a gentleman who quickly explained that he wasn’t going on the tour, but rather just seeing them off. We walked out to the car and he took a photo of them getting in. Then he smiled and waved goodbye. The ladies were somewhat quiet when we first got into the car and even up until we neared the first stop.

When we arrived at East 11th Street, I think they were a little apprehensive about the neighborhood. They asked if it was more of a local area and I told them that it was but assured them that the most interesting boutiques are located in “local” neighborhoods. I wasn’t really sure what they were going to think about the boutiques on 11th Street but figured I would find out! The boutiques in this area are mostly bargain/consignment boutiques, which can turn some people off. Within a few minutes though, one of the ladies was trying on a pair of shoes in Tokyo Joe’s so I knew they were liking it!

Next up was O Mistress Mine, which they loved! One of the ladies bought a black patent-leather handbag with red, satin lining and the other almost bought one of their vintage hats. They had a great time exploring O Mistress Mine, as people usually do.

Even though they were loving the vintage and consignment, I decided to take them down to East 9th Street where they could find a nice mix of vintage and trendy fashion boutiques. It’s a beautiful block and it was a little difficult to see that since they were filming Step Up 3. But I guess they thought it was interesting that they were filming there. We visited a fairly new place that I hadn’t been in before called DejaVu, which is both a boutique and tailor service. I was extremely impressed with it. They had a beautiful collection of dresses (some made in France) that were actually pretty affordable. They also had some beautiful, unique handbags in the back.

Some other places we visited on East 9th were Local Clothing, Fialka and Meg. We were going to head to East 7th Street but were running out of time allotted for the East Village so we decided to head over to Soho.

I knew that they would absolutely love Chelsea Girl (I could tell by their reactions from the videos) and I figured that they might like Laurel Canyon as well. I was also sure to point out INA since they took a liking to some of the designer consignment in the East Village.

At Chelsea Girl, one of the ladies tried on several vintage dresses but didn’t have any luck with the sizes. At INA they did more browsing and then headed across the street to the jewelry store, Lunessa, where they made a few purchases. Last stop in Soho was Sacco and this is where they made quite a few purchases. One of the ladies fell in love with their headbands which consisted of unique feathers, flowers and bows (a la Gossip Girl) while the other found a comfortable and stylish pair of shoes.

Next up was their requested stop–Lulu Guiness. This was something they told me they wanted to do when they first booked the tour. Since Lulu Guiness is located in the West Village, I wanted to allow time for more than just one stop because I knew they would absolutely love the neighborhood.

When one of the ladies stepped into Lulu Guiness, you’d have thought she stepped into her personal heaven. She quickly scoured through every little, unique handbag with glee! They didn’t have the one that she wanted in the correct color, which was disappointing, but the disappointment quickly went away when I pointed them in the direction of the Magnolia Bakery, where they bought two cupcakes. On the way to the West Village, I had shown them the video of Darling, so they decided that in the remaining time they wanted to shop there. So we hopped in the car and headed that direction while they finished their delish cupcakes.

They really adored everything at Darling. They both ended up purchasing a lovely pair of earrings. And one of the women bought a belt as well. So the tour ended on a good note for both of them!

On the way back to The Plaza, the ladies said they had a wonderful time. They said that they thought 4 hours of shopping would be too much, but that it went by so quickly. They also commented that they would have never found the boutiques that I introduced them to if it weren’t for the planned shopping tour itinerary and transportation. I was really glad to hear it. That’s what I’m trying to provide people: a relaxing, unique, comfortable NYC experience that you just can’t have when you’re on your own in the Big Apple.

If you’d like to have one of these NYC experiences, visit my website for more info at www.shop-nyctours.com. Thanks for reading and I hope to shop with you soon!

Yesterday’s tour was unique. It consisted of 2 women: one from Vermont and one from California. They were on a short weekend getaway. I could tell from the beginning that they weren’t going to be big shoppers, which was completely fine. I think what some people don’t realize is that my tours are meant for shopping, but even if you’re not a shopper, you’ll have a wonderful time just experiencing the neighborhoods and browsing the boutiques. On my tours, you can have an AMAZING experience even if you don’t buy on thing.

We began, of course, in Soho–but on the west side of Soho. I always explain to people that the east side of Soho is where they have the more commercial stores (Old Navy, H&M, Victoria’s Secret) and high-end designer stores (Prada, Chanel.) I focus on west Soho on my tours because it’s a quaint, clean, quiet area of Soho where there are a lot of individually owned, smaller boutiques. In fact, there’s actually something called “S3″ (which stands for Shop Small Stores) that smaller, locally-owned boutiques have created to promote shopping in their boutiques. At any rate, the ladies really seemed to enjoy the neighborhood immensely. They weren’t spending a lot of time in any of the stores because they were just browsing–not shopping but it still allowed them to enjoy themselves. One of the ladies commented on how it was fun just simply exploring.

After Soho, we headed to the East Village and they really enjoyed Buffalo Exchange on East 11th Street. They spent quite some time browsing but didn’t end up buying anything. It was the same with O Mistress Mine. They loved looking through Wanda’s (the owner’s) collection but they didn’t make any purchases. Again–they were just having a nice time strolling through the stores and exploring.

On our way to East 9th Street something very exciting happened! We saw Leonardo DiCaprio!!! Yes–even though I’m a local, I admit, I was very excited. We weren’t sure if it was him so one of the ladies said she wanted to go back to the cafe where he was sitting to get a drink. She didn’t really buy a drink, of course. It was just to confirm that it was him. And it definitely was! I couldn’t believe how grungy he looked. You know, he’s one of those Hollywood stars that dresses very chic and sophisticated for the most part. He looks very polished on the red carpet whereas someone like Johnny Depp tends to look a little more grungy. But to my surprise Leo looked like a regular East Villager. I do think, however, that he had to TRY to look this way. He was TRYING not to stand out which was cool, I guess.

Anyway, on East 9th Street, they explored Fabulous Fanny’s and Cadillac’s Castle for a bit. They were also excited to see AuH2O so we headed to East 7th Street immediately after that. One of the ladies bought a pair of Obama earrings for her mom and the other tried on a top but didn’t make a purchase because it didn’t fit. They definitely had a really strong interest in Kate’s boutique though.

We had a little time left after East 7th Street so I decided to take them to St. Mark’s Place. I figured they might enjoy seeing an area that was still a little “off the beaten path” but also a little more touristy and with shops that have some lower prices and some souvenirs. (I knew they had teenagers they might want to buy for.) So we strolled along St. Mark’s. I told them that was one of the perks to it just being the two of them. I was able to show them something that wasn’t part of the usual itinerary.

Following St. Mark’s, I asked if they’d like to visit the West Village since we still had an hour left with the car service, but they decided to head back to the hotel. They said that they had a wonderful time already and they were anxious to change clothes and have dinner before their show. One of the ladies was actually waiting for her lost luggage to arrive at their hotel so she also wanted to get back to check on it.

I think the tour started out a little rocky but as time went on, the ladies realized that there was no pressure to shop. I was happy just showing them around and they were happy just exploring.

If you’d like to browse with ShopNYC Tours, visit www.shop-nyctours.com for more information about us! I hope to shop–or browse with you soon!

Friday’s Vintage Boutique Tour was really a lot of fun. I knew the tourists were going to be from Ireland but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It ended up being three ladies on a girlfriend getaway for the weekend. One of them currently lives in Seattle, Washington, so she met the other two, who still reside in Ireland, “halfway” in NYC.

When I arrived at the pick-up location I was happy to see three ladies. I don’t mind having men on my tours (especially the Vintage Boutique Tour since there’s a pretty big selection for men in most of the boutiques) but I knew that if my customers were ladies, they were more likely to be there by choice.

I knew this was going to be a good tour because when I started the tour videos of the Soho stores, they were super-excited about what they saw and they couldn’t wait to shop.

First stop was Flying A and they started shopping immediately when they walked in the door. They were picking up items to try on in the dressing rooms, trying on accessories, etc. I was glad to have them stay at their first stop for 30 minutes because I knew that they had a true interest in what I was showing them. Sometimes when people aren’t shopping, I wonder if they aren’t liking the tour, if they were expecting something different, etc. I think the case lately for non-shoppers is simply that they enjoy browsing and they want a unique experience of the city. Also-with the suffering economy, it’s definitely understandable when people don’t want to buy. If the economy were booming, I would expect pretty much all of my customers to spend money on my tours. But in this difficult time, I (along with the boutique owners, sales associates) completely understand and expect it.

So after Flying A, we headed over to Chelsea Girl Couture where they tried on some truly amazing vintage dresses. This store never ceases to amaze me with their absolutely stunning collection. David, the store manager, is also a gem when it comes to selling vintage. He has an amazing knowledge of the business and really enhances my vintage tours both in the videos and in person. The ladies had a ball trying on several dresses each. One of the ladies made a purchase and despite a slight misunderstanding about the discount, left the store very pleased.

So following Chelsea Girl we, of course, visited their other store, Laurel Canyon Vintage. Laurel Canyon is geared toward more of a college customer, but still, they have some really great 60s and 70s apparel that can appeal to appeal to all ages. After a quick stop, the ladies decided they were ready to head to the East Village.

Once again, on the way, watching the store videos got them excited about what was coming up next (especially AuH20.) First stop was East 11th Street, as usual. They took a strong liking to Tokyo Joe’s, which is really well known for their amazing collection of designer consignment such as YSL, Prada, Fendi, Ferragamo, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few. When I saw that they were loving these consignment items, I knew that they would absolutely love Tokio 7. So I let them know in advance about it so they didn’t spend all their money in one place. Again, that’s one great thing about a small group. I can actually cater to their preferences.

We made a quick stop at O Mistress Mine since they loved the video of it and I spoke so highly of the owner, Wanda. They didn’t make any purchases here but were still highly impressed with the collection. I knew they had their heart set on the designer consignment so I suggested we head to Tokio 7 next and they strongly agreed.

We stopped along the way on East 9th Street at Mudd Coffee for a bathroom break and a pick-me-up. Mudd Coffee is amazing at giving a late afternoon boost. The Irish ladies even said so themselves.

When we arrived at Tokio 7, I waited outside with their coffees (it was a beautiful day) while they browsed around consignment “heaven.” Almost 45 minutes later, they walked out with items like a beautiful Chloe handbag and an elegant pair of Chloe dress pants among several other items.

Last stop was AuH20. After seeing the video of it, they were very excited to visit Kate’s unique boutique. They tried on quite a few vintage and recycled items and made several purchases. Kate, being her sweet self, was very happy to have them. And it was great seeing her new space (she moved to the boutique next door from where she was originally.) I also had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the new boutique next door who carries some amazing handbags that are made in New York. I may end up working with her too!

After the East Village, they asked if I could drop them off on 46th Street at Bourbon Street, where their other friends were having drinks. I was happy to do it since it was just the three of them.

I think they had a lovely time. They gave me a lot of compliments and they were very curious as to how I started my business, when I came to NY, where in the city I lived, etc. So it was another success, I hope. As usual, I’ll patiently await the reviews!

For more info about my shopping tours and my upcoming web series, visit www.shop-nyctours.com. Hopefully I’ll be shopping with you soon!

Saturday’s tour was definitely a nice surprise. I’m so accustomed to giving tours for people from other parts of the country and especially other parts of the world that when I asked my customers where they were from (a cute, 20-something couple), I expected to hear the same. But I didn’t. I was shocked when the girlfriend said she lived on the Upper East Side. I always thought my tours would be great for locals, but it was cool to have a local finally attend one of my shopping tours. It made much more sense, however, when she told me that she had just moved to NYC and didn’t know where to go for shopping, dinner and nightlife. So “New to the City” is a customer base that I’ve now experienced. It was definitely different, but also relatively easy and fun.