Ana Patricia Boutique: Meet & Greet edition

Hi! Welcome to Sweet and Modern! It's no secret, the blog has taken a backseat to the baby. I wouldn't have it any other way. However, we are still here and I have some SUPER exciting news. Ana Patricia and Sweet & Modern have teamed up to provide a monthly series for all of you! If that doesn't make a Monday better, I don't know what will! 

The first part of our series is a simple meet and greet. Not everyone knows about AP, much less how they got started. No doubt you love their clothes and accessories, but read ahead to find out how they came to be! 

Read to the bottom for special giveaway info! 

Tell us about how AP started. 

Nancy went on a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico about 20 years ago with her church. While they were waiting in the park she was standing by a young girl who was creating flowers with wire by using her teeth to bend them into the shape she wanted. At that moment, Nancy suggested that she make earrings and sell them.  When all of the earring sold, Patti kept making more and Nancy would keep selling. We have to admit looking back that the earrings she first made were not as pretty as we thought at the time! Patti came a long way with her jewelry making over the years. Nancy would ship supplies to Patti & Patti would ship the jewelry back to sell. For about, 10 years Nancy had a room in her house that the jewelry was set up in and it was named “Ana Patricia” after the creator..Patti!

What sets your boutique apart from the rest? 
Ana Patricia Boutique offers big city styles & trends with keeping the small hometown feel. We LOVE to make each and every one of our customers not only look their best but FEEL their best from the inside out.   We take pride on our ONE on ONE customer service as well! 

How would you describe the vibe/style of AP? 

We love casual pieces that can be worn everyday as well as those go to pieces for special occasions.  If I had to put us in a category I would say Casual with Bohemian flair!

Share about the personalities begins AP?

We have an AWESOME team at AP! We are so blessed to find the right mix of girls who keep each other balanced. Behind the scenes- Nancy, Erika, Mariah- We are a mother daughter trio who works together EVERYDAY!  We do everything from Social Media, Invoicing, Unpacking, Shipping, answering emails/messages & getting merch in the store.  

Frontlines- Morgan, Arianne, Lauren, Katie (Nancy, Erika)- these girls will be the faces you see when you come to the store in Milford. They also help with posting on Social Media.  Morgan & Arianne do POP UP Shops for us as well! ( Yes, we will come set up in your home, place of work, sorority, etc!)

How did AP get started and when?

The “Original” Ana Patricia was started back in 2002. After years of selling jewelry only we took the leap in 2014 and added clothes. That is when we decided to change the name from Ana Patricia to Ana Patricia Boutique.  

What is the best / most rewarding and hardest part of owning/running AP? 

The most rewarding part of running AP is seeing the look on our customers faces when they find something that makes them feel confident! The hardest part of owning the boutique (or any business, I believe) is learning how to separate work from home. With everything being on your phone these days it is hard to put “work” down. 

What is Patti's involvement level now and what does she do with and for AP?  

Patti has a full time job and graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree but still continues to make jewelry when she has time. Her jewelry making is what allowed her to go to college and she could have never dreamt that would have happened. Patti is also married and has a beautiful baby girl Emma. Although Patti’s jewelry making has slowed down the mission behind the business still remains. 

Matthew 25:40  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Tell us where you are located /store hours?

Ana Patricia Boutique is located in Milford, NE but we ship ANYWHERE in the US for FREE! We are Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11-8 and Saturdays 10-4!  We don’t have a website but you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We do have Snapchat as well..not going to lie it’s not my forte but you can follow us there as well as ap_boutique 

 

So, what now? 

1. Go check out AP on Facebook or Instagram to browse/shop. You will not be disappointed!

2. Follow along to be the first to see and purchase all new trends.

3. WIN a $30 gift to AP!

eShakti

I've been sitting on this post for a couple months now, so I am super excited to share!

eShakti.com contacted Sweet & Modern back in March. Prior to that, I had no idea what eShakti.com was, so I'm going to do my readers a favor and assume none of you do either. So, to get you up to speed.... this is an excerpt from their website:

A fresh concept in fashion - customization

eShakti believes that all women have the right to wear affordable fashion that is made for them and makes them look their absolute best.

Our Story: eShakti began as a small website offering basic cottons and modestly embellished pieces. As we grew, we were tasked with providing design and fit solutions to meet our customers' needs. Today, we are an international fashion design company making custom clothing. Offering both style and fit customization for women size 0 through 36 is the heart of our business.

How do we stack up?
To simply put it, custom clothing does not have to be expensive. By keeping up with technology as it is advancing, we are able to provide customization at a modest cost. Our design teams are based in New York, California and India which gives us a diverse fashion perspective. Our clothing is made in India in our own factories and in local factories that produce some of the leading brands at retail. We do not stock any sizes. Since each style - whether standard sized, custom styled or custom sized - is cut to order, we do not have to warehouse our merchandise. Therefore, you will notice that every style requires your height measurement, whether you are customizing or not. This ensures you a "truer" fit. We ship directly to you. That helps us to keep our fashion affordable.

Our Customer Service teams are based on both the east and west coasts in the US. You can reach us between 8 AM and 4 PM PST, Monday through Friday, by calling our toll free number 1-855-374-2584 (1-855-ESH-AKTI). If our lines are busy, kindly leave a message and we will return your call within a day.

Your opinion matters to us
When a customer writes to tell us that she is unhappy, we take it seriously, and we set the processes in motion so that it does not happen again. Some things can be fixed quickly while others require more time. You can be certain that we address every concern.

eShakti.com so generously gave me the opportunity to preview some of their items to share with all of you! The cool thing about eShakti.com is the customizable clothing option. If you check out their website, you will notice each piece (upon ordering) can be customized to your height, size and style. I love that! 

Anyways, I picked this cute, classic-looking red dress from the website and it arrived within 14 days. Unfortunately, I didn't actually measure myself, so it didn't quite fit me how I would prefer. eShakti.com's customer service was AWESOME and was willing to accommodate the return and have a new item sent. However, in the meantime, my gorgeous and model-like cousin tried the dress on, and it fit her perfectly. And, coincidentally, she had an event that week that she could wear it to! 

Here she is, so sweetly (and stunningly) modeling the dress for me!

And again, at her event!

Granted, she does any piece of clothing she wears a favor, however, this dress is SO cute. I'm a little obsessed! And that's why I'm SUPER excited to tell all of you that eShakti is offering all of my readers a discount!

Head over to eShakti.com and customize a piece today! When you check out, enter "sweetgines" to receive 10% off of your order, valid 5-7-14 through 6-7-14. 

Thanks for reading!