Worth The Wait – Small Business Series

The name of this adorable shop could not be more appropriate for this blog post! Earlier in the month I mentioned how my December Feature was going to be pushed back…. Well here it is, and it is SOOO worth the wait!

When I heard about this adorable little shop and how much the employees love working there, I knew exactly what shop it was….right there on Virginia Beach boulevard….. I was like “oh man I have been meaning to stop in there forever!” I love a good bargain so naturally I’m drawn to consignment stores. But this is not just any consignment store!

Worth the Wait is an adorable shop, with not only consignment items, but BEAUTIFUL jewelery and new boutique and gift items. The owner, Susan, has done an incredible job of merging the two genre’s into a beautiful store front. Any woman will love this one stop shop for anything from shoes, to handbags, to amazing and unique gifts, home decor, anything you can think of! If you have not been there yet, you need to go!

So my first impression when I walked in was how great the immediate presentation is. The store is clean, organized, and easy to navigate around. I love the organization! There is even a chart for the jeans to help you find your size….awesomeness! I also noticed the unique artwork on the walls. Susan said it took 19 days to have this finished, but once again… worth the wait (hehe I can’t help myself)! The beautiful artwork is by Sheila Giolitti. This makes the store unique and beautiful right off the bat, and as many of us know, first impressions are so important.

I also love how all of the positive things that Worth the Wait does with the community. They have a very tight relationship with the Samaritan House, and the adorable Headbands of Hope you will see below. Susan and her employees are making a difference in Hampton Roads.

Talking with Susan I was shocked how much we had in common. Susan has a degree and background in fine arts and her mother pushed her to follow her passion and creativity. So learning those two things right away I knew we were going to hit it off. Oh and Susan loves helping other women find their way in business. She is an open book and never hesitates to mentor or help other women. Oh this just made my heart so happy to hear!

Susan, like many other small business owners left her day job to follow this dream. She did not take the decision lightly and spent a ton of time traveling to visit every consignment shop on the east coast. She really did her homework, and took this dream very seriously. Skills that she learned from her prior job, and her savvy business sense really set her up for success. Well and DUH a LOT of hard work. She opened her doors July 1, 2000 and has never looked back.

I also loved hearing how much Susan loves her employees and customers. Just while I was there in the store, a regular customer stopped by with baked goods for one of her favorite Worth The Wait employees. These regular customers genuinely love Susan and her staff so much. This loyalty is honestly one of the most powerful things I see as I learn from so many amazing business owners. Time and time again, it is not just the business, but the people who run it that make the business so successful. Susan almost got emotional speaking to me about how great her staff is. She trusts them completely to run the store, she has them over to her home every year to celebrate around the holidays, and she truly cares about them as people. With her family living far away, the girls at the shop are her family. After visiting the shop, I think she would be a pretty awesome boss to have!

I’m so grateful Susan let me come by the store for a visit and took the time to chat with me and share her story. Here are a few images of this adorable boutique!

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