Highland Park Village AMERICA’S FIRST SHOPPING CENTER “65 YEARS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE”

IT IS A COMFORTING THOUGHT IN THIS ERA OF “SUPERSTORES” THAT A PLACE LIKE HIGHLAND PARK Village is still providing customer service after 65 years. Besides being an architectural landmark (it was one of the nation’s first shopping centers, built in 1931), it remains one of the last places whose merchants hold fast to the idea that attentive, personal service isn’t an extra, but is a normal part of the shopping experience.

It starts when you arrive. You can, of course, park your car yourself or take advantage of the complimentary valet parking (which by the way is available at several drop-off locations around the Village). Do you need help with your packages? Every merchant can quickly arrange to have them taken to your car.

In fact, it is this common thread of superior customer service that Henry S. Miller, 111, co-managing partner of the property, looks for when choosing retailers. “Our stores offer everything from high fashion to everyday necessities,” he notes. “But what really sets us apart is our constant effort to make all our customers feel special for shopping here.” This attitude, of doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy, can be found throughout the Village.

Chanel

CONVENIENCE AND SERVICE ARE THE RED HOT TOPICS IN RETAIL TODAY. AS DIRECTOR OF THE CHANEL SOU-tique, Laura McClung realizes that different customers have different notions of what makes for really convenient shopping.

“A seasoned sales staff should be knowledgeable enough and sociable enough to sense what a client needs and then be creative for them, not only on the fashion front but also with the latest in cosmetics and fragrances.

“Many clients value our having a make-up artist (on staff every day of the week) whom they can trust to offer expert advice on color or treatment. Others find free local deliver}’ a necessity.

“Everyone looks to our alteration department to make their selections fit like a glove, and Dallas has become so international, we make it a point to offer assistance in three foreign languages. On busy days for the center, of course, everybody appreciates the complimentary valet parking.

“Of course the ultimate convenience is finding just the right pieces to complement your wardrobe,” says Ms. McClung. Karl Lagerfeld has an incredible way of interpreting Chanel’s style, sometimes comforting, sometimes challenging.

’Todays look is not an exclusively dressed up look. There are more casual activities that involve our clients and this springs line addresses all needs. Service that returns to the basics is what the boutique is all about.”

Si. John

WHEN YOU LOOK AT ST. JOHN, IT’S EASY to tell there’s a guiding hand behind the company’s collection. Styles are consistently elegant, quality is unfailingly high, and colors are appealingly vibrant.

Renee Brady of the St. John Boutique prides herself on her staff’s ability to convey that ver)’ image and to ensure that customers get the highest level of satisfaction. “After all, we have the entire collection at our fingertips from shoes, accessories, and handbags to fragrances and the line of bath and body products.”

“When clients walk into our boutique, we are eager to show them the total look and help them realize every bit of versatility the collection has to offer. We put our knowledge and experience to work by creating the most mileage out of every piece. We simplify everything for them and have provide a value to our customers when it comes to putting it all together!”

Renee shares her customer’s devotion to the product and its unique flexibility and wearability.

“I have a great passion for this collection as I am a working mother always on the go. There is a St. John design for the woman of every lifestyle.”

“When I wear a structured jacket, 1 can instantly feel it moving with me….comfort dressing at its best. It makes you feel great wherever you go. That’s a feeling we want our customers to experience.”

With great admiration of the design team, Renee says, “They keep producing an incredible product and the collection gets better and better every year….that’s what’s exciting!”



Hondi



UNLIKE HER COLLEAGUES, THE STORE manager of Mondi Collections is a newcomer to Dallas.

“Where I come from we wear black all year round,” laughs Susie Fillipone, whose East Coast experience includes lengthy stints with Hartmarx and Alfred Dunhill of London. “Down here, the natural environment of the Southwest is so phenomenal that its impossible to ignore all the color possibilities. Our spring collection this year acknowledges a lot of those possibilities.”

At one time a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Fillipone radiates a bright and buoyant spirit.

“Shopping for a wardrobe should be fun. We like to interact with our customers, make sure they have a good experience while they’re here, and make sure they look good when they walk out. People that wear Mondi have high expectations. They expect quality and it’s there. They expect classic styling and it’s there. They expect us to satisfy a certain level of customer sen-ice and we always do our best to exceed that.”

Ms. Fillipone gestures toward Mondi’s windowed wall. Outside the sun is streaming through the trees.



hlly Dodson/Sscada

“HIGHLAND PARK VILLAGE IS A LITTLE like Mayberry,” says Bill Dodson, the man behind the intense fashion scene at Lilly Dodson/Escada. “We know most of our customers by name and consider them all to be part of our family. “To belter instill that sense of family among Escada’s fanatic local following, Mr. Dodson recently mailed almost 400 keys to the stores backdoor to the hardest core of his clientele.

“It was an unorthodox gesture, to say the least. But it was a very sincere one. They come and go when they please because, in a very real sense, Lilly Dodson/Escada belongs to them.”

As second generation operators of one of the last family-owned specialty stores in America, Mr. Dodson and his sister Linda Dodson Mewbinney pride themselves on keeping the cozy feel alive in their association with Escada, the $800 million Munich-based global fashion phenomenon.

“Because we have a wonderful and very close association with Escada, we are able to offer our customers all the amenities they would find in world-class stores in Paris, New York, or Rome. At the same time, we involve them very intimately in the buying decisions we make each year. The suggestions our customers make shape the way this family does business on a day-to-day basis. They know that and they appreciate our efforts to create a nurturing environment.”

Haynsworth

shotogruphy

A DOORSTEP AWAY IS JOHN HAYNSWORTH Photography, offering distinctive, interactive custom family portrait photography. “We like the casual, almost ’fashion-shoot’ approach of burning lots of film while our subjects are moving and doing things,” says the Palm Beach, Fla., native. “It gives us more action, and avoids that ’stuffed in a wax museum’ look, which 1 can’t stand.” For 12 years, Haynsworth worked as a fashion photographer for a number of magazines, including Town and Country and Look, before deciding to open his own studio in 1979 in the Village. “I chose this location because of the quaint, friendly atmosphere and the little personal touches,” he says. “With the shops and merchandise, it’s like Rodeo Drive, but a lot more charming.” His work emphasizes action and whimsy; check out the display shots in his studio, especially the two adorable towheaded tykes posing during springtime on the business end of a Porsche 911.