It’s the second week in April, and we are usually joining forces with Gus Mayer, Nashville for a pre-Iroquois Steeplechase Trunk Show, (also referred to as the Tennessee Steeplechase). This year it’s obviously a little different. We sat down with Nashville store manager Beth Franklin-Smith to chat about the store, Iroquois Steeplechase fashion, and of course hats! Gus Mayer is a high end, clothing, shoe and accessory fashion retailer for women located in Nashville and Birmingham . In business for over 100 years, Gus Mayer strives to put the customer’s interest first, paying special attention to each client and getting to know them on a personal level. When you walk into the store at any time, you immediately get the feeling of how much they care about people, the connections and the solid relationships. Now, in our present crisis situation , it is natural that the focus of this company is to continue their relationship with their customers. Beth has been encouraging staff to reach out to customers, and to open a dialog with them about how they are doing overall. “We are such a small tight knit community and most of our customers are like family to us, and we care about them and want to make sure they are ok.” The store has turned to social media and ecommerce for additional ways to continue to keep that connection open and flowing between them and their customers. About a month ago, they began a series of instagram posts titled “Get to know Gus, Get to know Us” , where they have been featuring team members from across both location and all aspects of business, from store management to alterations. A great way of maintaining that personal touch, this campaign has helped to highlight the many outstanding and hardworking staff members that complete the Gus Mayer team. Along with a social media boost and fashion posts, and Gus Mayer's recently launched ecommerce site is bringing business in during a time where most are staying home. Beth admits it has been a challenge, both in the logistics of creating the site, and keeping that personal touch that Gus Mayer is known for. “ We never wanted to lose that personal connection with our customer, and we never wanted to become transactional, but we feel like we have been able to make this a little more personal.” Even as customers shop from home, they are able to call the store and be given more options, maybe something that isn’t yet listed, or a style in a different color. It has also created an opportunity to showcase their products to customers they do not see every day and to bring in new customers who may have known about the store, or do not live close by but when in Nashville might hopefully want to stop by and shop the store. The website will be a little “cherry on top” as well when it comes to Iroquois Steeplechase. A national event that brings thousands of people to Nashville each year, Gus Mayer sees a lot of action at their pop-up set up at the event. “People always say, do you have a website, and now I can say Yeah, we do!” Postponed like so many major events the Iroquois Steeplechase has moved from its traditional 2nd Saturday in May slot, to June 27th for this year only. Like most spring racing events, those early May events can bring all sorts of weather, from bright and sunny, to down pours all day. Beth is hopeful that this new date will bring more stability weather wise, and hopefully a lot of sun! “People are going to need coverage, for their face and shoulders on a bright sunny day. The functionality of a hat is going to come into play, its not just going to be about fashion.” We are currently working with Gus Mayer to reschedule our trunk shows so you can be steeplechase ready! Information about trunk shows and other events will be posted soon on our website camhats.com . For more information about shopping with Gus Mayer, visit their site at gusmayer.com. For online shopping, visit Gus Mayer-Nashville.
For Gus Mayer- Birmingham shopping site click here.