Charlotte, NC in one day. 
Back in the day, my formula was a little different. In some way or another, I warned stores that I would be visiting their city soon and would love to meet them, etc. Rarely, and I mean rarely, did I have confirmation (or anything more than dead space) from the other end. Sometimes I would even have the "I'm not sure if it's a good fit" response and if I walked in their store anyways to "shop" and disagreed with them, I would, for sure, let them know. window shopping
Nowadays, approaching our 3rd birthday (OMGOMGOMGOMG), these things are sorta out of my hands. Lupe is a master researcher of all boutiques cool and Will slams them down (in victory, of course) with his engaging wordsmith emails and down-to-earth man voice. It's likely, in approaching these shops, that they have actually heard of betsy & iya because we do have a reason to be there: a bona fide APPOINTMENT.
who wouldn't want to meet with THESE two???
The new formula doesn't take away from the fact that we still want to make sure it's a good fit... for us. We window shop before we walk in. And sometimes we still fake shop (which oftentimes leads to real shopping, ahem) to get a feel for what kind of place we might be working with.
looooove their lighting.
As a result of this grand new formula, I am usually seeing these shops and the amazing boutique owners/buyers behind them, for the first time, once we are already in the city. I am always blown away by the work L and W have done to get us there. Meet our new Charlotte account: LOTUS. 
This shop more than blew my mind. Just glancing in through the windows gave my heart a workout. Walking in was like running a marathon...and winning! Seeing the new cities is always cool, walking into their colorful shops is inspiring and oftentimes exhilarating, but when we meet shop owners who are as kind and vibrant as Effie & Jackie from Lotus---THAT is the stuff.
Their killer style and sophisticated fashion sense should be obvious through the pictures, but what I really want everyone to know is...if you walk into this shop, there is no doubt you will walk out feeling like the world is brighter. I'm serious. Kindness, laughter, authenticity---these things go way beyond how cool and hot we may be on the outside (whether it be with fashion, music, art, whatever makes one feel unique). When you have women who are as successful and down to earth as these two and have nailed down how to embody both, simultaneously, you have hope about, well...everything.
