Are We There Yet? vol. 215

A month or so ago, I saw a segment on PBS Newshour that featured an artist, Kent Stetson, who turned his art into accessories—namely, handbags. Each piece he creates makes a statement. “When you carry one of my pieces, it gets acknowledged.” He says that each handbag takes 50 steps and three days to complete, and he is involved in each one.

My wife’s birthday is in April, and I decided to purchase one of Kent’s handbags for her. I went to his site and made my order. As her birthday approached and I hadn’t heard from the company, I decided to send an email through the website to make sure that they had the order.

I immediately got a call back, and when I picked up, it was Kent himself explaining that the PBS segment had generated a lot of business for him and he was behind in completing orders. He asked if it was a rush and said that he could get it done. I fully understood his situation and told him that he did not need to rush it and that Jen would be happy knowing it was coming. What happened next took me by surprise. He told me he would film a video wishing her a happy birthday and explaining what happened. That afternoon, I had the video which I then showed her on her birthday. For me, the video was more exciting than if I had actually had the handbag.

I was amazed that this popular and somewhat famous designer would take the time to call me personally on a Saturday afternoon, first to explain the situation, but then to take the time to film the video for Jen. I think it was the best retail experience I ever had, and I didn’t even receive the product.

Kudos to Kent for taking his craft so seriously and for his commitment to serving his customer base so well. He sets a standard for all of us in not only how to treat our customers but how to treat each other as well.

Take care and stay safe.

VIDEO:

The Gentlemen (Netflix) 

When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it’s home to an enormous weed empire, and its proprietors aren’t going anywhere. Created and produced by Guy Ritchie.