Wallace's Trading Post — Attraction in Williamsburg

This place has some really great, hard to find, amazing gifts and items. I went for my first time last night and was surprisingly offended by the way the staff treated me. My son and I looked at toys, and gifts, and collectables and everything in the store. Its one thing to have staff watch you and offer to help or maybe even engage you in conversation, but that didn't happen. My son and I had 2 employees follow behind us, checking on the items we passed as we moved through the store, rearranging even after I put the iteams back as I saw them. I worked retail for like 10 years. I only touched the things I thought about buying, to find the price of the items.

What really got me was we were asked if we needed help at the glass counter where they keep the collection of knives. Instead of someone coming to talk to my son and I, we were only asked. I said we didny need help at the moment. So, then I am looking at all the knives under the glass. I look ovet and I see a woman with a name badge just standing there, about 15 feet away, doing nothing more then watching me. Hands together, at about where pants button together. Shes not shocking the shelf, or cleaning, or talking to anyone. I wave to her. She doesn't smile or move or nothing. I knew it was time to go. The woman followed my son and I at a distance until we left.

I asked my son 'did you notice the woman following us'? He said 'Yeah, that was weird, she went over to where we were and repositioned something that I put back the way I saw it'.

Maybe its my tattoos, or my clothes, or something about the way I walk....because it wasnt the fact that I work at a hospital and could afford anything I would like in the store, or the fact that I have money on me and wanted to buy some gifts. My son was with me, and he had to see and feel what its like to be profiled. I told him they probably thought we looked like we wete going to steal something. Ive work3d security before, I know whats up. They didnt know me, but didnt take the time to talk to me either. The staff made me feel uncomfortable, and even worse, made my son feel uncomfortable.

I will be going backz to get the few items I saw I wanted that they have, and I will make it a point to talk to and politely engage in conversation with the people who work there.

If anyone goes in, just be mindful that I guess they see alot of shady looking people come through or something. They seem a little uptight for a store that sells psychedelic tshirts and that has a 60's style multicolored VW out front.

Finding Understanding Can Keep...

We visited Wallace’s about 3 weeks ago while on a road trip with our 7 year old granddaughter . Our granddaughter was excited looking at all the unique items and choosing things to take home to her family. While holding some of her items, I dropped my purse. She quickly helped me pick up the many things that had fallen. Unfortunately, my change purse didn’t get picked up. I didn’t even notice it was missing with so many things I was holding for checking out.

This AM I received my change purse from the store… sent by Karen, cashier and Jacqueline, fudge artist. They had to look through my change purse to find an address (which was on a blank check). The purse was returned with the blank check, $15.00 in cash and lots of coins … everything intact. Thanks to these ladies who went out of their way to return my change purse that I literally didn’t realize was missing. We will visit your store whenever we’re in the area again. God bless you ladies for reminding me there are still many honest and thoughtful people in the world. Thank You so much! Peggy Greene, a...

Arrived 15 minutes before close but you would think we arrived 15 after close by the way we were treated. 13 minutes before close we were told by an employee that they were closing in 10 minutes. Another associate asked us if we were going to buy fudge or not so she could close up (we hadn’t even gotten over to the counter to look at it) then the employees were talking to each other about how there was 1 couple left in the store. We felt so unwelcome my husband wanted to immediately leave. Plus we overheard her saying, “we’re closed” Then to top it all off the lady at the counter has the audacity to say at the end, “you guys didn’t find anything in a hurry?” We left at exactly 6:51PM, 9 minutes before closing time. If you didn’t want us shopping there just say so, don’t be passive...