Kent Selection — Local services in Kent

The store has large variety of different Indian artifacts like clothes, artificial jewelry etc. They are probably good - I wouldn’t know because the store people were not super interested in showing us anything. We went all the way to Kent (a 45min drive) purely to check out this store based on the excellent reviews. We wanted to look at glass bangles for starters (amongst other things we were excited to checkout after). The lady was annoyed to work and kept asking what color and size we wanted. She was not happy that we couldn’t speak in Hindi with her. So another younger employee explained to me that “it’s hard for sales people to think for customers and I should tell her exactly what color and size I wanted” - this is after explaining we wanted multiple sizes and colors as party favors. Okay - so I asked to show red color and size 2-8, only to learn they had exactly two to three small boxes of color options and only 2 sizes. At this point I’m unclear what was the initial reluctance to just pull these out to start with, instead of lecturing me about not making them “think” for customers.

A few minutes go by and I’m asked to rush through my choices because their employees are having lunch in the same area and I should “give them some space”. I couldn’t fathom why they could not have set us up only 10min ago to start with, anywhere else in their big shop, to show the 2 small boxes of bangles, or asked me politely to move elsewhere - instead of telling me rudely that I’m invading their space (keep in mind - they have 3 large showrooms and this was one of those and I’m at least 10ft away from anyone that I barely noticed what they were up to). I agreed and he moved me exactly 5-8ft from where we were previously- I was confused how this distance was different from my previous location as I’m still in the same room. No idea why it’s my problem they chose to have lunch at that time in that space and why I’m expected to give them space within 10min of being there. And he kept repeating that he wants to respect their space. At this point it was clear they were not happy with our presence in their store. I ended up buying what I found so far and left shortly after.

The part that annoyed me is this experience is exactly opposite of what other reviewers have called out. Reviewers all called out that they were unclear what they wanted and the store employees helped them find good outfits etc. Looks like these reviewers were not asked to “know exactly what they want” and were indeed helped by the staff to find something that worked for them. One conclusion is likely these are mostly non-Indian reviewers or Hindi speaking folks who seem to have had a good experience. I suppose Indian- non-Hindi speaking folks aren’t welcome in their store. I hate to think so but it’s just my experience was orthogonal to other’s experience. I felt like they did not want us in their store - clearly evidenced by how exasperated the bangle lady was, listening to my mom and me discussing colors in a non-Hindi language (with each other).

Before heading out, the younger employee apologized and we left feeling okayish - he was still unreasonable but calm and composed.

We are never going back here. It’s not worth being treated differently for whatever reason it could have been - I have better places to find similar or better quality...

My boyfriend and I visited a family-owned shop in Kent a few times to purchase traditional outfits for a wedding in India. Our first visit was on March 9, 2024, where we were warmly welcomed by Sahil - the son. Despite the busy Ramadan and Eid season, we found a wide variety of traditional wear. As a plus-sized individual, my options were somewhat limited, but I was still presented with numerous sarees and kurtas to choose from. After three hours of deciding, we ordered three men's kurtas and a saree, totaling nearly $500, benefiting from a 15% discount for buying four pieces. We took home one kurta immediately since it required no alterations, and we were told the rest would be ready by April 7th.

Our subsequent visits, however, were disappointing. On March 16, I returned with a friend and my boyfriend, who needed his green kurta pants hemmed - took less than 30 min. While waiting, I mentioned my excitement about seeing my blouse but received no response from the staff. My friend bought three sarees for $552, but the overall service was lacking. Petticoat is $45 stitched and $10 unstitched.

On April 7th, I called to confirm our order's readiness and was told by the owner that it was best to come on Monday April 8th, although he assured me the order was ready. Due to our tight schedule, I insisted on picking it up on Sunday. We ended the call and I asked my boyfriend to call back for confirmation of the pick up. The owner then informed my boyfriend over the phone that the shop did not have the kurtas and firmly suggested he might have taken them home, which was not possible as we had left them for alterations. We sent pictures of the kurtas to the owner for verification. I am pictured in these with a blue saree draped across my body. But it was the only picture that showed my boyfriend's blue kurta selection.

When I arrived at the shop, I was met with worried faces and was informed that the two kurtas were missing. They offered a replacement blue kurta, which would take a week to alter, but we didn't have the time. The gray kurta was also missing. Despite the shop's no-refund policy, Sahil refunded us for the missing kurtas. I was then handed a blue saree perfectly wrapped with my name on it. They tried to convince me that I had chosen blue, showing CCTV footage of Sahil following me around the store carrying blue and written notes, confirmation of the picture my boyfriend had sent the shop owner of both of us in blue, but I was certain about the green saree.

After showing text messages to Sahil confirming my order, he reluctantly refunded the saree as well. This experience soured what initially seemed like a pleasant journey. I was particularly disappointed as shopping for plus-sized traditional wear is challenging, and I had hoped for a seamless experience.

Kent Selection offers great pieces for various occasions, but our order was not prioritized during their busy season. This situation was a significant letdown, especially given the anticipation and importance of our purchases for...

My husband was referred to Kent Selection by a friend of his whose wedding we will be attending. I did not know what to expect.. I had hoped to bring my friend who is Indian w/ me as I have never shopped for Indian clothes before but unfortunately she had to work. My husband and I walked in the store and it was overwhelming, we did not know how or even where to start. My husband and I were inching to the door to leave; due to feeling genuinely out of place, not knowing where or how to start. This is when Sanni (sorry if I misspelt his name) greeted us and asked us if he could help us. We tell him we have a wedding to attend the following weekend. He was friendly, he pointed at the mannequins and asks me what style of outfit/dress I like while he names them by the proper names. I pointed out a lehenga. And he quickly takes my chest measurement and leads me to an area of the store. He asks me my favorite color? I say “red”. he immediately/kindly informs me, “no cannot do red because it is for the bride”. Which I appreciated his straightforward honesty. He then pulls a lavender lehenga and tells me this is your color you will look nice in this. He pulls out a pink and a couple other options as I inquired about other options. But I knew when he said lavender was my color he knew his stuff. As much as lavender is not typically my first choice; it is always complementary on me. I tried on a few options before the lavender. I tried the lavender last and once on me I knew it was the one. Not only because of the color, but the style and detail. Not to mention it was his first recommendation. After I made my selection he then matched my husband to my outfit. A dark purple w/ white pants. It was very nice. We were very thankful. A nearly painless experience, and much faster than we expected and it was all thanks to Sanni. My review is 4 stars because my top needed alterations along with a tassel on the dupatee needed to be fixed & reattached. We will pick up the top & dupatee tomorrow and if all is well I will surely add the 5th star. My husband and I are incredibly thankful to Sanni he made the experience a success. Attached is a photo while shopping after making my decision on the lavender lehenga (pictured) and taking the measurements for the alterations. My only hope is that the top will fit well when we pick it up. :)

Review update - the top fit perfect, alterations done beautifully and the tassel fixed and reattached like new. 5 star experience. Really great store. Added an additional photo from the day of the event to show my...