Luster A gift Boutique — Local services in Shaker Heights

After visiting Mitchell’s and getting ice cream, my son and I decided to head over to the Van Aken food court and grab some food. While we were waiting for our order to be ready ,I got a quick glimpse of the Luster storefront, excited to shop for gifts for my coworkers and daughter. As I entered the store with my 13-year-old son, the manager, Robin, immediately told us no open containers were allowed due to the store now selling clothing—understandable, and we complied. I told him to wait outside the store while I looked around,(He’s in eye shot) What followed left me deeply uncomfortable.

Robin repeatedly approached me with forced, intrusive: “Can I help you?” “Do you need help finding anything?” every few seconds. Not in a warm, customer-service way, but in a way that felt watchful, like I was a problem to manage. When I picked up a single pair of shorts, And continue to browse another staff member quickly offered to “hold them” for me, despite the fact that I was clearly still browsing.

The pattern was obvious, I was being monitored in a way that felt targeted, unnecessary, and frankly, discriminatory. I later shared my concerns directly with Robin, calmly and respectfully, naming what felt like microaggressions. She smiled condescendingly through the entire conversation.

Smiling at someone while they’re telling you they feel profiled is not customer service—it’s dismissive.

This experience was deeply disappointing, especially in a diverse community like Shaker Heights. I work hard, I support small businesses, and I deserve the same respect as any other shopper.

If you’re a Black shopper or a parent of teens—proceed with caution. My money spends anywhere, and it won’t be...

General Manager Robin McCann was incredibly rude and off-putting. The store was having a private party for vendors during regularly scheduled business hours, while failing to put up appropriate signage at the initial start of the event. General Manager was very curt and arrogant in informing us of the situation and lacked customer service skills completely. Just appalling and extremely unpleasant. Due to that experience, my friends and I will never be back. Avoid this place like the plague. So many other beautiful boutiques to shop at.

UPDATE: The Owner is blatantly lying through their teeth. I never spoke to anyone and never “insisted on being let in” to their store.— There are so many other nice places to go in Van Aken Market Hall, rather than to “beg to be let in multiple times.” Why would you even lie like that? Oh honey, please. Get a serious reality check. These people never even had a personal conversation with me, as they are alleging. How can they know for a fact how many times I “asked to be let in?” It’s so asinine to claim such a thing. Any self-respecting person would leave and take their business elsewhere, permanently. Then for the owner to go online and ridicule and name call a customer, rather than take constructive criticism and improve on their communication style is appalling. This is absolutely disgusting. I don’t appreciate the false allegations and will be telling everyone to blacklist this place based on the poor, cruel, and unprofessional management style. To the Owner: You seriously deserve any misfortune that befalls you, due to the very poor way that you deal with people and feedback…..Perhaps change your...

I have been in this store a few times and was not impressed. Not so much with items they had for sale but the customer service I received, particularly the last 2 times I came into store. I entered the store and as soon as I was walked in the sales person ran from behind the counter to ask me to put sanitizer on my hands and I really didn't think anything of it, although I literally just walked from another store and did not touch anything and put sanitizer on, but then I noticed she did not ask another patron to do the same and instead of making a seen I just walked out. The second time I went in store just recently and there was a sign on the door asking patrons to sanitize hands prior to walking in. I put sanitizer on my hands and was still rubbing in sanitizer and a salesperson ran from behind the counter and asked me did I sanitize my hands, (I was still rubbing it in), I asked her did she ask everyone, she said yes and a lady runs in behind me and I said well are you going to ask her and she says she was just here and came back in, still not making since to me. So then she says I saw you put it on but I looked away, so I said you saw me put it on then correct and she says yes but I looked away. She then walked away and came back and said if I needed any help just ask, but she kept monitoring me in the store. There were 3 other patrons(white) in the store that she paid no attn to, but focused on me, a Black woman. I left the store, I will...