Pink Cottage Company - Sparta — Local services in Sparta Township

Hi, I’d like to share my experience at Pink Cottage Company. If you don’t have time to read the full story, feel free to skip to the last paragraph. I first visited the Sparta location back in June and had a great experience. I spoke with the owner, who was incredibly friendly and helpful. I left excited to support a local business and immediately told my mom and several friends they had to check it out. A few weeks later, my mom visited the Lafayette location specifically because of my recommendation. She made several purchases including a birthday gift for me, a cute dress with lobsters on it. Knowing it was a gift, she asked about the return policy and was told, “She can exchange it, but hopefully it fits.” A bit of an odd answer in hindsight, but she saved the receipt just in case. Unfortunately, the dress didn’t fit. I had only tried it on once at home, tags still attached. I happened to be near the Lafayette store, so I stopped in to exchange it. As soon as I walked in, the owner greeted me by saying, “Oh, your mom said it didn’t fit and that you’d be coming in to return it.” I was surprised she immediately knew who I was, but I just said yes and looked around while holding the dress. A minute later, she asked me to hand it to her. I assumed she was just being nice and offering to hold it while I browsed. Then she said, “Aw, there’s a spot.” I barely acknowledged it, thinking she was noting a flaw in the fabric, maybe something that happened during fitting or packaging. But she quickly followed up by saying she wouldn’t be able to accept it. I walked over to where she was pointing and saw a tiny speck, like lint or dust, something I hadn’t noticed. It looked like it brushed the floor on the dressing room possibly and could easily be dabbed away. She told me she couldn’t resell it but I could clean it and come back. I was a little thrown off and told my husband what happened. He suggested I try dabbing it with a napkin and water in the car. The mark came right out, leaving only a faint water ring from dampness. On the way home, we stopped at the Sparta location. I walked in and said, “Hi, I just have an exchange.” The owner responded, “Is this the dress with the stain? My daughter texted me and warned me you might be coming in.” I was stunned. I felt like I was being treated as if I were doing something dishonest. I explained her daughter had told me to try cleaning it and bring it back. She examined it for a bit, then she asked where the stain had been. That struck me. If she couldn’t see it, why couldn’t she take it back? I showed her the area and she said, “Yup, there it is. I can’t accept this.” I was visibly disappointed and explained again that I had never worn the dress. She insisted their quality control was excellent and that I must have worn it. I pointed out some visible flaws in the stitching and fabric, but she blamed those on me as well. I left feeling frustrated and embarrassed. This had been a birthday gift, and I had been genuinely excited to come back and pick something else out. I told her that my family and friends had all planned to support the store, but after being treated this way, we wouldn’t be returning. It now feels like they planned not to honor the exchange from the beginning. Looking back, the odd return policy response makes more sense. The fact that the owner knew who I was before I said anything and took the dress right away all seems calculated. It’s hard to believe they would go to such lengths over a $67 dollar dress. My mom could have easily gone to Marshalls or TJMaxx and found something for less, but she chose to support a small business. Sadly, they lost our future business over something that likely cost them a fraction of the price. I hope this serves as a learning experience on how to treat customers with fairness and respect. I’ve included photos of the spot before and after cleaning, along with the bracelet I bought on my first visit when I left...

I initially held off on reviewing the Sparta location, but after seeing others mention issues - especially around returns - I felt it was important to share my experience.

When the Sparta shop first opened, I visited with a friend and bought a few items. I asked about the return policy since there was no signage or mention on the receipt. The young woman at the desk assured me I could return anything with a receipt, no time limit. But when I tried to return one item just four days later, the owner (mother) refused and said she needed to speak with her daughter. Eventually, I was offered store credit, which wasn't ideal.

During the same visit, I asked about a black top (in the Sparta location) they had and whether they had any additional sizes available in-store. The owner (mother) texted and called her daughter while I stood there, referring to me as a "husky girl,” asking about bigger sizes in the black top in Lafayette. I hadn’t confirmed I wanted to purchase the top, just that I was interested in trying it on - she was bossy about immediately getting over to Lafayette because they’d be closing soon and wouldn’t wait for me, but I shared I didn’t have interest in traveling another 25 min.+ out of my way (during RT. 80 mess). From a customer service standpoint, they should have offered to mail it to me, free of delivery cost, or offered to bring the extra sizes over to the Sparta location.

After my visit, I also reached out via email, and the owner (daughter) responded in a thread that was not only unprofessional but outright hostile - accusing me of being "stupid" for missing a sign that wasn't there at the time and attacking me personally. There was zero accountability and a complete lack of customer service (entitlement was completely present).

The gossip (calling me names and being rude = gossip) between locations, misleading information, and unprofessional behavior are unsettling. I've since been told a return policy sign was posted, but that doesn't change the experience. While the shop has cute items, many are available elsewhere locally for less. I used to recommend this place, but after my Sparta visit, I no longer do. I'll use my store credit in Lafayette, which I still enjoy, but I won't go out of my way to...

Disappointed! Lovely store with many unique gift items but unfortunately a terrible experience with customer service. I purchased a dress for my daughter and was told, reluctantly, that it could be exchanged if it did not fit. It was an adorable dress, however I was concerned that it may potentially be ill fitting due to how oddly it was proportioned. Large and low cut in the bust area, yet narrow in the waist and hips. I was willing to risk it because I absolutely loved the fabric pattern. Bottom line, my daughter, was shaken up after her attempt to exchange the dress was met with accusations of lying about having worn the dress. Something she could not have done, simply because it did not fit her. Not to mention, my daughter is an honest individual who has integrity and would not try to pull a fast one. According to the owner, the dress had a mark on it, which likely could have been there before it was even purchased or could have resulted from the owner's daughter insisting on taking the dress from her and handling it the minute she walked through the door to exchange it. My daughter sent me photos of the 'stain' on the dress that supposedly was found after taking it from her. It was so faint and difficult to see that if it was indeed there when she brought it back, it is quite possible that I could have overlooked it when I made the initial purchase. Even though they refused to allow her to make an exchange, I would have quietly cut my losses, donated the dress, and just not given future business to the store, however accusing my daughter of being dishonest in person and in the presence of other customers, as well as through an online response to a review, totally crosses the line and is both unacceptable and unprofessional on the part of the owner. I decided to give an actual rating simply due to how the situation was handled. Your patrons deserve to be treated with more kindness and respect than was offered...