Mad Hatter Studio — Local services in Virginia Beach

Walking into this store with my family on 12/30/2021 was definitely not a good experience. I'll start by saying if you are a small business owner or a corporate owned business it never hurts to smile and acknowledge your guest when they come into your store. My daughter , my two grandkids and I went in to look for a gift. The first thing I noticed was that the lady working never even spoke to us but when other customers came in she spoke and had friendly banter with them but never once did she say a word to us. I walked around made comments about items that caught my interest but never did she say anything. After awhile I noticed that when we would move to different parts of the store she seem to be shadowing us. I stood in one area and just watched as she moved from where my daughter was and on to where my grandkids were, she never said anything to them just watched . We had been in for a while and my daughter had decided she was ready to make her purchase when the lady started talking about a customer with a gentleman and she was very animated about it . As I looked up I noticed that the gentleman she was speaking with was someone I know. I looked at him and told him he looked familiar but he was looking in his phone so I said it again and he looked up . The gentleman and I started talking and the lady looked like she was in shock and now she is smiling at me and my daughter. Funny how she ignored us the entire time but she could smile when I realized what was going on. I'm 26 years in the retail business and I instantly knew she had decided that we were doing something illegal and had security come in .Shame on you ,to make it real noticeable as we walked out another security guard was near the door. We had walked back and forth down the mall and that was the first time we saw security near a store. What a shame because she has beautiful pieces but I'll never step foot back in that store again. You really need to do better with how you interact...

My mother, children, & I stopped in to the Mad Hatter Studio to shop for a gift for a loved one on 12/30/21. I stopped in because I have purchased from that store when they were located MacArthur Center. While looking around I noticed that the woman didn’t attempt to interact with us but as I walked around with my family I would notice her going specifically to the area where we standing. After browsing throughout the store and trying to figure out what to decide on, I noticed that a gentleman came in and made a comment to her about a female coming in earlier & she made a big deal about repeating what he said. After hearing the interaction between them and her not even taking a moment to ask if we were shopping for ourselves or for some else I knew instantly that she assumed that we were shop lifting. After working in retail for 7 + years I know the terminology that’s used between the plain clothes security and the associates in stores to alert when those things happen. While making my purchase, my mother happened to recognize the gentleman that the woman alerted to come in & spoke to him. They had a brief conversation about why they both happened to be in a mall separate from where they worked & laughed it off. While they chatted I instantly saw a change in the woman’s face and demeanor, that was the first time I saw her smile. After making the purchase and exiting the store, I saw another security guard standing outside of the door. That was my confirmation that I was profiled. As far as she knows I could’ve been a secret shopper, she would’ve failed that shop miserably. While I like the unique pieces the store has I had I very unpleasant experience. I won’t be comfortable to shop...

Looked like an interesting place on the surface… I strolled in and the unique gift wrap caught my eye on the back wall. My wife and kids were trailing behind. I was the first to greet the obviously irate older gentleman behind the counter…. With a face full of disgust as if he’s been constipated for days, he raises his voice and becomes confrontational ordering me to watch my kids. I look behind and all of my children are with their mother. I then asked him ‘okay, how many kids per adult is allowed?’ and as expected, it went over his head and he became furious he couldn’t comprehend. Our family left immediately. We ended up going down the ways to the oriental store where we were greeted with respect. There were multiple families there with their children getting their parents to spend money. Mad Hatter’s loss, but figured I’d share this experience with the community… especially for those with a higher melanin...