Altar'd State Mayfaire Town Center — Local services in Wilmington

Ah, Wendy at Altar’d State — where do I even begin? If confidence were clothing, she’d be wearing three layers of it… all slightly too tight and absolutely non-refundable.

Wendy walks the floor like she owns the place, which would be impressive if it weren’t paired with the vibe of a high school mean girl who just got promoted to assistant mall queen. She talks down to her employees like she’s running a couture house in Paris — not a boho boutique that sells maxi dresses for the price of a utility bill. And the humor? Oh, she thinks she’s the funniest person in the room. Unfortunately, the room disagrees. I smiled out of survival.

Let’s also be clear: Wendy is not what you’d call a humble leader. Her vibe screams, “I delegate with disdain,” not “I lead with grace.” Instead of empowering her team, she seems more invested in reminding them who’s boss — like she’s auditioning for the role of “Retail Overlord” in a very dramatic workplace documentary.

The clothes? Cute. The store? A Pinterest dream. The prices? Astronomical. I shouldn’t need to refinance my car to buy a crochet cardigan and a necklace that says “faith.” I’ve been to weddings with lower budgets than a full outfit here.

To her team’s credit, the store was perfectly tidy and my sweater got folded with the kind of care usually reserved for ancient scrolls. But let’s be real — the real MVPs are the employees who manage to keep the vibe peaceful while working under Wendy’s reign of faux-fabulous terror.

Altar’d State, if you’re listening: love your style, but maybe it’s time to rethink who’s representing the brand — and bring both the price tags and the egos back...

I had the worst experience in this store. Today I went shopping for my husband’s promotion. At first everyone was so nice and told about the sales. I was in there for a really long time trying to decide what outfits would be appropriate for a big event. I felt like nothing did so I left, went to another store then returned to look more after my baby settled. After coming back I was in there for about an hour. The employees started to stalk me. They wouldn’t ever offer to help, I would just turn around and they would be right on me watching my every move. They even went as far as following me into the sales room and just standing there pretending to be doing something else but clearly were watching me. Again none of them ever offered to help UNTIL I was about to leave a girl came up and asked what I was shopping for. I told her the event and she pointed out a dress but said it would be really short so I told her no that wouldn’t be appropriate. A couple seconds later she was talking to another employee about how I was still in there but hadn’t bought anything and she offered but I said it was “too short.” They definitely made me feel like I was a thief. I was so tired of being stalked I just grabbed a hat really fast and checked out and left as fast as I could. I never once did anything to make them think I was stealing anything. I never even went near the door and I didn’t touch my purse until checkout.

Moral of the story, don’t be long in this store or every employee will make you out to be someone trying to steal something. 🙃 go to raleigh where everyone is so nice...

Altar'd State Mayfaire Town Center is going to be my new fave place to shop!!! I called yesterday frantically looking for an outfit that I absolutely LOVED, Emma answered the phone and was so sweet and took her time with me. She asked the right questions, offered to call the general manager during her time off and even asked her colleague, Sarah Kate if she was familiar with the outfit. Through calls, digging around, Emma and Sarah Kate found the last one and now I have the perfect outfit for my event this weekend! Thank you Emma and Sarah Kate for going above and beyond! For greeting me with a smile when I walk in the store every time! Also, I love the aesthetic of the store! The fitting rooms are absolutely stunning and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the journal for prayers when you are heading into the fitting room. Thank you so much, you all are truly...