Customer satisfaction just one of Tessa’s Trendz

ASSINIBOIA - What started as a side business after work in Rockglen has grown into a trusted source for women’s fashion in Assiniboia.

Tessa’s Trendz is known for diverse clothing lines such as French Dressing, Renuar, Bali, Shapeez, plus swimwear and lingerie. The business is also built on two main values of service and honesty, accommodating all ages and a variety of options in sizes ranging from petite to plus.

“I really enjoy watching grandmas and granddaughters shopping together,” said owner Teresa Davidson. “Tessa’s Trendz is a place where you make friends, not a high-pressure sales environment.”

Davidson purposefully chooses product lines from mainly Canadian companies. She also prefers higher quality items, taking a ‘hand’s on’ approach to vetting what she will offer during meetings with her suppliers. This diligence may be a little more time consuming, but allows Davidson to provide high quality fashions at prices that won’t break the bank. It’s a formula that’s worked since 2010 for her.

“Service is big,” Davidson replied when asked about keys to running a successful business. “When I sell you something, I don’t want it to hang in the closet - I want you to wear it and feel good about it.”

Indeed, that word of mouth advertising - sparking the conversation of “where did you buy that?” - not only secures the confidence of a customer in having made a worthy purchasing decision, but prompts a new customer to embark on their own experience at Tessa’s Trendz.

“One of my long time customers came in - she’s shopped here since I opened - she said ‘your clothes just don’t wear out and they still look new!’,” Davidson recounted, pointing to the ecological sense that comes with acquiring long-lasting fashions as compared to buying a large volume of clothes that would wear out quickly.

Davidson is also in the enviable position where her store is not only attracting repeat customers, but those shoppers are making Assiniboia a destination. She’s noticed people coming from miles around, reversing the usual migration of folks headed to ‘the big city’ for their needs.

Davidson noted that it’s not uncommon to have customers coming from the north and spend time browsing for their next must-have item. All these customers blazing a trail to Assiniboia only bolsters the local economy - not only for patrons of Tessa’s Trendz, but everyone in the community.

With the snow falling, Davidson is entering into her busiest season of the year. ‘Christmas?’ you may think. Actually, with the popularity of Black Friday deals, the traditional sales bump has shifted earlier in the season.

“Christmas purchasing has changed,” Davidson said, adding that previously the time between Dec. 1 and 25 noted a spike in sales. Now, the space in and around Black Friday notes higher sales.

Whenever you decide to visit Tessa’s Trendz, one thing is certain: you can expect helpful, knowledgable, and friendly service; confident in the purchasing decision you just made.