Mitzi didn't expect to be handed a job when she helped out boutique owner Michaele with her deliveries, but it happened. Soon, she was handed the keys and she became the owner of her own boutique. Along with the sore, she was given the customers. Mitzi didn't expect much from the customers; all she expected was to help find a pair of shoes or maybe a full outfit for a special occasion, but it turned out that these customers that lined up outside her store for a chance to interact with her needed more than just fashion advice.
One of her first customers was Saffron, a girl interested in pop clothes because they were cheerful and added color to her day. After helping Saffron pick out a bright halter top and then a full pop outfit coordinated to that item, Saffron invited Mitzi out to the cafe for a drink. Unable to deny Saffron's hopeful smile and eyes, Mitzi agreed and left the store with Saffron, leaving Shea, her new assistant, in charge of the boutique.
At the cafe, Mitzi let Saffron dominate the conversion and control he flow of topics. Before she knew it, the conversation had gone from the weather to rose hip tea to the fortune teller in the park. And that's what sets Saffron off on the topic plaguing her mind: her ex-boyfriend and how's off chatting up girls right after breaking up her. Mitzi, unsure what to do or say to comfort Saffron, let her keep talking and babble out all her concerns. Mitzi learned that Saffron was in the relationship for over three years before she broke up with her boyfriend after a fight about the future of their relationship. After Saffron babbled out all her concerns and admitted her fear of commitment, Mitzi reached out for Saffron's hands on the table and gave her a comforting smile. Saffron returns with a watery smile and the rest of the afternoon passed quietly and comfortably for Saffron. She felt lighter after her outburst.
On the other hand, Mitzi worried about her store as the afternoon had passed by quickly and she felt the need to go back to the boutique, but she had no idea when was the right time to go. Luckily, Saffron noticed how dark the sky was turning as the sun set and announced that she had to go home to feed her dog. But before she left, she asked to take a photo with Mitzi and thanked her for taking the time to go to the cafe even though it must be busy with the opening of the new boutique. Mitzi just smiled and posed with a picture with Saffron before wordlessly waving goodbye to her. Mitzi nodded goodbye to India, who was cleaning up her table, and headed back to the boutique. She had a feeling that requests like this would appear frequently in the future.
Word traveled fast in the town about Mitzi's boutique and her talent for style and also, her ability to listen. Customers of her store didn't frequently come by with simple orders, minimal descriptions, and basic requests of items or outfits. Instead, Mitzi listened to a customer's retelling of events that happened to them. She frequently heard how a customer met a special boy and girl at the park or cafe, and got up the courage to strike up a conversation, and now, they have a date! There were a few variations: sometimes, a customer had already spent most of their paycheck and needed an outfit made under a tighter budget, or they needed a pick me up after a date went sour. Regardless of the request, Mitzi just smiled and told her customers that she could do it. She would place an item or outfit in their hands and usher them into the changing rooms. They would open up the curtains with bright smiles and maxed out confidence levels and tell Mitzi how prefect everything picked out was. And then, they would rush off in those clothes to the station plaza or the cake shop and come back the next day with their significant other hand in hand in order to thank Mitzi once again.
Occasionally, a customer would tell Mitzi to come along with them to their date, just to keep their confidence level boasted and for a safety net in case something went wrong. Mitzi took all these offers with a selfless smile and made sure to arrive to each location on time. She had expected that running a boutique would fill up her schedule with visits to the Buyer's Center, meetings with Harris for remodeling, participating in contests to help increase the popularity of her store, and helping customers find the right outfit. She wasn't prepared to be so involved in the lives of her customers though. Despite her expectations, her schedule became filled with appointments and dates at the lavender fields, cake shop, and any location in town suitable for a date or chat. Mitzi made the choice to go all over town at the request of her customers just to make sure that the smile that they walked out of her shop with lasted.
And Mitzi's concerns for her customers didn't stop there. She was also worried about being the rebound interest because she helped out a fair amount of boys with a post-break up retail therapy, and in return, a few of those boys left her store with blushing faces and flustered goodbyes. She would ward off romantic advances with a friendly smile and carefully chosen words that firmly stuck the boys within the friend zone. Mitzi knew she didn't have to that and she did have the right to the explore in the uncharted territories of relationships, but she also knew secondhand the perils of being the rebound and how quickly love shifts its attention. With no intention of having her heart broken by boys who wanted to quickly fill their own gaping holes in their hearts, Mitzi made sure to gently buy firmly reject all the advances. But sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder how it would be to be someone's girlfriend; however, those thoughts would be chased away by the arrival of another customer needing her attention and the need to self-wallow was chased away by the need to help solve another person's problems.
She didn't regret any of her choices as a boutique owner and friend to all her customers. Even though she could help more customers make satisfying purchases if she didn't go out at every request. Even though she could earn more money if she stayed in the store. Even though sometimes she would come back from a successful date with a feeling of longing and jealously that couldn't be pushed away. She didn't regret how full of pictures her cork board at her apartment was or how everyone in town knew her name and greeted her whenever she was out. She didn't regret how fast her customer base grew because of word of mouth or the feeling of joy when couples would enter her boutique to shop and thank her for helping keep their relationship alive and healthy. She didn't regret how it felt to help when a customer would enter the boutique and try out a new style in order to reestablish themselves after a breakup. She didn't regret all the heartfelt thank yous and the appreciation. The store became a key location in the town. She was known for her talent for style and her compassion for her customers. She was known for treating her customers as friends and not walking wallets.
Mitzi didn't expect her world to change and expand from running a boutique, but it did and she thrived in the experience.