Truthful Tuesday - Intern

A while back I posted about getting a (paid) intern to assist a few hours a week with social media & marketing. I had quite a few applicants, some of whom were from overseas.

After going through resumes & interviews via email, two suitable applicants were found, however in the end I could only have one intern. 

The successful (future) intern was contacted & a time was made to have a chat over strategy. Sadly, that intern never turned up, nor responded to phone calls, txt messages nor emails. 

I thought it was a bit rude the intern did not send a message to say they were not coming. I didn't have a problem with the intern changing their mind, but I had issues with the lack of communication.

Thankfully, I had a plan B, who I contacted & was also keen to start, but in a few weeks as they were busy with other freelance work at the time. But, yet again, after contacting the intern at the agreed time there was no further communication.

I found this interesting as I told the intern to let me know if they changed their mind as it would not be a problem and highlighted I would not be upset, but wanted to be kept in the loop so I could make alternative plans.

I guess the lesson here is that not everyone is as honest as me. I know some people struggle with conflict & prefer to avoid it, but I thought communication via email was a non threatening way for people who have difficulty being truthful.

Finally, I won't be using interns again. I know interns work for other friends of mine who have businesses, but I they are not for me at this stage.

What are your thoughts on this matter? What would you have done.

Author: Jason Cormick

New exciting stock arriving soon!

Fingers AND legs are crossed this week in anticipation for new stock to arrive in the next few weeks.  Most stock will be on our online store only. However, a few pieces will be in our store at SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market. Keep on eye on our blog & Facebook page for updates.

The photo above is a sneak peak. Can you guess what they are...?

Author: Jason Cormick

Dapper Man at Bleecker Street Vintage

What great style! This is the difference between fashion & style. Anyone can do fashion, only a few can be stylish. Which would you prefer?

100 Years of Style

Raw linen pillowcases

In store today are pillowcases made from vintage raw linen sourced from France!

There are two kinds, plain or appliqué heart and can be purchases online or at our store at 

SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market.

Author: Jason Cormick

Truthful Tuesday: Customer service expectations

Recently, I've been wondering what makes good customer service. In particular, when first entering the store.  

I thought the only way to find out about that was to become a customer. So with that in mind I spent the afternoon of last Tuesday on Brunswick Street and did some shopping myself! (I purchased fabric to make a dress sample that I'm working on for the shop & two books :-).

I asked myself the following questions after I exited the store.

What motivated me to enter the store?

Did I have a positive experience?

Who or what caused the positive experience?

I visited all the vintage stores on Brunswick Street as well as mens stores and home wares stores.

I found motivating factors of shop entry were interesting displays, cool shop designs & yes, I'll say it, good looking guys. I was put off and didn't spend much time in each store if there were no staff/customer engagement. I was only looking for acknowledgement that I had entered the store, nothing more. Friendly mannered staff gave the me confidence  to approach them if I needed to. I quickly left stores where staff where aloof.

I spent more time in stores that had variety & strong design in terms of product. I spent less that 5 minutes in stores that stocked clothes that were 'on trend' and had no point of difference. Motivation to stay in a store also dropped when staff were talking on the phone, however I would have stayed if there was acknowledgement.

In conclusion, when I enter a store staff/customer engagement is vital, along with a variety of product that has strong design & is original.

If this is what I want during my retail experience, then what about you. What's important? What do you really dislike? Tell us about it by either making a comment on this blog or on our Facebook page.


Author: Jason Cormick

Pop up shops at SO:ME Space

What I love about SO:ME Space at South Melbourne Market are the pop-up shops & the lovely owners. It's nice meeting them, but sad when they leave as SO:ME Space is like a little family.

New to SO:ME Space this week is Kreel Design who has home wares with a strong design.  My favourite pieces are ceramics by Lara Scobie who lives in Scotland.

Next is Nick from Curio & Curio who is always popping in & out of SO:ME Space. Curio & Curio produce their own in-house designed screen printed pillows, prints and cards.

The final pop-up for today is ANEVA who specialises in furnishings & home wares with an ethnic flavour.  Baskets made from paper get a thumbs up from me since it's an environmentally friendly product.

Author: Jason Cormick