Claire’s volunteers and Allyson in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA, my home! I go to University of Pennsylvania, so I was definitely looking forward to coming to Philly. I also plan on opening a boutique there in the fall, so putting out a sneak peak was beneficial. We arrived late Friday night and actually stayed at my apartment overnight. I never moved out from my first summer session, which was a bit relaxing and comforting to sleep in my own bed. We woke up the next morning and headed over to our location for the event, at 34th and Chestnut. That is right on my campus, so I invited a ton of Philly/Penn friends to come and see what I always tell them about, in person.
With a happy shopper in Philadelphia!
As we walked the six blocks from my apartment to the parking lot, rain began to drizzle. This turned into a full on downpour as we set up the boutique. Thankfully, as always several volunteers from Claire’s were on board to help us figure out the situation. We quickly transported all the boxes into the truck and also filled up one fitting room. My friend Amanda from my sorority, ZTA, also came out to volunteer for the day. After we finished setting up, thankfully, the rain began to subside. Girls began trickling in. We were concerned that girls would not come because of the rain, however we had a pretty good turnout.
Tiff mopping the floor
Several of my friends (David, Natalie, and Tiff), came out to check it out. I was really excited to show them around because I constantly talk about it at school. My friend David even commented that it was so awesome to see it in person and see it as being something real and tangible! The girls that day really had a great time. An organization called the Evoluer House sent many girls, and I even got an email later that day from one girl who wants to help me open a boutique in Philly!
Tiffany, Allyson, Amanda at the Threads for Teens in Philadelphia Stop
All in all, it was a great day and I can’t wait to officially bring TFT to Philadelphia.
Next Up: Long Island!
XOXO
Allyson Ahlstrom
