What is your favorite store? I have numerous favorites, all for different reasons.  JCrew is my staple…I could build my entire wardrobe in JCrew alone.  But I love Forever 21 for trendy pieces that I don’t want to spend a ton of money on only to have it go out of style in two weeks, H&M is awesome for basics for great prices and my department store of choice is Nordstrom. 100%.  Man I love that store.

But my neighborhood – unique find – make me feel like a million bucks – store?  Hot Mama.  I live about five minutes from the Naperville location and it is one of my favorite places in the entire world.  When I walk through those doors I KNOW that Carrie is going to be there with a sweet smile and a hello.  She’ll introduce me to whoever is working that day (most likely only if they are new, because if they’ve been there more than two weeks, we’ve met already) I’ll start to pick things out and once I have three hangers in my hand someone will start a room for me…and BOY will they start a room for me!  Carrie will go through the whole store and fill my dressing room with things that she thinks I’ll like and things that she knows I would never pick out but should try on.

I’ll stay for two, maybe three hours trying on everything in the store and joking around with Carrie and whoever else is working that day.  They’ll bring me something new, that just came in and they have yet to see on anyone and because I feel SO comfortable with them I try EVERYTHING on.  Some things look good, some look great and some things look absolutely awful on me…but everyone in that store makes me feel like I am beautiful and funny and perfect just the way I am.

And I appreciate that more than they will ever know.

Just the other day Chris, Addie and I stopped in the store on our way to lunch. Chris played with Addie at the train table while I tried things on.  We stayed for a half hour, maybe 45 minutes and when we walked out Chris looked at me and said, “Wow, they really like you. No wonder why you love to go there!”  I smiled. “Yep. They make me feel really good about myself. Its not just a store to me.”

Not only can I find great clothes, but I always walk out with a little more confidence as well.