As the owner of Lizard Thicket, a boutique-style clothing store in west Chandler, Caroline Jordan loves hearing from people that she’s made feel good about themselves.“I hear it time and again: ‘You and your staff made me feel beautiful,’” she says of the familiar refrain
“A lot of times customers will say, ‘I don’t know what looks good on me. So after we help them find clothing that looks great and helps accent them, they just really light up.”
Lizard Thicket, which is located at 3355 W. Chandler Blvd., in the Boulevard Shops near Chandler Mall, will celebrate its first anniversary Aug. 2. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce will start at 5:15 p.m. and Jordan will offer some special sales in honor of the big day.
Jordan, who moved to the east Valley five years ago, worked in the dental field for 15 years before deciding to open her own clothing store.
“I had been looking for a career change, and had been wanting to open my own business; this really is a perfect match for me.”
Jordan said the first Lizard Thicket store opened 30 years ago in Georgia and was family owned until a couple of years ago when the owners decided to franchise it. After learning more about the company, Jordan said she knew she had found the ideal business opportunity.
Along the way, Jordan said she realized that Chandler would be the ideal central location for her enterprise.
“I looked around and decided that this area didn’t have any stores quite like Lizard Thicket,” Jordan said.
“It seemed like lots of customers are looking for boutiques, and so I thought this would be a great place to open the shop.”
Jordan said Lizard Thicket stocks primarily “young and contemporary clothing,” including dresses, tops, skirts, jewelry, purses and a line of bracelets.
“We have our own clothing lines, and we only get in maybe five or six of each item, so customers don’t have to worry about everybody wearing the same thing.”
Jordan noted that the limited amount of each type of merchandise also means that if a customer finds something she likes, she should strongly consider buying it right away because by tomorrow it might be all sold out.
“Some of our customers have said ‘but I really wanted that top!’” Jordan said. “So they are learning: if they love it, they should buy it.”
Jordan and her small team of employees are all interested in fashion and delight in making friends with their customers.
“We get a variety of customers in the store, from high school and college students to young professionals,” Jordan said.
“It’s also a great mother-daughter store where both can come in together and each find something that they like. We have such a great variety of styles that everyone can find something that will work for them. We even have grandmas shopping with their granddaughters.”
What sets her boutique apart from other clothing stores in the area, Jordan said, is the personalized service that she and her employees offer.
“Our customers are looking for a personal shopper who knows the current inventory and the styles, and will help them find outfits,” she said.
“Customers will come in and say ‘I am going to a wedding shower and I have not shopped in awhile.’ They want us to help dress them and find an outfit for them.”
Unlike stores in the mall where customers pretty much fend for themselves, Jordan said her staff knows how all of the store’s items fit, and what will look good on different body types.
“They all know that the top in this corner goes with the skirt in this corner and also with the belt over there,” she said.
As for future plans, Jordan said she would like to eventually branch out and open another shop.
“This is a central location, and I get customers from all over, but I’m starting to get requests to open up another store, especially from my customers who live in Scottsdale,” she said.
“Eventually, that is a goal of ours, and it’s definitely something we are thinking about.”
Information: 480-821-4611 or www.shoplizardthicket.com/chandlerlocation.html
