ON THE JOB: Royal Collection strives for customer service, quality merchandise

ALBANY — Part of the shopping and pampering experience at Albany’s Lancaster Village is the Royal Collection boutique, an Albany business that has been open for more than three decades and is owned by someone who has the retail business in her blood.

Terri Stumpe, the boutique’s owner, said the business will celebrate its 32nd anniversary in August. Her parents operated a “mom and pop” store in Camilla, and she worked in a children’s boutique during her college years.

When she graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in marketing, Stumpe moved to Albany and worked as a buyer at Belk for two years before she was able to establish her own business. Her shop was in a different location until 1997, when Royal Collection moved to its current location at 2347 Lake Park Drive.

The ladies boutique carries sizes from 2-18, serving women of all ages from as far away as Valdosta and Macon with moderate to higher price points for all occasions.

“We carry better merchandise, of higher quality,” Stumpe said.

The variety of clothing, the owner said, goes from “funky” to traditional and fits a multitude of tastes.

“It is just a mix of all of it,” she said.

Stumpe said the business will likely undergo a remodel this year to update the look of the store’s interior — particularly the painting and flooring. She said she plans to continue working in the business as long as she can.

Coming from a retail family, Stumpe said she is devoted to the small business community. She continued that passion into adulthood, now employing four part-time employees and a seamstress Stumpe has been working with for 15 years.

“Growing up in the clothing business, it was always a dream of mine to have my own boutique,” the entrepreneur said.

Stumpe said her role as a small business cheerleader comes not only from her childhood, but also because of the role businesses like hers play in the Albany area.

“A small business in a community like Albany is very important,” she said. “It is important to the economy in Albany and Dougherty County.”

As a thank you to her customer base, Stumpe said she works to give back to the community through Royal Collection. Donating items to auctions at community events is one way the business has done so.

“The customers are extremely important to us,” Stumpe said. “Being involved in the community is a small way to give back.”

She said what sets the boutique apart is the customer service that Stumpe said shoppers might not get in other stores, to the point she and her staff will interact with customers on a personal level, listen to them, develop a relationship with them and work to make sure they leave happier than they were when they came in.

“Customer service is very important to us,” she said. “Our customers have kept us in business for 32 years. They get customer service they can’t get in big box stores.

“What we do every day is something that enhances that customer experience and what they are looking for.”

Stumpe said she also works to have as much domestic product as possible, a strategy that she said helps her goal to have the best quality possible.

“(With imported), it is not the quality you would expect to wear season after season,” she said.

While Royal Collection has a loyal base of customers staff sees often, the shop also attracts new customers every day. Going into the future, Stumpe said her goal is to add new customers to the boutique’s loyal base and keep the business’ name before the public.

Jennifer Parks