Probably every woman who has walked into a fancy, high-priced clothing store has felt, at least briefly, the urge to check her self-esteem at the door. The impeccably dressed salespeople, the meticulously arranged displays, and even the lighting and music often create an intimidating atmosphere. All but the most confident fashionistas may yearn to escape to the anonymity of familiar department stores and mall retailers.

But how can a woman cultivate her own personal style with a wardrobe full of mass-marketed, widely available clothing?

Nashville businesswoman Tiffany Lewis decided there should be another option ... a boutique filled with stylish and creative clothes for sale at reasonable prices in a cheerful, reassuring environment.

 “We want everyone to walk in the door and feel comfortable,” Lewis explains, recalling how she and husband, Mike, conceived their joint venture, Nashville Clothing Company (NCC), nearly two years ago. Their first store opened on West End Avenue, and now they operate a second store in Cool Springs. “We want the experience to be fun, and we want customers to leave with confidence.”

And, of course, looking well dressed.

It’s this emphasis on putting customers at ease, while providing them with modern, fashionable clothing, which has earned NCC “Her Best” status from Her Nashville readers. Patrons like Jen Jensen Hubbard say Lewis’s focus on friendly, helpful service and beautiful apparel earns their repeat business.

“Whether I’m buying for myself or a gift, NCC is the first place I go,” she writes. “Tiffany and her staff are so welcoming, professional and knowledgeable of their merchandise. My husband and I have been shopping there for almost two years, and we love it!”

Jen and other regulars enjoy the incentive of a free NCC tote bag given the first time they make a purchase. While reducing the waste of plastic bags, it also gives holders a perpetual 10 percent discount off regularly priced merchandise.

Although the store offers clothing for both women and men — in part a tribute to her husband’s interest in dressing fashionably — Lewis believes her female customers especially appreciate the insight she and her employees offer. With the wide array of styles available to women, it’s especially important to get a flattering fit — a goal that’s often easiest achieved with the help of a discerning second set of eyes.

“‘Honest’ is always the key word,” she says. “If you want our feedback, we’re going to tell you if something doesn’t work for you and offer another choice. We don’t want you to walk out the door and be embarrassed.”

The company maintains an open browsing policy, which means customers do not feel rushed or pressured to buy. Lewis understands that sometimes it’s necessary to scope the offerings at several stores before settling on a purchase.

“You know, if we have the right thing, they’re coming back,” she says. “I see people come back all the time.”

Lewis is thrilled when customers find “the perfect thing.” “A girl came in last week and said, ‘I have a big date in a couple of weeks. I need help.’ She walked out the door the happiest girl in the world because we found something that looked great on her. She’s going to feel great on her date. When you’re in retail, it can be a very shallow fashion world, and we just want to create a different level on that, where you feel confident when you walk out the door.”

Lewis laughs when people assume that because she operates her own popular fashion boutique she must be a life-long style maven. “You should call my sister and ask her that!” she laughs. “No, I was definitely not the girl who was the first to wear the new thing.” And she still doesn’t consider herself a fashion expert. To compensate, she hires employees who, in her words, “have a better fashion sense than I do.” Ultimately, though, it’s Lewis and her husband who decide what to buy for the store. At those times, she relies primarily on her customers for guidance.

“You don’t think about yourself when you’re buying,” she says. “You think about who your customers are and what they’re going to like, and you buy for them. There are a lot of times I laugh and think, ‘How did we get into this?’ I don’t know how it works, but it does.”

As the co-owner and operator of Zambooie.com, a website that sells band merchandise, husband Mike prefers to work behind-the-scenes for NCC. Tiffany, however, loves being the public face of their two stores, alternating between locations six days a week. Before NCC, she worked for 12 years in the hotel industry, managing sales departments for Marriott and Hilton — jobs that required lots of travel and excellent people skills.
“I’m a curious girl who asks all the questions,” she says. “And so are all of my employees. We all love to talk.”

Recently, her business management skills were challenged when a large delivery arrived when her store happened to be filled with customers. The merchandise needed her immediate attention, but Tiffany’s desire to help customers was a stronger attraction.

“I didn’t get much done on the shipments because I was so busy seeing everyone and talking to everyone,” she recalls. “We know so many of our customers. Our goal is to know everyone. We want to know what their style is, what their shoe size is. We just have a good time with all of our customers. Even if we don’t know them at first, by the time they leave, we know them.”

This personal focus is part of what makes Jenna Menking such a fan of the store. “The best part of my NCC experience is always Tiffany Lewis,” she writes. “I usually shop at the Nashville location, and I’m always impressed with Tiffany’s knowledge of my taste in clothing, details about her products and ability to know just what to say to make my shopping experience amazing. Tiffany and the NCC staff are worth the trip alone.”

Excellent customer service combined with what Menking calls “amazing deals on designer duds,” make it a shopping experience that rivals the best of the stores she visited while living in New York City, Los Angeles and London.

“NCC is the only store in Nashville that even comes close to being as trendy, refined and stylish,” she says. “The only real difference between a boutique in these cities and NCC is their low prices and hassle-free shopping.” Menking especially loves the store’s selection of Hana Hattori dresses, one-of-a-kind creations by a local designer.

In addition to the Hattori dresses, NCC also carries Madness Is T-shirts, created by former Belmont University student Emily Swinson, and Pink Lacey jewelry made from guitar picks. The sister of a local resident makes the colorful, casual handbags that crowd the shelves. And, of course, there is the NCC line of T-shirts that Tiffany and Mike design themselves.
“We really try to support the local designers,” Lewis says. “We feel like that’s really important because it’s local people who support us, so we need to in turn give back.” She says it’s been satisfying to see how interested her customers are in buying local merchandise. She’s also pleased that a couple of lines of clothing made from organic fibers are selling well. And NCC customers happily snap up the latest styles of TOMS Shoes, made by a company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that’s sold.

Even the styles that are not one-of-a-kind are purposely limited to just six pieces per store. “We don’t want to be the Gap and everyone have the same pair of pants on and the same T-shirt. We want everyone to have a different look and a different style, and we’re constantly changing the store so they can do that.”

Lewis says she makes an effort to try on every piece of clothing and every pair of shoes in the store. Knowing how things fit her own body helps her guide customers to the styles most flattering to them.

Originally from Oklahoma, Lewis says she and her husband love living and working in the Nashville area and hope eventually to take the NCC concept into other places. Their vision is that Nashville Clothing Company will convey “the city that we really are, a little more hip and modern” than the country-western stereotype.

Another idea for the future is a children’s boutique. Often, she says, customers wish aloud that NCC’s funky shirts were available in youth sizes. She has recently thought, “Well, they could be.” Plus, she adds, “Little kids need hip, cool clothes” just as much as adults do. And, yes, she really means “need.”