I absolutely love Thiocary and I visit anytime I get the chance, which is why we decided on a whim…read moreto make the trip from the Gold Coast on a hot Chicago summer day. The clothing and dresses are absolutely stunning, the boutique smells wonderful, and Ibrahim provides some of the best customer service I've experienced anywhere. From the moment I walked in, Ibrahim made me feel genuinely welcome. He is incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and attentive without ever being overbearing. This wasn't my first visit to Thiocary. I've purchased several pieces here before, yet this was actually my first time bringing my partner because I've spoken so highly of the boutique for quite some time. I was rather excited to introduce someone else to a store I've always enjoyed visiting. Specialty boutiques with large collections can sometimes feel intimidating or overwhelming because there are so many pieces to choose from, but Ibrahim completely removes that feeling. He encourages you to take your time, listens to what you're looking for, selects pieces he believes you'll love, and patiently walks you through the different ways each garment can be worn and styled. He happily pulled every dress I wanted to see, and never once made me feel rushed. He repeatedly assured me that I could take as much time as I needed to find the right pieces.
It was an unusually hot Chicago afternoon (around 80 degrees), and after walking around the city and riding the train, my partner and I stepped inside feeling overheated. We noticed the seating area beside the large fan and sat for just a few minutes to cool off before browsing. Before we even had the opportunity to begin shopping, another employee approached us from across the store wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and immediately told us, "You need to leave. You can't be in here." Uhm, Excuse me. Utterly perturbed as I was, I explained that we intended to shop and simply wanted a moment to cool down first. Instead of listening, he became increasingly dismissive and repeatedly insisted we leave. What!?? I even asked if he remembered helping me during a previous visit when I had purchased several items from the boutique. His response was simply, "I don't care. I don't remember you. Leave."
My goodness! An absolutely unacceptable and off-putting way to treat two women who had just stepped into the store. Thankfully, Ibrahim immediately stepped in. He came from behind the register, apologized through his actions without criticizing his coworker, told us to ignore the comments, and warmly reassured us that we were absolutely welcome to stay. He reminded us the boutique didn't close until 7:00 p.m. (it was only around 4:00), invited us to rest, browse, shop at our own pace, and even offered us bottled water. His kindness completely changed the atmosphere. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the disgusting behavior from the other. He shockingly continued his harassment. While Ibrahim was ringing us up, the other man repeatedly interrupted, loudly asking "Can I help you?" and "Hello?" multiple times from a chair near a computer. It was disruptive, it was eerie. It was unsettling.
After we completed our purchase and sat near the fan, the rude man who claimed to be the owner, demanded our names repeatedly, then ordered us to leave again."Get out" he said. "I'm calling the police" He pulled out his phone and said he was calling 911 since we would not leave. It was weird and disgusting. Ibrahim however calmly continued reassuring us that we had done nothing wrong and encouraged us to ignore the behavior.
Eventually I had to firmly tell the employee back off, before he finally laughed at me and walked away. I cannot believe that such a beautiful store would have such an employee with awful treatment to customers. Thank God for Ibrahim as he kept us feeling safe and welcomed. Ibrahim deserves every bit of recognition management can give him. Most certainly, had Ibrahim not intervened, we would have walked out immediately. His professionalism completely changed the direction of our experience. Instead of losing two customers, the boutique made a sale because of him. If my interaction had been limited to Ibrahim, this would have been an effortless five-star review. Again, the purchases we made that afternoon can be directly attributed to Ibrahim's exceptional customer service. His professionalism, patience, warmth, styling expertise, kindness and comfort is exactly what luxury adjacent retail should feel like. He salvaged what otherwise would have been a deeply sour experience and is the sole reason we stayed, made our purchases, and may consider returning.
I sincerely hope management recognizes both sides of this experience: an employee who represents the boutique exceptionally well, and another whose conduct toward customers is absolutely vile and should not be tolerated in any circumstance. Ibrahim is an asset to Thiocary.
