I recently took my three brothers, who were visiting from out of state, to Studio Nova. My late husband, who recently passed away, was a loyal customer under the previous owner and would take one of my brothers there to shop each time he visited. The four of us went there that day to let the new owner know of my husband's passing. My brothers were prepared to do some big time shopping, as Studio Nova was his favorite. Unfortunately, our experience was ruined the moment we walked in. The person attending the store at the time identified himself as the new owner's father. Instead of greeting us with kindness and professionalism, we were met with suspicion and blatant disrespect. When my brother tried to explain the connection between himself, my late husband and the previous owner, the father cut him off and made it clear that he was not interested in hearing the story. Then he said "Why don't y'all look around since I have your Black asses on camera anyway." He turned to another one of my brothers and said "you look suspicious." When my brother mentioned he was from California, the father said "Don't tell anyone that."
We were shocked! We were prepared to spend money, but after being insulted repeatedly, we chose to leave. The father's tone was hostile, dismissive, and completely inappropriate. For context, all three of my brothers are professionals, well-dressed, retired veterans, respectful, and accomplished men. No one should be treated this way.
As the only woman present, I felt especially disrespected. My brothers were embarrassed for me, and we were all hurt by the way we were treated. We came to honor a connection to the store and instead left feeling degraded and unwelcome. When we got in the car, there was silence and disbelief.
To the owner: My purpose of writing this post is make you aware of our experience at your store. We hope this treatment does not reflect your OWN values or how YOU intend for Studio Nova to operate. If you continue allowing your father to represent your business in your absence, you risk losing customers and damaging your reputation. We will not return, nor will we recommend this business to anyone. I truly hope no one else has to endure what we did that day. read more