Human Resources: Arguably the BEST department at Vera Bradley

Today is my next-to-last day at Vera Bradley, and I am definitely not ready to leave. This is for several reasons, but mainly, I just love the people that I work with in HR entirely too much. Since we have four buildings in Fort Wayne, and everyone in HR works in different buildings, I don’t get to see everyone every day, or even every week, but I have enjoyed every minute that I have had with each of them. Here are just a few of my favorite memories of my amazing summer here in HR ...

Celebrating

On Jill’s (one of the Recruiting Specialists) birthday, we decided to celebrate by decorating her desk … and the area above and around it. She was actually on vacation at the time, so the decorations were our response to not being able to party with her on her big day. She came back the following week to this beautiful and very festive scene ...

Jill’s desk – all ready for her birthday....

Traveling

Only about a month into my internship, I had the opportunity to travel to a store opening – Vera Bradley at Beachwood Place – in Cleveland, OH with Ryan and Amy, two of my co-workers at Production Road. Not only was this really exciting because it was my first “business trip,” I also really enjoyed getting to travel with Ryan and Amy as we explored northern Ohio for the day. I’m sure they enjoyed our trip as well; during the eight hours of driving I told them all about my family’s farm and my days of showing cattle, so they learned a lot!

Ryan, Amy and I enjoying the beautiful new store.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel with Amy, Ryan, and my mentor, Becky, to a recruiting fair in Indianapolis. This gave me the chance to see another side of the recruiting world, and it also allowed me to introduce the others to my favorite Indianapolis original cupcakes. It came just at the right time, because I was starting to have withdrawals from Indianapolis and Butler, my second home. We went to Patachou on the Park for brunch before the fair began (one of Amy, Ryan and I’s favorites), and we stopped for the famous Flying Cupcakes afterwards to reward ourselves for all of the recruiting that we did that day. It is safe to say that the day was a definite delicious success!

Our table at the recruiting fair complete with all things Happy Snails....

Gathering

One thing that I have learned about HR is that we love to get together for lunches, whether it is for someone’s birthday, to welcome someone to the team, or just because. So, in honor of my last few days at Vera Bradley, everyone met at Production Road for lunch today. It was so nice just to get to see and talk to most of the team again before I leave, and of course I loved having Jimmy John’s for lunch as well! (I now officially feel like a college student again!)

Everyone from HR that was able to come to my farewell lunch … I’ll miss them all!...

Being an intern in HR this summer has really opened my eyes to so many things that will be useful in my future. From understanding the ins and outs of the hiring process to seeing how this company functions on a daily basis, I really can’t wait to tackle my senior year and my next steps – finding a real job after graduation. Most of all, all of my fabulous co-workers in HR have shown me the importance of enjoying going to work every day, and they have made my summer internship more amazing than I ever could have imagined. Now that I think about it, do I really need to finish college, or can I just stay here forever?

It's all about the details ...

If you feel like your Vera Bradley Store is unique, that's because it really is! They still carry the same products, of course, but the wallpaper, furniture, and other details are all especially coordinated to match the personality and character of the region in which it is located. I was able to see this last week when I attended the Beachwood Place store opening in Cleveland. Our Visual Merchandising team put together, as always, an outstanding display!

One tradition is the presence of an Ira Yeager painting behind the checkout counter. It all started when Co-founder Barbara Bradley Baekgaard lent one of the paintings from her personal collection to the Fort Wayne store at Jefferson Pointe. Ever since, the paintings have been a staple for each location's decor, and they are each hand selected by Barb and Anne, the Senior Visual Merchandising Creative Director.

The Ira Yeager at Beachwood ... absolutely gorgeous!

Each Vera Bradley Store is also designed to look like someone's home, hence the comfy furniture, beautiful light fixtures and foyer. I found myself surprised by how effortless it all looked in person, especially knowing each store has it's own personality. The hope is that guests will walk in, feel comfortable and have a great experience.

This ottoman is my absolute favorite piece in the store, hands down.

This loveseat is perfect for husbands to relax on as their wives shop around ...

What a beautiful vanity, and I love the flowered wallpaper - such a nice touch!

The foyer, complete with red doors and a chandelier.

This stack of books and bunny lamp are in the middle of a display of Boysenberry bags, but they make it look just like it all belongs in someone's home!

The coffered ceiling, crown molding, and chandelier look amazing altogether ...

A hidden treasure that you can always find at Vera Bradley Stores is a beautiful restroom. I'm used to our impeccably decorated bathrooms in the Fort Wayne offices, but this was something I was pleasantly surprised by when I went to the Beachwood store, because I didn't expect it to be this cheery and adorable.

This lamp is just too cute for words ...

New Store Opening!

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a new Vera Bradley Store opening in Ohio, at Beachwood Place Mall. Joined by two of my co-workers from Human Resources, Ryan and Amy, I was thrilled to finally be attending one of these events. For months, I've read all of the tweets about each new store, wishing I lived closer. While in Cleveland, we attended the Friends and Family event and the Grand Opening.

Day 1: Friends and Family

We were greeted by this adorable Boysenberry sign (pictured below), a helpful guide to the new location. We were beyond excited, considering this was the first store opening for each of us.

Whatever expectations we had were completely blown away by how busy the store was when we arrived. The lines of people waiting to checkout and to get in were evidence of the amazing job the team did setting up the new location. Everything looked beautiful!

There were so many dedicated Vera Bradley fans that came out for the first night, they didn't even mind waiting in the checkout line!

Though the evening was titled "Friends and Family Night," everyone was welcome to come in. There were loyal Vera Bradley fans carrying classic prints like Medallion, little girls with their moms holding their Caitlyns and even some ladies who were visiting a Vera Bradley Store for the very first time. Guests and fans new and old snacked on Boysenberry cupcakes almost too beautiful to bite and sipped from Viva la Vera water bottles.

The delicious Boysenberry cupcakes from the White Flower Cake Shoppe.

These little bottles of water were so cute, some people kept theirs as a keepsake!

The evening turned out to be the biggest store opening in Vera Bradley history, and I loved being a part of it.

Day 2: Grand Opening

The official opening was the next morning, so we arrived early to help with last-minute preparations, and to attend the ribbon cutting. The team had restocked the shelves and made sure everything looked absolutely perfect before the doors opened.

Oh, the colors ...

I was constantly making my own Wish List in my head as I walked around the store ...

This was my favorite product display - I just love Lemon Parfait!

Arvin, the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, had the honor of being the one to perform the ribbon cutting, and posing for all the pictures beforehand.

The beautiful staff members before the opening.

Arvin, announcing the 43rd Vera Bradley retail store, in Beachwood Place Mall.

These are the dedicated Vera Bradley fans that got to enter the store first, after waiting in line.

Once the ribbon was cut, the store was officially open and it was time to shop. We helped customers find the right bag and color, which I thought was so much fun! First, the back room is amazing. Just imagine ... every bag in every pattern. Second, I loved getting to hear the customers' stories. Whether they were waxing poetic and reminiscing about patterns, reliving a trip they made to the Outlet Sale or rehashing how they were introduced to our products, everyone had something special to share.

Just shopping away!

Checking out some of the City Look products.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Fort Wayne. It is safe to say that our trip to Cleveland was a success, and such a good time! I loved seeing how the retail side of the business functions. As an avid shopper, seeing the details of a store opening from behind the scenes was a great insight into how a company creates a great customer experience.