At AnnSandra's in Annandale, Everybody Knows Your Name

These days, it's rare to find a retail establishment where the sales associates know you by name. Such is the shopping experience at AnnSandra, the 30-year-old fine china, crystal and giftware store on John Marr Drive near Little River Turnkpike in Annandale.

"Everybody treats you like family. Even when I call on the phone, they recognize my voice," said JoAnn Hicks of Ashburn, who has been coming to the shop for more than 15 years. "They're very pleasant and helpful ."

"It's a small store, but it's packed," she added.

The selection of unique, high-quality gifts and dinnerware brings customers like Hicks, an avid Swarovski crystal collector, to the shop. It's the warm, welcoming atmosphere created by caring, longtime employees who are attuned to customers' needs that keeps them coming back.

"We know their families, they know our families," said manager J. Fred Carey, who's been at AnnSandra nearly 20 years. "Our sales associates are the kind that take the time to get to know the customer. Our associates have longevity. You see people who've helped you before. [In other retail stores] you never see the same sales person any more. People know us by our names." 

That customer-centered approach is a recipe that has sustained the shop since Sandra Ann Davidson opened it in 1980 in a mall built by her father Lloyd Raport and anchored by a now-defunct toy store. 

Listening to their customers has been key to the store's success and their longevity. "We just listen to the customer. They always steer you in the right directions," said Carey.

The shop started out as a gift and designer handbag store, but has evolved into a destination for fine china, crystal and giftware as a result of customers' requests for specific merchandising, he explained.

Carey said few stores carry the vast selection of crystal and china and at the discount prices that AnnSandra does. The store sells such brands as Swarovski, Kate Spade Dinnerware and Bela Cucina gourmet food items at savings of 20 to 50 percent. 

"We're a destination store and we want that," said Carey, noting the regulars who come from Bethesda, Potomac, and Rockville, Md.  

Through its 800 number, AnnSandra receives orders and ships to all 50 states and U.S. territories. The phone orders, from customers who've left the Washington area for other locales but continue to buy from AnnSandra, account for about 25 percent of sales, according to Carey. 

Hicks can attest to AnnSandra's reach beyond the Washington metro area. Hicks has friends in Puerto Rico who order from AnnSandra and on Saturday she was in the store picking up items for her sister-in-law in Roanoke.

In this struggling economy, the store thrives off of word-of-mouth recommendations from customers like Hicks. Carey said he's witnessed an increase in the number of customers bringing along a friend on their shopping trip.    

"The community is keeping the business going," said Carey.

Janet Cassidy, of Annandale, has been a customer for at least 10 years, purchasing wedding gifts or presents for party hostesses over the years. "If I want a nice gift for someone I come here," she said, noting the quality and variety of gifts as well as reasonable prices.  

On Saturday, Cassidy was contemplating a Vera Bradley bag as a possible gift to bring to a friend she was planning to visit in California.

"They have some unusual gifts and Americana gifts, which are good for sending overseas," said Cassidy.  "I come here for a reason, and I know the sort of things they will have."

Hicks said she doesn't need a shopping excursion to come to the store where the employees treat her like family. "I come down all the time, even when I'm not buying something," said Hicks. "I come down just to say hi."