I get to do some really fab stuff with the work I do…and I had one such experience when Karen Parker O’Brian, owner of Style Room Shopping Tour Experiences invited me to check out her NYC shopping tour. I grew up around the fashion biz because my pops owns a clothing company in NYC. Because of this, it takes a lot to impress me and of course I hate paying retail. Well, Karen delivers in a big way with her Style Room shopping tours. She is a former showroom owner herself, so she has tons of contacts and creates custom tours depending on the season, group, etc.

Karen gives you a meeting point and a time and when you arrive, you are greeted with a little goody bag of trail mix and Karen, photographed below, dawning a fab smile and legs that seem to go on forever…I was standing on a step, wearing super high wedges and still look like a shrimp next to her.

What I love about her tours is that she creates an experience. Each showroom has something special to offer beyond the clothes and accessories themselves. Some offer up cupcakes and champagne, some you get to meet the designer, some you get insider access and all of them you get a deeper understanding of how the fashion business works and how much WORK it is to put out a clothing line. For me, it had the added bonus of reminiscing to my childhood days in my dad’s showroom/store at 1189 Broadway…rubber band fights with my brother in the stockroom, playing with the conveyor belt from the stockroom to the storefront, and playing in the oodles and oodles of clothes.  Fond memories…my Dad is really something special when it comes to business and he built and amazing business from the ground up…I digress, but can you tell I am a proud daughter

I highly recommend that you take a Style Room shopping tour the next time you are in NYC. You will love the deals, bond with fellow shopaholics and have a day filled with fun and an unforgettable experience.

*Note: I was given a complimentary tour, but the opinions here are my own.