Dear Jess Voelker, Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Signed, Wear What When

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m happy to introduce Meet the Shopkeeper, in which we do just that. Style intern Kelly Robinson, a shopkeeper herself — so she oughtta know, will be conversating with folks behind registers all over town this summer. To start things off, we meet Wazhma Samizay from Retail Therapy. -Laura

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous “How can I help you?” question?
Wazhma: I am more interested in finding out how people are doing. I love my job because of the people that walk in, I want to know about them and that naturally helps me find what is going to make a difference for them. Sometimes it is a gift or an outfit, sometimes it is connecting them with someone else.

WWW: What is your favorite thing in the store right now?
Our Skunkfunk zipper dress. It is hot, innovative, and carbon neutral! And the perfect summer dress. I love how you can change the look in an instant. I also love our bacon pajama pants and underwear for the boys!

WWW: Where do you shop when you’re not at Retail Therapy?
Alhambra, Edies Shoes, Retrofit Home and City People’s.

WWW: What’s the most random or non-shopping related thing that has ever happened in your store?
I have a Polaroid wall of my favorite clients and have had people ask me to set them up on dates with various people.