Apricot Lane

My family has always loved supporting the local shops in Bakersfield and I was excited when I received a cute shirt from Apricot Lane for Christmas this year (note: I no longer live in Bakersfield but am usually home for the holidays). I was really disappointed that the shirt didn’t fit, but since my mom saves all her receipts for Christmas shopping so we can return them together if they don’t fit, we decided to take it back and see if we could find something else.
So two days after Christmas, we drove to the Marketplace and went inside. The store is nice enough although felt a little crowded, but we ended up not staying long at all. I browsed the store while my mom went to return the shirt that didn’t fit me. A sales associate very rudely told her she couldn’t return it because she didn’t have the gift receipt, but only the original receipt and wanted to do an exchange (not even a return), but it was after their 14 day return policy (keep in mind: Christmas present). Again, I don’t live near here so my mom rarely gets gift receipts because if I’m going to return something, she will be with me. Maybe this is common practice to only accept gift receipts for gifts, but we have returned several other items this holiday season and in the past for different sizes or similar items and everywhere else I have shopped had special policies for holiday season purchases. We were basically being punished for my mom shopping early, which doesn’t really encourage coming back in the future.
The manager eventually (after, no joke, 10 minutes of arguing with the sales associate repeating the same sentence) gave her store credit and we left. We got store credit instead of doing an exchange because nothing, and I mean NOTHING in that store is made for someone any bigger than a size 6. Not that they don’t HAVE bigger sizes, I’m sure I could’ve found a lone 8 somewhere in the store, but the styles they carry are clearly designed for a specific body type. Which there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with I suppose, but I will not be returning and I don’t think my mom will either — except to use the store credit she was *so generously* given instead of her money back.

Great store owner and staff are very friendly. They all go out of there way to help you.
Love there clothes!!!

My daughter wanted a pink lokai brackelet I let Apricot Lane know they put me on a call back list and the morning that they came in I got a call. It’s nice that they follow through with great customer service! Thank you Apricot Lane!!!

As a blogger, I really enjoy discovering/​exploring cute stores like this around town. The clothes here are super cute and trendy at somewhat affordable prices. Now for my experience at this location…
A friend and I got off of having lunch at a place near by and walked in and boy… Is the profiling real here… There was a girl literally tailing me asking me multiple times if I needed anything while staring at my bag. No eye contact, just constantly staring at my hands and my bag. I would walk around the store to see if she would come back and do the same thing and she did… 3 times. It made me so uncomfortable that I just dropped everything I was looking at and left.
Now I work retail myself and I understand the concept of «excessive» customer service to those you assume are shoplifting to get them to leave… But I didn’t even know what I was doing wrong? I looked appropriate for the store, the only difference was that I was ethnically different than the other women shopping there but I know that can’t be the reason why.
Now as a side note, only one of the employees here was doing this. My friend did manage to get great assistance from another woman working, no problems. But this experience put me off so much that unfortunately that will be my last visit there.

Girls are always very sweet and helpful. Whether you’re buying or just looking, they’re very gracious. Love this place. And my 16 loves loves loves their clothes.

Apricot Lane is an adorable little boutique store at the Marketplace. They carry a wide selection of merchandise; this store is packed to the gills unlike other boutiques which carry fewer items.
The trendy décor and music make shopping here a total experience full of fun and general perkiness. They carry clothing and accessories for women, sorry guys, including blingy jeans, blouses, jewelry, and purses.
The dressing area has a particularly hip vibe with zebra print chairs and a widescreen playing edgy video.
If you’re between the ages of sixteen and forty this place will have you jumping for joy at all the stylish offerings. I’m over forty and I adored most of their merchandise, but then I’ve never decided to grow up so I don’t think I count.

Apricot Lane is a cute little boutique in the Marketplace. I love it because there are plenty of items in the store to browse through (unlike other boutiques that are minimally stocked) and the prices are much less than your standard boutique.
Other pros:
–Variety of products including: clothing, accessories, bags (Hobo), watches (Fossil), undergarmets, leggings, shoes.
–Their stuff is cute and fashionable
–It’s a great place to find unique gifts for friends
–They are very active on facebook and show off the lovely products they get in
–The girls who work there are very friendly
–They easily let me return an accessory I bought the other day that I wanted to try with an outfit I had at home, that sadly just didn’t work out
I’m a fan!