Sage

Pricing is on the high side. Clothes aren’t really my style. There are some items here that I find decent, and when I am in the area I like to browse, but for the most part I find it a bit mature. I am not that young, but I think many of the items here are too frumpy for me.

I am totally surprised at these reviews. I’ve been shopping at sage since they were on Tilghman street in Allentown and now I take my teen daughter with me. I have noticed some transitions in their clothing lines but still find brands like free people and others that are on trend. The shoe selection is still one of the most unique in our area and of course they have a nice consistent selection of hunter boots, uggs and danskos. I’ve met several sales associates over the years and have never been met with service other than accommodating and polite. Retail isn’t always the easiest job and maybe some of the critical reviewers have never worked a day in a retail position and haven’t the slightest idea of how to be patient or kind to a busy retail employee.

I stopped into Sage during my first visit to the Promenade a month or so ago. I moved to the area recently and was excited to see that there was a boutique to check out for non-​mall-​quality clothes.
I was expecting to find brands like Free People (as I believe it says on the website) and instead found myself surrounded by more «mature-​looking» styles. Nothing wrong with that at all, but as someone in her early twenties, I felt a bit out of place and more than a little deceived by the marketing of the store. I was the youngest shopper there by probably 15 years and although I poked through every corner and every rack, all I found to try on were a few basic t shirts that I didn’t end up purchasing.
The salespeople seemed a little aloof, although I believe I was asked once or twice if I needed help. The store also had a decent shoe selection that looked promising, but I wasn’t in the market at the time.
Perhaps I came at a bad time, because other reviews say that they have lots of cute stuff. I noticed it was compared to Anthropologie, but I always find pieces I like there and Sage didn’t have a single item aside from basics that I would have wanted to wear.

I stopped by this store a few weeks ago and saw a dress that I liked, but my friends and I were in a rush so I did not get to try it on.
I went back last week to try on the dress and there was only one left on the rack. A sale associates greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I asked her if they had the dress in any other size and she said she would check. I wish I had caught her name, but she was really friendly and after finding another size in the system, she literally searched the entire store trying to find it for me. In the end, we could not find that dress, but I did find another dress I loved. As I walked around the store picking up dresses to try on, she grabbed the clothes and set up a dressing room for me with a cute chalkboard on the door with my name on it.
The store is kinda pricey, but the clearance items are priced well.
I had a positive experience at the store and I will definitely be back to shop again.

Like another reviewer noted, I used to LOVE to shop here. They carried exciting labels and had helpful associates. The last three visits I made to Sage, their collection was «cheap.» There were racks and displays of mostly off-​brand clothing at pretty low prices. And, the sales associates were uninterested in customers and sparse.
I used to buy my premium denim here … no longer. I used to come here instead of driving to Philly or Bridgewater, no longer. Even when I’m at the Promenade picking up a few things at Fresh Market, it never even crosses my mind to walk over.
Such a shame! I used to really love shopping here! Maybe if the management brought back its designer labels and hired enthusiastic employees, they may find a renewed interest in their boutique.

California Sunshine In Allentown…
Pros: A fun place. Boutique version of a high end department store.
Cons: Watch the wallet. It’s easy to spend money on nice looking things.
Suggestion: If you want to ensure attention from the staff, visit during a weekday.
Star Ratings:
– Overall: 4
— Atmosphere: 5
— Store: 4
— Service: 5
— Cost: 4
— Value: 4
— Parking: 4
During our annual visit with family in Allentown from our home in the San Francisco area, we spend a few hours at the Promenade Shops. And for the last 4 years, we’ve included a stop at Sage.
Why go to Sage when we’ve got so many choices back home? Mainly because it reminds us of California. It’s bright, colorful and, despite several previous reviews, the service we’ve received has always been cheerful and helpful.
— Store: Deceptively large. It’s a bit tucked away from the main street running through the Promenade, but the size becomes apparent as you walk by the windows. Sage feels much more contemporary, light and open than many of the other clothing shops we’ve seen around Allentown. It always seems sunny at Sage.
— Selection: I’ll need to defer to my wife on this one. She says Sage is similar to a more affordable Nordstrom and comparable to the chain Anthropologie, except with a bigger selection, higher prices and greater emphasis on clothes rather than furnishings. Although we could probably find the same things near our home, we’d probably need to visit several stores to locate the combination of items at Sage. It’s a bit of this and that from high end manufacturers, but not so expensive as to discourage their target customer… professionals and people with sufficient disposable income.
— Service: Never had a problem. On every visit, we’ve have salespeople approach us at almost every turn. Personally, I like to browse by myself without interruption, but the women at Sage always seem to ask if we need help… both on the floor and by the dressing rooms. They’re personable, pretty (sorry about that one) and helpful without being pushy. As a guy accompanying his wife, I couldn’t ask for more.
— Quality: Like a boutique version of a high end department store. My wife described it as «nice».
— Cost: Not cheap. But you usually get what you pay for. Based on our experience near home in Silicon Valley, prices are in the ballpark for what you see on the racks. We’ve bought 1 or 2 items at each visit, mostly $ 60 – 75 apiece.
— Parking: Lots of space during weekdays, but the Promenade is popular and fills up on weekends.
We hope people in the Allentown area can appreciate Sage for what it is. A non-​chain store carrying a good sampling of fashion-​forward clothes at reasonable prices with friendly service in an upscale atmosphere. Like suburban California in Eastern Pennsylvania.

I recently went to Sage, and had a wonderful experience. The sales help couldn’t have been nicer and were very helpful. When I brought things into the dressing room to try them on, the sales help also brought similiar clothes to me that I ended up buying. Sage has plenty to choose from and you won’t find them in department stores or discounters. The clothes are very unique and I’m very happy with my purchase. I definitely will be back.

I was expecting terrible service today based on the reviews I’d read on Unilocal.I’d only been to Sage a few times before (I live an hour away), and I’d been fairly indifferent about the experience. Aside from a very long wait for a dressing room one time and the fact that the clothes are pretty but very expensive, I didn’t have any particular feelings about it.
Today I was in the area for something else, and I happened to see a beautiful casual summer dress in the window, so I went in. I’m a size S, and all they had on the rack were three size M’s. Got a dressing room right away (store wasn’t busy, and there was an attendant in the dressing room area who greeted me and helped me right away). Tried the M, and of course it was too big. I was disappointed, because by now I knew I wanted it, but given the price ($ 145), I wasn’t going to buy something that didn’t fit exactly right.
When I came out of the dressing room, there was no one around, so I went to the counter area. The woman behind the register (the same one who had been helping at the dressing rooms) greeted me again and asked how everything went. Now before I tell you what happened next, let me tell you my two huge pet peeves about retail stores: 1.) When they won’t check in the back for a similar/​different size and say «Everything we have is out on the floor» (lie, lie, lie, I used to work retail, and that’s what you say when you don’t feel like checking), and 2). When they won’t sell you the display item off the mannequin, even if it’s the size you need.
I told her the M was too big and asked if she had a S, fully expecting the standard retail b.s. answer and having to leave the store empty-​handed. What a pleasant surprise when she said, «Let’s scan the tag and see.» Sure enough, it indicated they did have a S, and she realized right away it must be the one on the window display. She went right over, got it, and asked me with a smile if I’d like to try it on. I left there with the dress in the right size, very happy with the service (which, if you read my other reviews, I’m very big on).
I’m thinking maybe, like many places, it just depends on who helps you, and I happened to be lucky today. Based on this experience, I would return. I was very pleased. This sales person seemed more experienced, like the kind of employees department stores like Lord and Taylor used to have before it became a total nightmare to shop there. I would hate to see Sage go under because of a reputation for poor service — if you live within a 1 hour radius of this place, you know that the Lehigh Valley and Pocono area is sorely lacking for decent fashion, which usually necessitates a trip to Philadelphia, New York, or King of Prussia. Not that I have a problem with any of those places — love them all — but it’s nice to have a store closer to home where you can find a nice outfit in a pinch when you get a last minute invitation.
Overall, very happy today, and I hope this is the beginning of an upward trend in Sage’s service. Ladies, maybe give it another try.

I’m downgrading my review. These people just don’t get it. I dropped in looking for a few dresses for an international trip… and, yes, they had the kind of dresses I was looking for. But the service was so bad that I just left what I liked in the dressing room and went home. I asked the gal in the dressing room to get me another size and she preceded to tell me that they didn’t have any more. I told her that I saw at least 3 on the rack and she looked at me like I had twelve eyes or something and just stared at me. So I told her that I’d just send my husband to go get me the right size and she finally agreed that she’d go look for me. When I was browsing, I couldn’t find anyone to help me. They had multiple employees fawning over one lady in the dressing room, two talking to each other at the counter & no one helping any of the other customers.
Hello, Sage! You sell expensive clothing! You need to have the service to back it up. Too many cute looking gals who stand around and do nothing to help you. I’ve always paid a premium to get the quality of clothing that I want, but I won’t do it if I can’t get the service to back it up. Today was my last visit. I’ll continue to visit other boutiques in the area or drive to Philly/​NYC to do my shopping.

Terrible service from snotty people. Cute, overpriced clothes. I won’t go back.

Agree with Candi on the service. I went there to buy a gift for someone and waited at the counter forever. The manager asked if she could help me like I’d stumbled in by accident and got lost. I may be a slightly scruffy boy but my money’s as good as anyone’s even if I don’t spend it on $ 100 sweat pants.
Before the woman who rang me up came over she had been interviewing someone and when another employee came to the register they chit-​chatted about whether or not the interviewee was good and agreed they thought she was «cute». I guess for a store like this that’s a consideration but I don’t think it should be being discussed in front of me.
All-​in-​all it’s a decent store. They have a lot of Vera Bradley which apparently you ladies enjoy and that’s what I was there to get. Good place to get a gift for the female of the species.