Altar’d State

I stopped in on Saturday right around opening time. I had heard great things about this place, but the brusqueness of the blonde was very distracting. She treated me as if I was a bother and beneath her time to help. Apparently questions such as ‘Can you please help me, I can’t reach a purse’ are frightening to the staff here.
I was looking for an outfit for Vegas and while I think they may have had a few things, I was not going to spend my $$ or time shopping in a place that employs someone so outwardly hostile.

Spending some time in here gift shopping, I really appreciate the kind professionalism of the clerks. They were constantly helping customers gather clothes, get fitting rooms, direct their wants and needs, and all the while maintaining a clean and organized store.
At no one time did I see any clerk just stop and be lazy. They were always helpful and filled with cheery conversation. I also appreciate the concept of the business where you can buy uniquely crafted items and great apparel while helping those in need. It simply is a charitable business with great tastes in styles, accessories, and much more.

My new store! Salespeople must’ve been stylists, because they helped me put what I thought was disparate pieces into a gorgeous outfit. And when I got tired of looking at spring dresses, so many decorative items to choose from. On non-​sales days, quite pricey. But if you go in sales days (e.g. buy 1 get 1 50% off), then worth the spend.

I love this place! If you love Anthropologie-​type clothes but don’t want to spend $ 300 on a dress, go next door! The clothes are similarly unique, nice quality, and the sales staff is incredibly nice and helpful without being pushy.

This store is chock-​full of really cute, stylish items. All the employees are these bubbly young girls who are constantly available to help you even when you need fashion advice (which I do, desperately). last time I was in there at least three different salespeople walked around with me and helped me pick things, and they really put a lot of thought into it. Also the store was busy that day and none of the workers seemed annoyed to be there, as they were constantly smiling and offering help. They’re very kind and it seems genuine so hopefully that means they’re happy to be working at this store. It’s a good place to shop.

Cute, cute clothes but way overpriced and cheaply made. I bought a pair of jean overalls, got home and tried them on and one of the buttons that holds on a strap fell off. It was small and clear so I couldn’t find it so I had to go to a craft store to buy another (they didn’t come with any spare buttons). As I was getting ready to sew it on, the other strap button fell off – wasn’t even pulled at in the least. So basically I had to buy buttons and re-​sew them on before even wearing them anywhere. Also, I went back to the store and asked for a button but they didn’t have one.
TL;DR go to forever 21 if you want cute cheap clothes – their clothes aren’t worth the price

Oh altar’d state. How high hopes I had for you since your opening. Although your atmospherics are on point from everything to your visual merchandising to your intoxicating scents, that’s not enough for a customer to feel completely satisfied. I admired their Christian motivation and giving back to community but their merchandise is just so, so unreasonably marked up. They also closed on Sundays for a day of rest but that didn’t last too long…
Another upsetting fact… More than a couple of the exact same dresses I found at forever 21 for $ 24, was $ 45 LESS than if you bought it here.
Customers: if you want to give back to the community, buy the things that actually gives all the profit to the organization like FAshionable scarves, 31 bits, sseko sandals and TOMS. Their actual merchandise is extremely poor quality for the expensive price. I have several shirts that have holes all around the seams just after two washes!
Signing off as a deflated customer :(

I always love shopping here! The staff is always very sweet and helpful. I went in looking for a valentines dress and was helped by Robin. She was so patient and helpful! She helped me put together the cutest outfit! The price was right and customer service was right on! And a certain percentage of certain purchases go to great causes. Genuine and helpful staff are a rarity in retail. Robin went above and beyond

Love this store and it’s style! great mix between Anthropologie and Free People. Also, it’s a christian store!

I like this store. Cute clothes and friendly associates. It’s kind of like Anthropologie Lite. Since I love Anthro but I am cheap, I like that about it. I had not noticed the Christian aspect of it but those kind of home products aren’t my thing so I mostly gloss over them.

Altar’d State has helpful and pleasant staff along with a great shopping atmosphere.

I’d never heard of this store before I passed it on my way to return a coffee machine. I saw one of the dresses in the window and turned to check it out. I had a date that Sunday and thought «huh, might as well».
Normally, I do not go shopping unless dragged by a friend or a sister, and find the whole process exhausting, a waste of time, and pointless if i walk away empty handed. However; I ended up picking out 7 dresses from just one section of the store, with the help of a friendly consultant.
I’ve been shopping at malls, individual boutiques, large chain stores, and have NEVER had a shopping experience where EVERY article I picked out fit. Now, I am not a model, not the shape of a mannequin, and normally have trouble finding flattering clothes that are made well and fit nicely. Every piece I’d picked out fit wonderfully, was around the same price, and were all well made.
Feeling cheerful, as I left the dressing room I noticed a book of prayers resting by the mirror, and wrote down my wish for an improvement in my boyfriend’s health. When I asked the same consultant who had been helping me why this was there, she said that sometimes before the store opened when it was quiet she would go through and pray for people’s wishes. She also helped me pick out accessories for the dress I was buying, and didn’t do any of this in a pressuring way.
In the end, I left Altar’d State with a smile, something I’d never obtained from a clothing store before.
I’ve never written a review on Unilocal before, but my unique and completely different experience at Altar’d State compelled me to. I hope y’all enjoy it too.

What do Jesus, Toms shoes, Haitian orphans, and cowboy boots have in common?
Nothing, really, except maybe the start of a really inappropriate joke that’ll send you straight to Hell. In reality, though, they’re all involved in a new Domain boutique called «Altar’d State».
It was over a post-​work Friday debriefing at Cru that my friend Shiloh mentioned that she and her coworkers had stopped into a new little boutique earlier that day called «Altar’d State». I inquired as to why she – a hard-​working, productive citizen – would be visiting a head shop during business hours. She explained to me that it was NOT a head shop, but a clothing/​accessories boutique with a Christian bent. Fine. I rephrased and asked why – as a hard-​working, productive citizen – she would be at a clothing/​accessories boutique with a Christian bent during business hours. Whatever. I was only kidding.
Based out of Knoxville, TN (Before this review I believed the only things that came out of Tennessee were Jack Daniel’s and Miley Cyrus), Altar’d State offers mid-​priced merchandise for ladies that ranges from sun dresses to handbags, from household items to cowboy boots. And that sort of cute/​sort of creepy stuffed dog named Boo (seriously, he’s everywhere, staring at you in all parts of the store). Interspersed among the displays are various plaques and wall décor extolling the virtues of God and Jesus. I even wondered aloud where the «Jesus loves me, this I know» plaque was… right before I found it… right behind some Christian coffee mugs. Aha. So this is how it was going to be.
Shiloh had purchased a wristlet and a necklace – all at incredibly affordable prices. If it is «Altar’d State» branded, apparently a portion of the proceeds goes to benefiting Haitian orphans. Naturally, it seems to flow that they stock a wide array of Toms shoes and sunglasses, helping the brand’s «one-​for-​one» pair of shoes and/​or corrective eye surgeries for those in the Third World. As their website explains: «Altar’d State customers can enjoy supporting an organization that promotes confidence, civic involvement and positivity through its merchandise and involvement. Altar’d State more than a store, it’s a movement.»
Basically, it’s the kind of consumerism that you can feel all warm and fuzzy about.
As we were perusing the racks of clothes, one of the women behind the counter came over and asked me if I remembered her from Saks. I did, although she was in the ladies contemporary department that I rarely set foot in since I was spending most of my time kicking ass behind the fragrance counter. I asked her more about the shop since I wasn’t familiar, and that’s pretty much where I filled in all the gaps about the theme of the place that Shiloh had touched on earlier. She seemed really happy to be there, and happy sales associates usually reflect a happy work environment. Which makes sense, because I would sincerely hope a place that’s throwing Bible quotes around wouldn’t also somehow be a hellish gulag as a place of employment.
There is absolutely nothing in here for me… but there may be a demographic out there in Austin this would appeal to. I’m not entirely sure what kind of denomination of Christianity this place is anchored by (As in, I appreciate their causes for the globally underprivileged, but… what are their domestic social stances? And by domestic social stances, I mean, would the owners freak out if I started singing Lady Gaga’s «Born This Way»? if I felt like it.) Part of me is curious, and part of me just doesn’t really want to know.
Anywhoo. If you’re looking for on-​trend fashion with a purported desire to change the world, Altar’d State may be worth checking out.
But if you’re anything like me, I think the only altered state I’m interested in at the Domain requires a Happy Hour menu, and a fully-​stocked bar.
For what it’s worth, 3 Stars.
(PS: Hold on – three hours writing this review, I JUST NOW got it. «Altar’d». Like the word «Altar». Like an altar, in a church. Ok. Got it!)