Pros
The people, the people, the people. My coworkers were brilliant and became life-long friends. Many are creative-minded, smart and multitalented (over-qualified?), making work worth going to for the social aspect alone. I hear this isn't so much the case at many of the stores these days. The company is losing the cultural caché it once had, probably from the consistent bridge-burning with ex-employees. A good place to be a part-timer and gain skills in the service industry, without getting caught up in head office politics.
Cons
Head office culture is toxic and not tuned in to how modern-day companies are actually run. Easy to feel undervalued and micro-managed. The owner Louise does not know how to delegate responsibility and mixes the business with her personal feelings very often. She's overworked (by choice) and not willing to put trust in the many talented people that surround her. Unfortunately there's a lot of emotional manipulation, and leaving the company can feel like leaving an abusive relationship. You don't realize you've been taken advantage of until you leave, and upper management will try and guilt you into thinking that you owe them something. The managers (especially the lifers) tend to be jaded, demoralized and resigned to their positions knowing that they have no real authority to make decisions or give approval. I've seen many long-time employees leave the company only to be bad mouthed as soon as they've exited, even if it's supposedly on "good terms". Petty. Also, salaries are way below industry standards, job titles/responsibilities are vague and muddled, and commission/benefits/discounts have consistently been heading downhill. "Yearly" reviews happen once every 3 years unless self-initiated.