Wanda Baker
Director of Guest Experience, Boutique & Retail Operations
With nearly three decades of executive leadership spanning luxury retail, boutique merchandising, hospitality operations, and customer experience, Wanda Baker has built her career around creating exceptional, highly personalized experiences that foster lasting customer loyalty.
Her entrepreneurial journey began with B'Gauze Boutique in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a destination boutique recognized for its carefully curated collections, exclusivity, and personalized one-on-one styling experience. The boutique developed a loyal regional following and became known for helping clients discover pieces that reflected their individual style. Her reputation for thoughtful personal styling attracted a discerning clientele, including occasional celebrity customers seeking a private, individualized shopping experience.
Following the success of B'Gauze, Wanda went on to lead high-volume retail operations for nationally recognized brands including Sunbeam Corporation, Cracker Barrel, TJX Companies (Marshalls/HomeGoods), and EXPRESS. Throughout her career, she has managed multi-million-dollar operations while developing high-performing teams, driving financial performance, and elevating guest service standards. During her tenure with TJX Companies, she increased annual store revenue from approximately $400,000 to more than $15 million, including delivering a $2.5 million increase during her first year as Store Manager. Her sustained leadership transformed the location into one of the company's highest-performing stores.
Recognized for her ability to identify operational opportunities and accelerate growth, Wanda was selected by Cracker Barrel for a specially created Regional Retail Store Manager role, where she traveled throughout the region helping underperforming stores improve operations, strengthen merchandising, develop leadership teams, and implement strategies that delivered measurable financial growth and operational excellence.
Her accomplishments include numerous regional and district recognitions for outstanding sales growth, customer engagement, loyalty program performance, and community leadership. While with TJX Companies, she earned multiple awards for leading million-dollar year-over-year sales growth, top-performing customer rewards initiatives, and successful fundraising campaigns supporting organizations including the American Red Cross, Autism initiatives, and the Joslin Diabetes Center. She was also nominated to the prestigious TJX President's Club, recognizing her store among the Top 20 performing stores in the national organization.
Her areas of expertise include:
Luxury guest experience and personalized service
Boutique merchandising and curated retail environments
Personal styling and relationship-based client engagement
Hospitality operations and service standards
Executive retail leadership
Multi-million-dollar P&L management
Team development and performance coaching
Visual merchandising and inventory strategy
Operational excellence and process improvement
Business growth and revenue optimization
As Director of Guest Experience, Boutique & Retail Operations for High Desert Music Hotel, Wanda leads the design and execution of every guest-facing touchpoint. Drawing from decades of experience creating destination retail experiences and cultivating meaningful client relationships, she oversees the hotel's boutique, merchandising strategy, hospitality standards, guest services, and service culture. Her commitment to personalized service, operational excellence, and elevated guest experiences helps ensure every visitor feels genuinely welcomed while reflecting the warmth, authenticity, and cultural richness that define High Desert Music Hotel.