Thursday, April 18, 2013

Reason Number 547 I Heart the Fleas; Grayslake Report; BookEnd

REASON:  I think everyone gets frustrated with their* work from time to time. I know I do! I envy dealers who can unequivocally throw their heads back, fling their arms out, and say "I LOVE my job!" All the time. Hmmm. Maybe I am just too fickle. I have to settle for my beloved love-hate relationship with my work. But fortunately, there's ALWAYS more in the Love column. Those other guys are just on Prozac. Speaking of the Love column, here's one definite plus. Where on earth can you find treasure so consistently for so little? Case in point, my little bluebird of happiness pin. Vintage enamel, 1 1/2 inches tall, perfect shape, $1. Does it get any better than that!? What about you? Flea anything fab lately? Leave a note and share! * I know it is supposed to be "his/her," but that always seems awkward!

GRAYSLAKE REPORT: Great crowd on Saturday and quite busy Sunday, too, when all was said and done. The special feature was vintage clothing, which always draws tons of happy shoppers (and lots of great people-watching.) We've noticed a bit of a shift the last several months. We are seeing LOTS of new shoppers, which is great, but fewer sales to our long-time dealer customers. This pattern has cropped up before, but it is always unsettling. Where did they go? Our guess is that is often the time of year -- coming off first quarter to a cold spring doesn't necessarily translate to dollars for a lot of our dealer customers. Boo. But we ended up with a good show just the same; just have to wait for it, instead of getting a strong push during early buy. Next up is ALLEGAN! More on that next week. We are off to Ohio and Indy this weekend.

BOOKEND: "The Solace of Leaving Early" by Haven Kimmel

First, I have to apologize to my pal, Shannon. She loaned me this book more than a year ago, and there it sat, neglected. Even more embarrassing was the reason -- I just couldn't get excited about it. Even though I love the author, I didn't like the cover. Or the title. Is that shallow or what!? But like they say, never judge a book...I picked it up the other day because I was between titles. And I was IMMEDIATELY hooked. It is amazing. If you have ever lived in a small town (or a small community anywhere -- office, college dorm, city block), you will recognize it here. Or if you've wondered about paths not taken or choices made, you will love it. The fact that it takes place in Indiana, partly at IU Bloomington, is just a plus. OK, only maybe for me. But if you've flirted with academia you will also love it. Go get it right now! And, sorry, Shannon. Now Joe wants to read it! xo

1 comment:

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

It was good to see you guys. I know what you mean about the love/hate thing. Still, like you said, there's more love than hate. The friendships we form in this business helps keep the negative from overtaking us.