TBW Daily Diary

Every holiday season we have one day on which business screeches to a stop; hopefully that day was today. We had but one customer between one and four this afternoon. We assure ourselves that all is not lost by creating excuses: this was Office Party day; there was a carol sing at Strawberry Square; it was tree-lighting time somewhere. And we feel a little better . . . only 15 packs of bayberry tapers left; don't miss out . . . Bob gets angry with me when I shift the merchandise at this time of year. He can never locate anything once I have redone some of the displays. I like to keep things looking fresh so that the next customer will feel he is the very first to step inside the door . . . I guess that all began years and years ago when The Bare Wall was very new and not so well stocked. Paul Wambach was helping out that Christmas, and one morning a week before the holiday we both agreed that the store was looking shabby and “picked over” so we went to work on it. A display table was sacrificed and carted to the basement, a few wall shelves were removed and our wares were redistributed; some empty lower shelves were filled with what appeared to be wrapped gifts awaiting pick-up. When we were finished the store looked attractive and inviting and we were very self-satisfied with our effort . . . a short time later a relative of Paul’s who was “above” patronizing our meager enterprise stopped in. “My, my,” she said, casting a disapproving eye about, “you guys are loaded. So sad! I was just at such-and-such a store and they are all but sold out. Shelves and tables empty, empty, empty. I feel so sorry for you” . . . Paul and I could not contain ourselves. We fell into each other’s arms laughing like two crazed hyenas. Our “customer” stomped out in a huff . . . “her” store should have taken a lesson from us. It was out-of-business a year or so later . . .