Saturday, October 3, 2009

$90 Can Buy Lots of Leopard, Complete With Matching Accessories

Mom and I visited a little gift shop today because I got a 25% off coupon from them since this is my birthday month. Emma was like a little octopus in her stroller. Hands and arms were darting out in every direction; touching, grabbing, slapping, and squeezing.

At one point she knocked over an entire pile of tee shirts that were folded neatly on a table. I got down on my hands and knees to start folding so I could reconstruct the cute little display. Suddenly, I felt a little spray of beads rain down on me. Emma had grabbed a necklace that was hanging from a shirt on display. Not just any necklace on any shirt, but an oversized, heavily beaded necklace on display with a flowing, sheer, leopard print mu-mu. Truly, a stunner that would have done Liberace proud.

The owner of the little shop is the sweetest woman, and I felt terrible arriving at the cash register with my fist full of beads to announce that I needed to pay for a necklace that my baby broke. She informed me that the beads and mu-mu were a matched set that came as a pair. Of course that made perfect sense. If you're going to wear leopard from your neck to your knees you need some large and sparkly beads to accentuate the mid section.

I went to fetch the shirt from the rack to complete my unfortunate purchase. It was a size six petite. Ha! I wasn't going to own a new leopard shirt after all, but rather a new leopard print left sleeve. Then I caught sight of the price tag. $90.00!!!! The shop owner dug out a pair of pliers and offered me the chance to repair the damage, so I propped some glasses on the tip of my nose and set about the task of restringing the ugliest set of beads to ever grace a hideous leopard print shirt. In the end, and after much tweezing and plying, I presented the sales clerk with a size 6 petite leopard print shirt and a one of a kind, custom, hand beaded necklace to match! Ha!

I offered sincerely to purchase the shirt and be along my merry way. (In the back of my mind I was wondering if they would at least let me cash in my 25% birthday coupon? And if I could really be tacky enough to ask??) Ha! The shop owner was so kind and gracious. What a relief to me. I've never been so embarrassed in a store before. She did not make me buy the shirt after all, for which I was extraordinarily grateful. From now on, I'm only parking the stroller next to racks of really cute clothes in appropriate sizes. Live and learn.

2 comments:

Immeasurably More Mama said...

This sounds like something that could very well happen to me...Dillan loves to grab EVERYTHING when I'm shopping!!! I'm so glad that you are not the new owner of a size 6 petite leopard print shirt. Ha!

Erin said...

I bet the necklace was much prettier after you "reconstructed" it! You have such a creative eye. I'm sure you did the jungle ensemble a favor. :>