It's Christmas Eve already...last post was about a month ago. A lot of water under the bridge. I'm settling into just 11 hour days instead of the 14 hour days for the past month. The store was scheduled to open on December 5...then the 8th...and we finally opened the doors on Saturday the 9th. So we've been opened 2 weeks and one day. Only one day without a sale so I feel pretty fortunate, especially since it's rained about 5 days out of 14 and 3 of those were on a weekend. I've had some great help in getting this started, Debbye, the one inlaw from the ex that is decent, helped me out a lot...pricing product, bringing in boxes from Storage, manning the store while worked the Internet business from home during the transition. Her roommate Char also helped price and bring stuff down and both of them talked up the store and showed product at a local biker bar. My Mom and Step dad came down and spent three days with me and helped clean, stock put mirrors up, price and paint all manner of things while also making me dinner when I got home. I owe a lot to my volunteer help. Dave...my unreliable handy man, who is somewhat on a payroll also helped a lot when he was here. Dave has a little substance abuse problem and his hours and methods of operation were quite bizarre, but he was a big help for little money (I say little money, but it seemed like a $100 cash was leaving my pocket daily for ?).

Anyway, I'm up and running. Got a shipment of Helmets, Gloves, Distressed Leather Jackets, Chaps, and light camo stuff. I've custom ordered a few jackets for some customers and the word about a reasonably priced shop is spreading. Put an ad in the Penny Saver...front page too...that went to 25000 homes in an affluent area of Modesto. The ad didn't pay for itself yet, but it did bring in quite a few people. I've still got about 40 boxes of leather in storage that I can't fit in here. Almost bought out most of the wooden hangers from every dollar store around.

"the man in the coonskin hat in a pigpen wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten..." Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues is playing on the stereo, it's foggy, I've been here since 9:30, had two donuts, vitamins and two cups of tea, perfect time to blog. Christmas is tomorrow, going up to Mom's. Stopped by the store this AM and picked up some shrimp for hors'doerves (I never could spell that, just did a spell check and a web search..seems everyone spells it different) also Dungeness Crab, fresh and for only $3.49/lb. The premeal should be great.

Robbie just came in to wish me a Merry Christmas and left. Robbie installed my mirrors outside the dressing room for free, and got me a computer for my in-store internet ordering platform for the grand total of two leather dusters. Barter is best.

No customers yet. I'm running down to pick up my pictures of the store, pre, post and running. Unfortunately, I don't have my scanner here or I'd post. Look soon for pics.

1:00 PM--Had a few customers in, chatted for a bit.

Ever tell you why I hate WalMart? 1: The damn isles are too small. Besides the small isles, WalMart, at least the one in Modesto, tends to be populated by grossly obese people with bad teeth. Some people are so obese they need to ride those electronic carts because they can't support their own weight on their feet. So, small isles, grossly obese people= no way to get through from one isle to the next, then Grossly overweight folks on motorized carts running you out of the isles and into stacked product...pandamonium as they careen into walking folks as they search isles for the best price on Dr. Pepper.

I got off the subject, it's not really the people shopping, but just a general WalMart attitude. I dropped by real quick to purchase a memory card for a laptop and a phone splitter. I got about $70 worth of stuff in two items and I'm trying to find a line with less than 200 people in it at the heart of the Christmas rush. I spot it, a lane with two people in it and a sign that reads "8 items or less, 8AM to 10PM only". So I jump in line just as the first person finishes up. The guy in front of me starts his transaction and it's a damn refund. I figure, "just my luck, I get stuck in a line where a guy gets a refund, they'll have to fingerprint and DNA test the sucker before they give him his money back and all the while I'll be waiting for the nurse to determine if he's allergic to the iodine in the betadine." To my surprise, they refunded him pretty quick and then it was my turn. I place my items on the counter and look at the cashier. "Where is your receipt?" the girl asks matter of factly.
"I'm not returning," I say, "I'm buying."
"This is a return line." the cashier says.
I look back at the sign and point out that it says "8 items or less 8AM to 10PM".
"The lights not on, " she says curtly to me. "When the lights on, then it is 8 items or less. Right now it's a return lane," she continues, looking at me like I should have known this obvious little fact.
"Can you ring me up?" I ask.
"No! This is a return lane," she says, a bitch like look spreading across her face.
"Fine," I say, " Just keep the stuff," I say as I push my two items worth $70 across the counter to her. "I don't have time for this crap." I leave her with my stuff, walk out into the cold and foggy parking lot, past overweight WalMart mutants shuffeling across the blacktop with kids that look like hyperactive midgets on crank with faces that haven't been washed of McDonalds ketchup and grease in about 3 days, and jump into my car.

How is that last sentence for a run on sentence?

2:23 PM A few more customers cam in and I guess I should finish up.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night.