home sweet (old) home

You just never know who's going to walk into the store!

This past weekend was the Art and Music Festival in downtown Canandaigua and the sidewalks were full of people all weekend long. Many of them found their way into JOOLZ, many for the first time...several longtime friends and customers. It was great exposure for the store and I think we made lots of new friends who will return and return.

Two women and one of their daughters came in and looked all around. One decided to buy a necklace and I went to the computer to input her info for our customer files. (We keep names and addresses, along with contact info, on everyone who is willing to share it. We find that having the ability to look up previous purchases is very helpful when trying to answer questions or to direct someone shopping for that customer).

Imagine my great surprise when this new customer gave me a house address right next door to the house where I grew up! My parents brought me home from the hospital to that wonderful house and Larry and I had our wedding reception in the back yard. It truly was the only house I knew until I flew the coop (and landed in Texas - a story for another time).

The customer and I chatted about the 3 families who have lived in "my" house since Dad sold it in 1976. It sounds like she loves the neighborhood as much as we did. I told Larry about meeting Carol and then dreamed about my home, sweet (old) home that night. It looked just the way I remember it - not the way it looks now. I'm still likin' the former white shingles and black shutters better!!