Today is Chickie's birthday, and since she's actually missing a few of her "days off" this year, (circumstances got in the way), we gave in when she asked and let her take a Saturday in November for her final vacation day of the year. She's taking the day to be with her brother and a friend and play mini-golf at Mall of America. Happy Birthday, Chickie.
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Chickie, her friend Ann, and her brother Clarke, are going to Moose Mountain Adventure Mini-Golf in Mall of America today to celebrate Chickie's birthday. She wanted to go golfing, and Clarke will really enjoy it too. Ann is a long-time friend and I think her hubby Bill will also be coming along. |
Mall of America was where Chickie and I first met. I opened a branch of my shop at MOA when they first opened - I was one of the original tenants and had a three-year lease. My store, "Painted Tipi" was located on the 3rd floor of the West side with a candle shop to the North of me and a shell shop to the South. Chickie worked at the shell shop, but came in during her lunch hours to browse and chat. Like many of my employees, I stole her from another vendor. I convinced her to come and work for me. I needed another manager and she wanted to work with the items that we carried. We were both anthropologists - she specialized in the Maya, I was a Southwestern specialist. It was a good mix. She worked for me until I closed that location at the end of January, 1996.
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Mall of America is huge. I'm not sure if people really understand how vast it is without having actually been there. I was happy to leave it behind me - I got too lost between other stores, and I preferred the more laid-back attitude we had at our original location. Still, it was an experience I can't totally regret, and it might be fun to visit once again - for a short time ... maybe. |
She worked for me until she left to attend Grad School in Florida when we fell out of touch. A few years later she was back in the Cities and we were back in contact. She worked for Honeywell and then at a few odd short-term positions with other companies.
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Stormcloud Trading opened in this location in 1993 and has been here ever since. The large pane of glass to the right of the door now has cardboard and a temporary piece of glass until the new pane arrives and replaces the broken glass from a few weeks ago. *sigh* I've enjoyed having the shop, but I want the ability to take vacations with Hubby, and do some more serious travelling - impossible to do when working at a storefront. |
I was doing really well with an on-the-street location, and beading was starting to become a very hot hobby. I needed more help and she was between jobs, so I offered her a manager's position, which she accepted. She's been working for me and with me ever since, as my Manager, but actually more as a friend. Chickie is a lot of fun - snippy and sarcastic at times, but great with people and with a fantastic eye for color. We have a lot of fun at the shop, but also outside the shop when we see the occasional film or attend the State Fair and Ren Fest together.
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It's time to set the clocks back. It'll be dark when I leave the shop now, but I might have a little light (for a few days) in the morning when I drive to the gym for my swimming. |
So today I celebrate Chickie and hope that she has a wonderful birthday celebration. I'll see her on Tuesday and find out all about it (if she doesn't post on Facebook first). Then it'll be time for us to sweep into our "Holiday Season". No more vacations allowed until after the New Year. It's time to plan our annual sales events for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons and get those emails ready to send out.
Have a wonderful day, enjoy yourself, and if you're in the USA (in most states), don't forget to move your clocks back late tonight for the end of Daylight Savings Time. I'll be back on Monday.
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