June 2, 2013
Latest Part of Series Published in kweejibo stories, December 2012
(Return to May 2012, for First part of the Series, published every month)
the story of Cho's kweejibo clothing co., a men's shirtmaker and shop, all locally manufactured, copyright March 2012
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Zen Cat says, Remain as calm as you can.
“march, 2001”
on the eve of a trip to Cappadocia, i am forced to cancel. i receive a panicky phone call from my employee, Austin. he says "Cindy, come over right now!" with the help of several neighboring merchants, he moves the entire store inventory into our separate storage room in the neighboring store, a shoe repair shop. large amounts of water are pouring in from above, as if we have incurred the wrath of some god. we must close for a month. the landlord does not want us to report the insurance claim, which she declares will raise our rates. actually, this incident will raise her rates as she is the responsible party. and i cannot exactly overlook the forty-three thousand dollars the insurance company will be sending me.
our landlord discovers that i am renting the back room of the shoe repair shop. The owner of said shop, Carlos is also her tenant. she is so furious, she gives me an instant thirty day notice to leave. she has a temper. our lease ran out in 1997; she only gives two year leases. after that, her tenants are forced to live on tenterhooks, hoping never to make her angry. this is what people will put up with to be in key Haight Street locations. generally speaking, the small easy-to-rent spaces with do not come with ten-year leases on Haight Street. If a small space comes with a long lease, it is either in a difficult location, or is very expensive. there are spaces on Haight Streets with the deceptive appearance of good foot traffic. These spots often who have some small but key detail, some sketchy neighbor which chases foot traffic away.
Restez aussi calme que vous pouvez ...
i panic and wander down the street, looking for empty spaces. unbelievably, i see a wonderful space almost immediately, one door into the next block. it is a pretty space, with a thrilling number of pedestrians. it is equally tiny to my current space. a pretty former girl-clothing boutique. i stare, dazed. the owner of the shop Backseat Betty, on that very corner, had both spaces and had just vacated this space a few days before. Backseat Betty is a classic. it was originally a very hip lingerie shop, the pilgrimage destination of every young girl. the store's name and tag line are the best, "good things for bad girls, bad things for good girls". Backseat Betty has long since evolved from only lingerie, and added hipster wear, slightly upscale. the cool-ness factor and overall sexiness of her staff is formidable. in addition, the owner owns Sybil, a gorgeous and pricey women's wear spot up the street.
Backseat Betty introduces me to her landlord. he is a great guy. i am taken back in, ever more dazed. i have lost and found a home, practically in the space of seventy-two hours. i tell him "i don't have references. i have been her tenant for five years and she is throwing me out." he says, "don't worry, people who have been on this street for a long time know who the assholes are." and i quote. those are not my words.
we move quickly and re-open. the majority of our customers do not even notice that we have moved.
Zen Cat says, Help is on the way.
my staff and i take sales, continue business. all seems calm and business seems usual. the customers are unaware of change, but the actual neighboring merchants check on our condition. Carlos, the shoe repair man, also receives thirty days notice in retribution for leasing us part of his store space. in his innocence, he has no idea what he has done. dutifully, he follows orders, he puts up a huge “going out of business” sign. the meek shall inherit the earth. the whole neighborhood rallies behind him and lobbies the Landlord to keep him on as a tenant. and She gives in; the shoe repair has existed in that spot for thirty years. it's a neighborhood institution and one of the truly useful stores on Haight Street. that is, unless you consider bongs a necessity.
Carlos is a doll, an adorable gnome of a man, he is a delight. a good guy. i bring him the one pair of shoes i wear each and every day and beg him to fix it while i am working barefoot in the store. he says in an indeterminate Spanish accent, "Ceeendy, Ceeendy, why do you wear the same pair of shoes every day? it's nooo good for you!" he can not explain why that is, and i don't care.
our new space is superior, with wider frontage; fifteen feet wide instead of twelve. wider frontage means more windows, more visibility, more natural light. there are people who would have moved for those three extra feet alone. others might have moved in order to inherit this new benevolent god, a calm, tolerant and business savvy God. this God also responds in a timely fashion, he understands mortal time. he does not moves quickly only when it is time for vengeance. whoever said that female gods would be more gentle? hah!
Zen Cat says, Remain as calm as you can. Help is on the way. Restez aussi calme que vous pouvez ... L'aide est en train de venir ...