07/03/2021
Hello… is this thing on? I haven’t shared on this page in years so I”m not sure how many fans and followers will see, but perhaps a few of you will enjoy the memory I'd like to share of July 4th, awhile back… way back in 2013, our best sales day to date. July is always the best and busiest time of year at the beach, but that year the holiday was a very wet one. With parades cancelled and the beach a soggy mess, parents were desperate to find an activity for their kids to enjoy and so we scheduled two very full back to back art classes at Little Red. Normally our classes were held outside, the art instructor out teaching in the hot summer sun while I would be inside minding the shop, folding tshirts and visiting with customers, however that day the inclement weather forced us all inside. The flag canvases would be painted alongside the sundresses, swimsuits and sandals for sale. We moved smaller fixtures into the stock room to make space as best we could, but it was still very tight. My anxiety was high at the thought of children and tempera paint in our beautiful beach boutique, but I didn’t dare turn business away. Like fishermen, we retailers during the busy tourist season have to reel in sales as best we can to balance the zero dollar days of the winter to come. The first class was great, no major spills, happy kiddos, happy parents, a full till. The second class also great, though I was much more involved in the art instruction than I had planned. A weary mom dropped off her kiddos and dashed out the door for a few moments of peace and quiet not noting that her special needs son might need a little extra attention. After he shut off the lights and painted his neighbor's hair and arm, I swooped in to assist and thankfully learned the neighbor was his sister not the least bit upset by his wandering brush. Since I’d given my employees the day off, my hubby managed the register for me while I helped the art instructor and we laughed at the end of it all as we rearranged the shop after two rounds of thirty kiddos left with their freshly painted flags. It was pure chaos, but we enjoyed every moment of it and were high fiving the record sales day. The next few years were also wonderful sales days, always a mom or two that managed to escape the kiddos on her family vacation to do a good bit of retail therapy. Each year was less eventful than the rainy day past as the parades and pools, concerts and fireworks drew the families off the shopping path except maybe for a quick pop in to cool off or buy a red white or blue hair bow and such. Last year was my first year away from my beach shop, home in California instead of Florida as the pandemic kept me close to my kiddos and without my normal childcare routine that allowed me to travel in years past. I miss my shop terribly, but this year too, instead of Florida, I’ll be here in California celebrating with friends and family and for the first time in twelve years, Little Red will be closed on the Fourth of July. We will be closed next year too, because this year will be our last. We have weathered many storms, a gulf oil spill, our family’s move across country, an unexpected and wonderful addition to the family, a lost lease, and a worldwide pandemic, but the time has come to close this chapter and start anew. I will not be in the shop for awhile. My kids need me at home now more than ever, but my sweet shop girl will be there offering great sales with wonderful service. With a heavy and grateful heart, I thank all of you who have supported our little beach boutique through the years and welcome you to stop by our shop once or twice more over the next couple months for what remains of our clothes and toys for girls and boys. I will keep this page updated on our hours, discounts, and future endeavors and again thank you all for shopping with us. Happy Fourth of July to you and yours!
