Coming down the stairs to my shop I saw woman in line to come in. Still fifteen minutes before we opened I put the coffee pot on and put on the industrial hot water tap to come to temperature. I owned a crafting supply store and always had fresh tea and coffee for the ladies who came in to shop and craft together. There was couches and chairs for hand sewing, knitting and crochet. Painting easels and tables for those who liked to paint and chat. We had tables for various other activities. All the supplies were ready to be purchased and I had a storeroom that I could store projects that my customers only worked on at the shop away from the recipients eyes. I unlocked the closet and set the door open with a brick so I could retrieve them. Turning to the coffee bar I made sure the cups, stir sticks, creamer, sugar and tea bags were full.
Looking out the window I saw dark clouds forming and went to the door opening it a few minutes early. Smiling I said, "Good morning ladies come in it looks like the sky is going to open up any moment."
Mrs. Betty kissed my check and said, "Thank you Sarah you can hear the thunder outside. We have a storm coming. My Henry laughed when I said I was heading here. But he knows I enjoy craft time with my girls."
As she dropped a kiss on my cheek Mrs. Laura said, "He knows we like to discuss the newest gossip we could not discuss at the lords home yesterday. Remember Sarah you heard it from a little bird in the garden when you put it in your gossip column on the stores website."
Smiling I went behind the counter to give Mrs Peggy her painting and said, "I guess the birds will be a flutter in the garden today."
Chuckles erupted through the store as the ladies shopped. The door to the shop rang and the young man who walked in said, "You birds did not start without me? Did you?"
Coming over to the counter he said, "Sarah you need to turn your volume up I tried to call you to tell you my car wouldn't start I had to grab a Uber to work."
As he handed out projects I said, "Sam your fine I left my phone upstairs."
He chuckled and said, 'If I told that to Paul, he would give me his famous eye roll."
Mrs. Betty walked over and patted his cheek as she said, "Oh hush Sam you love your husbands eye roll. Just like he loves your handsome face."
Sam softened and I said, "I would have assumed you were late due to the weather coming in."
He asked, "Normally, you keep your phone on you. Why is it upstairs?"
"Because," I said. "I was preparing soup in the crock pot."
"Yum," He said. "Lunch for tomorrow?"
"Of course," I said. "Today we are having hotdish from last night."
Placing his hand on his heart he said, "You know me so well, boss lady."
I laughed and said, "I have to feed someone since I will never find a man."
Everyone around me went to say something as I said, "I am fine being single till the end of time. I do not need to be set up on a date."
Sam said, "Boss lady, look at all those faces you made sad."
There were chuckles throughout the store, and people started their crafts. I said to Sam, "Sad or not, after what happened to me, I am glad to be happily single."
Sam nodded and said, "Understood. Besides after that awful man you desrve all the rest and time you need."
Smiling I said, "Your incharge for a few."
Heading upstairs I sat in my bathroom for a few and thought back on the conversation we were having. My boyfriend Mike and I lived in a trailor his parents owned and I had just recieved funding for my shop. Sam thought that I was going to use the money as a way to renovate the trailer. I explained it was for the store space and supplies for it. He became angry and started to become physical the more he was told no. When I purchased the store space, he asked why I needed such a big location. I explained that different spots would be for different things. He asked about the upstairs and I said, "We could move to the apartment and be rent free as the building would pay for itself."
That was the first time he hit me, saying that he would never leave the trailer. That was when I decided that I would end our relationship. I took the next week preparing the shop, accepting deliveries of supplies and setting up each of the areas.
Mike kept asking when I would be giving him money from the bank loan. I finally told him never. I made it clear the funds were soley for the running of the business. He snapped. He beat the crap out of me and my neighbor called the police and had him arrested. She was a nurse and took me to the hospital to get patched up. Later that week I miscarried. I didn't know until the ER visit that I was pregnant. I washed my face and headed back downstairs.
When I arrived downstairs, I sat down with a cup of tea and started to order more supplies. When I was finished ordering more supplies, I stopped and asked, "What is today?"
Mrs Lara said, "June 9th sweetie."
I sat back down and said, "Well hell its time to order seasonal items and stuff for Christmas in July."
Sam refilled my cup of tea and placed a cookie next to me as I placed orders from multiple places. The door chimed and a older gentleman came in. Looking around he smiled and asked, "Are men allowed to join the fun. Please say yes, I am new to town and my daughter is driving me up a wall with her mothering of me."
I stood up and said, "Of course, what is your hobby?"
"I prefer whittling," He said. "Do you have supplies for that or wood-burning art?"
"Believe it or not, we have a full section of supplies for both," I said.
He smiled and followed me to the wall with all the wood pieces, and he whistled as he asked, "Where did you get the premium wood?"
"I have a friend who works at a local mill," I said. "So when they get a crate full of assorted small logs and pieces that I can use in the store they deliver for me. They will be bringing me more this week."
He brought a basket of supplies up and to the register. After I rang him up I said, "Coffee and tea are complimentary. People normally will bring their own snacks with them or some to share. We do nothave snacks for sale, however the laundry mat next door has vending machines. If you do not want to drag your items home, we can place them in a bag in our project closet."
Clapping his hands together he exclaimed, "Wonderful. My name is Chuck by the way."
Mrs Lily came up and said, "Well chuck welcome to the Gossip shop. Please come join us at the table near the fireplace. Yes the fireplace is off for now, But we still keep the friendship fire going."
Chuck sat with that group and starte to make friends. As the day went on I finished placing the orders for the holiday items and Christmas in July. By the time everyone started to leave, chuck had made plans to come back the next day and took phone numbers for all his new friends.
After Sam and I cleaned up I said, "I am going to be installing a vending machine for snacks."
Sam asked, "What made you decide that?"
"The number of people who dash out for snacks from next door made me decide."
"Well where will it be placed?"
"It will be placed in the back corner next to the cleaning closet. They will be delivering the machine in about an hour."
Sam asked, "Do you need me to stick around?"
"Nope I am makinga quick dinner and ten I will go get the items for the machine."
Paul walked up to the door and Sam smiled as he said, "My prince is here."
I waved as he left, and I made a list of stores I was going to get supplies. When the vending company arrived they set up the machine and the card reader that would send payments to my paypal account. They also left twelve large boxes of snacks for the machine. I set a sign on the machine that said credit and debit card purchases are subject to a .50 charge. I went to the list of stores and purchased snacks for a vending machine. I filled my entire SUV with snacks and headed back to the store. I lined up all the crates on a cart for filling the vending machine and filled it as I set the prices on each row. When I was finished, I tested the machine and purchased a candy bar from the machine. I finished the transaction and checked my paypal account. Seeing the purchase deposited into the account I made for the vending machine and smiled as I opened the candy bar and snacked as I finished cleaning up the store.
When I was finished, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I set my alarm and went to bed for the night.
Sarah- owner
Sam- employee Paul- Husband
Mike- Ex
Mrs Betty
Mrs Laura
Mrs Peggy- painting
Mrs. Lara
Chuck
Mrs. Lily
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