snow day

As I write, I’m in the middle of eight inches of snow which came down overnight Sunday night. It’s the first real snowfall we’ve had this winter and I’ve been enjoying it, if for no other reason than pulling out the cool new parka I bought at the end of the season last year ;) I couldn’t go anywhere, so I got to spend the day in yesterday, and have spent most of it on the phone with several of my friends, who invariably all call on the same day. No biggie though, I like the company.

I was hoping to hear from some of the people I interviewed with today, but the snow through things off a bit. Maybe tomorrow. The guy I interviewed with at Virginia Furniture Market was in the Roanoke paper Monday reviewing Oscar dresses. You read that right. What the hell??!! Well, to each his own, I guess.

I do have a good group of friends and have met a couple more from the message boards and blogs I participate in. One of the people I met contributes on the Men’s Health board and lives in Charlotte. He’s a youth minister and seems to be into clothes and otherwise a fairly normal person. I met another couple of people on UrbanPlanet that are big retail and planning freaks like me. One guy from Atlanta runs a Rich’s department store tribute site. Another guy studies the malls of the Carolinas like me. Another fellow runs an Ames discount store tribute site and I sent him some information that he posted on his website about the old Ames around here. It’s always nice to meet new people, especially when they make you feel more normal.

Over the weekend Mom and I loaded the new shelves at the club with dishes. I counted over 340 dinner plates alone, and that’s only maybe half of what we have, and even that doesn’t count all the other plates, bowls, flatware, and glasses. Needless to say, it was a long day on Sunday. To update some stuff from earlier, both the shelves and new floor I built and put down are doing okay. Not a bad try for a guy with all thumbs like me.

I guess you’ve heard by now about the May-Federated department store merger. What I gather is that our local Hecht’s will become Macy’s, maybe next year. I’m not overwhelmed by that prospect, but I know it’s going to lead to a little more upscale, modern department store over time. Maybe having a Macy’s will grease the wheels a little on some of the national name stores we don’t have yet.


A rendering of Boscov's in Albany, NY (www.turner3d.net/ albany.html)

One store we don’t have is Boscov’s. Boscov’s is comparable to Belk and Hecht’s, with a generous dose of Sears thrown in. It’s a great store; not trendy but not lame either. Most of the stores are around 200,000 square feet, about the size of a typical Super Wal-Mart, which is why it’s hard for them to find a good spot in the Roanoke Valley, where they’re actively looking according to a real estate website I found. I’ve been to a couple in Pennsylvania. And I’m looking forward to the new store in Danville at Piedmont Mall coming in 2006. Maybe we’ll luck up and get one at Tanglewood or Valley View.

Speaking of malls, I ended up going to Lynchburg twice over the weekend. Once with Mom and Dad, once with my friend Kevin. They have a new dollar store in River Ridge Mall that carries a little bit of everything, even hair pieces for $1.00. So if you need some fake hair cheap, I know who can hook you upJ.

On a classier note, I found the Harbor Inn seafood restaurant in Lynchburg to be very classy and a good deal to boot. The best way to find a good restaurant I’ve found is to follow the crowd of fat happy people and go where they go. That usually works, and it certainly worked this time.

That's my 2 cents for the day :)