by Phyllis McCrossin
You meet all kinds of people when you work retail, especially in a resort town. I try to talk to as many as I can.
Partially because talking to people helps to stave off the boredom of the slow times (and pre-Memorial Day it is slow, and retailers can only hope that the summer season will be a good one. There is seldom a way of really knowing ahead of time).
But the second reason I talk to people is because I’m truly curious as to where they are from and how they are enjoying their stay. It’s a safe question because even if it rained all week, people on vacation generally are having a good time.
I met some interesting people this week, including a couple of doppelgangers.
When King first retired we moved back to South Haven to work as caretakers on a hobby farm. The farm owner had a business in Chicago and came to South Haven on weekends. We tended their grounds, critters and gardens in exchange for a small three bedroom house on the property.
I think we were about the third or fourth caretakers for them and probably stayed on the longest. The owner was a large man with a balding head and a huge booming voice. His wife was a quiet Thai woman he met in Chicago while she was working on her graduate degree.
We worked on the farm for five years and became good friends. They eventually sold everything and moved to Thailand to be closer to his wife’s aging parents.
Yesterday a couple came into the store to buy a South Haven sweatshirt. He was a large balding man with a booming voice who owned a small business in Chicago. His wife was from Thailand. They were looking to buy property in South Haven. They say everyone has a doppelganger.
I also met a woman from Louisville, Ky. When she told me she was from Louisville she added, “If you don’t say it with three syllables you are not saying it correctly.” (Lou-a-vull with a southern accent).
We discussed the (Kentucky) Derby and the scandal surrounding this year’s winner, Medina Spirit. (The horse lost his bid for the triple crown Saturday in the Preakness — King follows racing closely).
She gave me her recipe for the perfect Mint Julep. “The secret,” she said, “Is to steep your mint in simple syrup for at least 24 hours and to use the cheapest bourbon you can find. You want that mint flavor to be able to come through.” She gave me the exact proportions. King likes to drink Mint Juleps while watching horse races, except he calls them “rum and coke and imagination.”
I think one of the most frequent questions I’m asked by customers is “What do you do here in the wintertime?” My stock answer (even though we no longer live in Michigan in winter) is “Well, there is always parking available downtown.”
Personally I think fall and winter are some of the most breathtakingly beautiful seasons in West Michigan – except for that brown slushy junk along the sides of the road.
So this week, I met an individual from upstate New York, who obviously knows a thing or two about winters. He did seem to be lacking in the common sense department however.
His companion was looking at some decorative throw pillows we have on display. One has a photo of a sandy beach and says, “Inhale….Exhale.” It’s written in cursive.
She laughed and said, “The ‘inhale’ looks like ‘whale’ if you just glance at it.”
I told her about people photoshopping whales into Lake Michigan photos and posting them on social media and how sometimes you could individuals convinced whales were migrating from Traverse City to Chicago. (No wonder people will believe conspiracy theories so readily).
The gentleman chimed in, “You’ve got some whale-sized fish in the lake though.”
“Well,” I said. “I’ve heard there are a few 240-pound sturgeon in the lake; but I don’t think there are a lot of those left any longer.” (One such rare fish was caught, tagged and released in the Detroit River April 30, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The FWS estimated it to be almost a century old).
He seemed disappointed but moved on. Beneath the pillow display we have Blueberry Festival T-shirts for sale. “You have a blueberry festival?”
“Yes. It’s been scaled down last year and probably this year as well. Because of COVID.”
“COVID attacked the blueberry crop?”
“No. It attacked people. They don’t want the crowds. Even with the mask mandate being lifted, it’s kind of late to try to plan something as big as a national festival. We’ll see what happens.”
“So what happens to all the blueberries if there is no festival?”
“They still get sold to stores nationwide. It’s a big crop. There are huge blueberry farms around here.” I could tell he was ready to take a road trip to visit the farms. I could imagine him pulling into a farm and asking for a tour.
So I quickly said, “There is a blueberry store on the next block. They have all kinds of interesting things – all things blueberry.”
My farming friends can thank me later.
