July, You're Everything I Never Knew I Wanted

July is a weird month for me, professionally speaking.  Mostly that's even weird to type because I am one of the least professional people I have ever known.  And yet I still, somehow, maintain a profession.  A profession in retail!  In business ownership!  Hi, my name is Elise and I own a clothing boutique.  I'm a professional.

Unfortunately, July is not a great time to own a boutique (especially Economic Crunch July of 2008) because it's the middle of the summer and half of this East Texas population is on vacation to cooler climates (or planning for such a vacay), and the other half is sitting around their sweltering backyards in those plastic swimming pools filled with ice water, sweating, and passionately hating all the people who are on vacation.  No one's really all about getting into their super-heated car after it's been baking in the garage, driving to a super-heated parking lot, walking through the super-heated, lava-like parking lot, and throwing some possible vacay money away on new clothes.  To this I say: You are only making yourselves more miserable, People Of My Town.  Spend your money at my store, buy yourself some new pretty things - maybe a sundress!  EVERYTHING is better in a nice, cool, breezy sundress.  And yet, the People Of My Town largely ignore me, or at least that's what my mid-summer dwindling sales figures would have you believe.  It's just the scourge of owning a clothing boutique in a hot, Texas town.  The summers will always be slow.  It really is too dadgum hot to care about anything other than A) basic survival and B) popsicles.  Fashion goes straight out the window.  But in the fall, oh the glorious fall - everything is made up for in the fall.  September can't get here fast enough, if you ask me.  So in that respect, July = Blah.

However, tomorrow, on the 12th of July, I will celebrate the day I bought this boutique, and that makes July pretty awesome.  In fact, as of tomorrow I will have owned my boutique for FOUR YEARS.  Meaning, of course, that tomorrow marks the START of our fourth year.  So it's our third year anniversary, technically.  But, as I explained in depth last year, I am not going to let that little technicality suck my joy and hard work away.  I've been doing this thing for four years (oh, fine. as of tomorrow it will be four years), and by golly, the words FOUR and FOURTH will be in there somewhere.

So, much like I requested of you last year, have FOUR of something for me today or tomorrow.  I would make it easy and say drinks, but since suggesting the idea of having four drinks might, to some, seem...I don't know.  Excessive?  I will say you can break it up into today AND tomorrow.  So have two drinks today, and two tomorrow.  Or two desserts today, and two tomorrow.  It's for THE STORE.  A celebration.  Geez.  Don't rain on the parade with your silly ideas about moderation.  And if you do decide to have four drinks or four desserts or four popsicles or four of anything else you like - PLEASE make sure to come back and comment in all your drunken/sugar-crazed/brain-frozen glory.  And I'll do the same.

Comments

[Dingo]

I am having four black bean and cheese taquitos as I read this. Since I started on them before your command to indulge fours, I'm not going to count them toward my slide to immoderation. I will have four of something tomorrow and will let you know. But, being that it's Saturday, it may just be four extra minutes of sleep.

[RA]

Look you, you professional business-owner, you! I am always totally blown away when I remember that you OWN YOUR OWN FREAKING BUSINESS. Seriously. I am deep awe.

Happy shopiversary!

[Kelly]

Speaking of July, did you know that you were on some guy's list of blog babes this month? Very weird...though kinda flattering. I think the site was bangableblogbabes.blogspot, or something like that. I don't know how to do that whole link thing, otherwise I would have given it to you.

[Helen]

Hey, thankyou. I love to eat things in 4s....I shall go and find things and eat them and come back to tell you, unless I am feeling nauseaus an grumpy. I answered your request for Sophie news ( were you being sarcastic by the way??) You asked for it, by Golly you got it!

[EDW]

Aww, congrats! Last night I had 6 drinks for you! And I would totally come shop at your store if I wasn't in NJ.

[blogging barbie]

HAPPPY ANNIVERSARY my love!!!!! you know, if i was in tejas, i'd totes buy something from your boutique. well, technically mi madre would have to pay for it, because no moolah here, but i'm sure she totes would get me something, and prolly something for herself.

aaaand i'm rambling. point being: SO PROUD OF YOU LOVIE!!!!!! xoxoxo.

[Cassie]

Congratulations! I'm reading this a little late, but I'm still going to try to do four of something for you tomorrow. I'm going to try for four naps. I need them.

Also, you just made me crave a popsicle.

[alyndabear]

Congratulations on four years, lovey! I'll have four bowls of muesli just for you! xoxo

[heather]

congratulations! on the store, not on being talked about offensively by some creep. i looked at his blog and it skeeved me out BIG TIME. gross.

[Laurel]

I adore shopping in hot weather. Perhaps I should make a trip down to Boutique Elise?

[Julie Bo]

Congratulations!

["antoinette"]

Congrats! I had four beers on Saturday and 4 shots before I even knew that it was your anniversary (but instead to head off my depression for today on the anniversary... of my birth!)

Did I mention how flippin' cool it is that you own your own store? And if you ever wanted to send me anything so I could advertise the heck out of your store, well that would be mutually beneficial, I think.

[Julie]

Okay so I am 2 whole days late but HAPPY anniversary....

I had 4 martinis is Soho on Saturday... so does that count??? I think so.

Also- That picture... little scary.