Same is the Game- Yes, I inherited the store!

My blogging buddy Robin aka Someone else's Genius came up with this fictional writing prompt, and I thought I'd give it a try:

Friday night in Charlotte, NC. 

I wait for my friend, let's call her BeeLyssa, at the wine loft.

It's not often that we get to go out without the kids, so we are going to enjoy this night thoroughly. 

As I see her walking in, I'm secretly bursting with excitement and joy, but I try to keep my composure just yet.

We hug, and we may be jumping up and down, just a little.

"So great to see you!! Remind me, what brought you to town again?"

I have to be non-committal and mumble something about a meeting with a lawyer which is actually true.

We order a glass of Australian Shiraz, a steak salad, and we chit chat about the kids, the blogging and our daily life as moms. Somehow I manage to casually direct our conversation towards life dreams. 

That's exactly when the waiter pours our wine.

We toast.

"To our meeting, and to dreaming big! Weren't you thinking about running a fabric store or something for a while?" I ask.

"I was, and something came up, actually! QBee Quilts' owner is retiring. I just heard about it the other day! I can't begin to imagine how cool it would be to take over that business!" 

She beams. 

Is now the right moment?

Not yet. 

"Tell me more. If you were to take over that store, what would you do with it?"

"I would teach mom and kid sewing classes, have ladies craft nights and of course sell awesome fabric!"

"You know if you did that, I might have to take a ton of sewing classes. I sucked at it in school, but there are so many things I'd like to sew, holiday themed outfits for the Elf on the Shelf and my Barbies so they don't have to wear napkins! Maybe, if they turn out nice, you would want to sell them at your store!"

"Haha, good idea. I have a lot of home made things that I might display, and would take custom orders!"

"I think your store should also carry crafts supplies. Oh, and you know what I like about certain stores, let's say B&N? When they have an inhouse Starbucks. The smell of freshly brewed coffee as you walk into a store! Aaahhhh! I definitely think your store would need a coffee corner. And a cake case for that matter."

"The way you're talking... makes me actually see my store!"

As she describes the layout of the store, the counters and the shelfs, her goods to sell, her services to offer, I can see it, too!

"Man, that'd be so cool! Now where is that lottery win that I need?"

We are done with our dinner, and the glasses are almost empty, too.

"Actually, you don't need a lottery win."

"No? Do you have any other ideas on how to raise the money I need?"

The waiter cleans our table and asks if we want some more wine. No thanks, the check please!

She looks at me, disappointed.

"Do we have to leave? Already? I don't get out much, you know! I pumped enough milk for the baby, I don't have to be at home before midnight!"

"We have somewhere to go. You will like it, though! I'll drive, can you hold this for me?" 

I hand her a little crafty paper bag with a bow on it.

After a 15 minutes' drive her eyes widen. 

"This is the neighborhood of the quilt shop I told you about! Do you want to see it now that we're here anyway? Make a right after this block!"

I park right in front of the entrance, and we get out. I walk to the door and pull. 

"It's closed, we can't get in, but you can see through the windows!"

"I think you should just use your key!" I tell her. 

"What are you talking about, I don't have a key? I wish I had one, though!"

"As a matter of fact you have one! Check your gift baggie!"

She looks at me as if I were nuts. Just to humor me, she reaches into the bag I asked her to hold when we left the restaurant. When her hand emerges, she is holding a key with the same bow attached that I glued onto the bag. 

"Is this a joke? What's going on here? There isn't a camera secretly filming me, right?"

"No camera. Just use your key and let's have a look at that store of yours!"

Disbelievingly and with shaking fingers, she opens the door. It works!

"Did you borrow the key? Does Diane know about us going in here? 

"Don't worry, she does, and she approves. After all, you're the new manager, so you're gonna need your key!"

"I'm WHAT???"  

"You know, the lawyer meeting I told you about? Actually, have you ever heard of the rich uncle's inheritance myth? He left me a considerable amount of money. The only condition was that it had to be invested in favor of a local business to give jobs to people and joy to customers. So here we are!"

"I think I'm dreaming! This is real, right? I don't think I could bear waking up from this!"

"Yes, I inherited the store, so to speak! I don't know anything about sewing and fabrics, so I need you to take care of everything related to this. If you're game for my coffee, cake and crafts ideas, a couple of blogging friends and I would be happy to become involved..!"

Please visit the other post(s) and find out what stores they inherited:

Someone else's genius: The secrets they kept