After two weeks off from COVID-positive test, I’m just thankful brothers and I visiting Mom on her birthday wasn’t affected by my last visit. Tuesday I had a regular temp of 97.4 and oxygen 99 at check-in, sinus draining manifested Wednesday. That Sat. I did nose swab, which showed positive. https://cdtalententerprises.com/2023/02/14/finally-positive-for-covid-right-after-english-gents-tux-suit-double-broke-a-long-cold-streak/
All of us noted Mom is physically less frail on her 89th, she feels solid in shoulders and upper arms. Her hair was freshly done up curly, she spoke often.
There’s an awareness that, #BoomerwithAttitude aside, there’s going to be less of such moments in the future. Taking the Universal balance POV, my nephew Ian successfully proposed to Nicki, grand-nephew? Trace is fully three, nephew Spencer will defend his PhD thesis (and turns 30!) this spring, and so things go forward. Just sayin’…
Brother Mike and dogs is in town from FL for birthday , and attended the St. Gabriel Men’s Club meeting Fri. This week (10th) is annual Lenten Fish Fry Dinner for parish and beyond, I’m sure Mike will get some glory for his kitchen efforts in past, while enjoying the camaraderie again.
The club did it exceptionally well for thirty years straight, stopped since COVID, so 600+ this Friday would look a lot like #NewNormal. I had no insurance coverage the first year of the pandemic – I’m 4x vaxxed now, good to hug my Mom, and willing to shake hands again.
Spring has Sprung? Three weeks to desired product
A $4,290 Friday proved that our suits at Nordstrom are gaining destination shopping status. Being up 58% over last year is a fact. I worked Wed-Thurs.-Fri. (1-8:30 = 22 hrs.), and manager essentially gave me weekend off because of funeral service and ‘life celebration’ for a buddy Saturday a.m. (More on that later)
That I ‘paid for myself’ in micro-economy vs. draw with big Friday finish is how it can roll this time of year. FYI – I picked up where I left off on Monday, a broad-shouldered, shorter guy, who jammed in a Hugo Boss Blue, which keeps my streak going.
Friday wasn’t a typical three-suit day, but I did an outstanding job delivering my personal #best practices to three customers who really needed it. Saying customer count is at a premium Wed.-Friday during week is true.
Mr. Skeen – Older gentleman, hasn’t needed a suit in years, grand-daughters wedding is event. We didn’t have to discuss any of the slim cut lines, and everyone (including wife), agreed the charcoal gray with white hatching Peter Millar was a great match with his hair.
Totally painless, minimal alterations, and he appreciated that we could ship the finished suit to Cornelius home (no cost). His wife did not find the kind of dress she wanted.
The Whole Family Event
The other designers we carry (Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Jack Victor, Peter Millar) are between $795-$995 for suits, Canali is a definite jump in price – $1,600 sports coats, $2,400 suits – so its great to hear a potential client ‘really likes the fit of Canalis’ right off the bat.
Client and wife had two youngsters in a stacked stroller, and I eventually put all of them in the largest dressing room. Wife and I were both strong on a beautiful silvery-charcoal, with a subdued blue stripe that showed when closer. The dark blue suit he checked early didn’t have a chance.
— Short-armed client needed sleeve alterations on shirts, and he asked about picking up by 1:00pm Saturday for flight to Vegas. Got it expedited. Few buyers sweat fees for bang-zoom! great service.
A Man with Yikes! Suit Needs
Sales-wise, its always been part of my methodology to impart a decent amount of information to someone quickly. First job out of college, twenty cold calls a day, I projected a fairly simple idea, why TIME, Inc. titles, especially People magazine, should be around their registers. With #suit-sizing, there’s nothing like putting a 42 Regular or 38 Short on just to learn some basics, how it hangs.
The final person Friday really needed a fully fitted suit. His neck-shoulder muscles filled an area well short of the shoulder seam, causing a handful of nothing. Eventually he fit well in a 48 Hugo Boss, which is a champion in giving shoulder-space, and its a slim cut jacket on the sides. People usually think about the pants after there’s interest in overall fit. In gentleman’s case, basic math of ‘chest size minus 6’ wouldn’t work (48-6=42″ pants).
If standard pants with suit are 42″ and guy is no more than 36″ waist, that can’t be hemmed. Next part would have been whether ‘thunder thighs’ could’ve fit in the slim cut pants, but…
At start of March, I feel fine about imparting ‘sizing’ information people can take forward in looking for suits overall. As long as we’ve got product, I expect very similar micro-economy results, now that weddings and proms are very consistently the deal.
My Contribution to a ‘Life Celebration’
(Three previous speakers bloviating overrode possibility of nice looking sandwiches/snacks at Legion Brewing, so I had a beer in the man’s honor and skedaddled. My story would have been like this, and relevant to the upcoming Fish Fry)
Men’s Club member Armen Boyajian (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/armen-boyajian-obituary?id=38372268) worked at the Diocese of Charlotte. As noted, our Men’s Club has done fish fries a very long time. In the early days, with only two fryers vs. current four plus upgraded other cooking elements) and often longer lines, we started giving people beer in line.
We couldn’t sell it because didn’t liquor license, but people often dropped off contributions. We did it forever, donated (and up-sized) those $$$ donations for places, like a parish we had a connection with in Houston during massive flooding, but mostly its about good works in Charlotte.
So, Armen is selling fish fry tickets down at the Diocese, and tells a couple ladies, “…and you don’t have to worry about beverages, your beer and wine is free,” which caused a nearby lawyer to quickly jerk and say, “What?!”
While we’d done it openly all those years, *apparently* the Diocese owns the school and its cafeteria, and dispensing alcohol, free or not, on the premises, got the lawyers involved. No more guys filling up a couple pitchers for the workers in back (and never the Boy Scouts or workers from middle school and HS aged, doing community hours of course), everything done by licensed bartenders. BIG game changer.
I’m sure the look I would have put on my face the moment of “What?!” would have livened up that life celebration considerably. That’s also #NewNormal, we get to celebrate and grieve our loved ones again. Still can’t understand taking chances with elderly family along the way by so many. Feeling Mom’s 89-year old good shoulder under my hand, that counts for something.
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