(Copyright – Dawn M. Miller)
It is two weeks before Christmas.
I stand back and admire my shop. It’s beautiful. My display cases are custom designed; built to spec by a craftsman in Japan. I’ve filled them with baubles and beads, expensive and reasonable, chosen to fit the tastes and budgets of all. I’ve merchandised, publicized, advertised.
Unfortunately, I did it all on credit, and today, opening day, there’s a picket line around the building. Only the bravest of my fellow tradesmen have broken through and they are in the Thunder Grill, drinking coffee, Bloodies or straight shots, depending on the terms of their financing.
(Written for Friday Fictioneers, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. August 30, 2013.)
vb's reverbs 
Very evocative. I can just hear those creditors crying out for blood…
Ergo the run on Bloodies at the Thunder Grill?
Not the finest of starts for the venture. Such a different take on the prompt vb. Well done.
Thanks, Sandra–and two weeks before Christmas, too.
I agree with Sandra, very different. But I enjoyed it.
I was looking for an explanation for the absence of people in the main lobby while there are a few in the Grill.
Ahhh, ok, now I understand better. Good explanation of that then.
Murphy strikes again!
Murphy has a way of showing up nearly everywhere. He’s a crafty one, he is.
That Damnable Devil–you can almost count on him to come calling when the chips are down.
Yikes — bad luck for opening day! Have a few beers and hope for a better day tomorrow.
I fear our boy needs something stronger than beer–a hefty dose of good luck would be welcome..
Dear VB,
A new venture involves taking risks. You’ve illustrated it well. Hope things start looking up for him.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Maybe the strikers will celebrate their victory with a few purchases from the jewelry counter.
Oy! Of all the days… 😉
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/good-service/
Back to Murphy for that one–
Hi VB,
Great explanation for the empty lobby and you’re the only writer who’s referenced the Christmas tree in the Thunder Grill, which shows you carefully examined the photo. Ron
Thanks, Ron. There are wreaths on the globes as well, making the dearth of customers downright depressing. I figure there are few things worse than owning a retail business with no traffic at Christmastime–unless it’s a luxury-item retail business with a lot of short-term debt.
He got a late start if it’s only two weeks until Christmas. Around here they start the day before Halloween. Sounds like he’s going to have a pretty good tab at the bar too. Hopefully, the union will cut a deal soon and he can overcome the lost business.
The contractor was behind schedule–the building was supposed to open on Halloween (you should see his supply of black-cat trinkets), but the plumbing and heating sub quit and took the electricians with him. It was a real struggle to open before Christmas (the original plumbers and electricians are still mad, therefore, the strike). At this point, he’s hoping to move his stash of cute Cupids and hearts-and-flowers pins by Valentine’s Day.
Dear VB,
Time for a drink, then perhaps a molotov cocktail or three from the roof of the station. This was a very well rendered slice of a retailer’s life. I enjoyed it.
Aloha,
Doug
Hadn’t thought about a lightning strike as a solution to his problems–he’s well insured, so that might be the answer.
Ouch… that was a real bad start… I can feel his stress in my gut..
Believe me, you have company in the stress-in-the-gut department, Bjorn.
Hope things improve tomorrow.
The picket line – one cause of the Great depression greatly overlooked is that industry did not pay workers enough to become consumers of the products they produced for the well off. Kinda like today. With more people negatively effected. Don’t the megacorps and the megabanks get it ? You can’t have a consumer driven economy without consumers.
Good observation, Carl–and warning.