My Kingdom for a Shop

How I miss retail. And how I hated it too. It wasn't the people, they were fine. I was known for being a little cheeky with customers and, as time went on, there was a skill involved in knowing how far to take things. Sometimes, rarely, we overdid the satire and fun. Most times it was accepted. Occasionally, we were beaten at our own game. Aside from the casual - VERY casual - nature of our shopkeeping skills, Janis (my 'secretary') and I really did enjoy the aspect of meeting people.

Now, as I 'celebrate' nearly 5 years of working from home, the atmosphere is somewhat different. I have a dog's nose interrupting my work on the computer, a delivery guy dumping orders in to my cabin at 8am and that's the limit of my social interractions. But for business reasons, I somehow cling on to what made my retail experience work so well - the way in which I could design something into a souvenir. That is probably why, even today, I have a spare room filled with retail products. And some have not seen the light of day. So I probably could do with a shop. Then I'd have staff, insurance, rent and bills coming in - and the ferry, again, to complain about when tourists are stuck in Ardrossan. It's a dilemma I think about often. Should I, or shouldn't I?

(Photo is from 2017, at our old shop by Brodick Pier. I still have those jeans...)