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Money Spent on Nice

What a Cute Little Town…

Grand Lake, CO

Town of Grand Lake, CO


Those might be the first words to roll off your tongue when you drive into Grand Lake, Colorado from US-34. It’s just one of those cute little towns that make you want to get out of the car and walk from shop to shop. It’s one of those cute little towns that make me want to spend money and I did just that. But, it was where I spent my money, as well as where I didn’t, that makes this story a part of my blog.

“Sister gifts?” Bill asked as he parked the car. Because, that’s what my sisters and I do. We buy cute little gifts from cute little shops in cute little towns. Then we tuck them away in a closet or drawer until one of has a birthday. My sisters and I make a big deal out of birthdays. We get together for birthday lunches and the birthday girl opens lots of gifts from lots of little shops in cute little towns.

Bill knows me well enough to know what types of stores I like. He’s learned what types of things I buy for my sisters… my mother… my daughter… my friends. So Bill surveys for me. He does this because he’s a great guy. He also does this because he’s smart. Very smart. I love to shop. He doesn’t. He knows helping me will get the shopping done sooner and he picks great gifts so as not to waste time. Every now and then when a sister opens a gift and loves it, I get to say, “Bill picked that one out.” Then my sisters say things like, Oh, he’s so sweet, He’s such a great guy, and You’re so lucky. Bill is smart.

Grand Lake, CO

Sidewalk in Grand Lake


A Small Detour

So, Bill started his survey of the cute little town of Grand Lake, Colorado. “Look at that,” he said, pointing to a small sporting goods store across the street. (Because we’re avid hikers, we’re always in need of a few things for our day packs.) He asked if we could start there before delving into sister gifts. I enjoy a cute little sporting goods store as much as any other shop so I obliged. When we walked through the doors, I saw it was a place in which we could have spent a lot of money. Outdoor wear, boots, hats and lots of handy gadgets for a day pack. It was a store in which we would have spent a lot of money. But we didn’t.

There was no Hello or How are you when we entered. There was no Good morning or Welcome to our store. Truthfully, I didn’t notice the absence of a greeting right away. The first thing I noticed was the pink hiking socks. I mean, what girl wouldn’t want a pair of pink hiking socks? I made a bee-line to the sock rack as Bill wandered over to the gadgets and that’s when I noticed what was missing. There was an absence of friendly. An absence of nice. Coincidentally, there was also an absence of customers. There were three, including us.

As I rubbed the pink socks between my thumb and fingers, I made eye contact with the lady standing behind the counter. I smiled. She didn’t smile back but looked down at her paperwork. There was a man behind the counter too, counting money, but my mind was still on the socks. They were thick and soft and pink. I wanted them.

I pulled them from the rack and felt someone staring. The man and lady were both looking at me now. I smiled again but received none in return. They went back to their papers and money. I felt as though they were expecting me to steal the socks so I hung them back on the rack and made my way toward Bill. “I don’t like this store,” I whispered. “Me either,” he said and we left. They didn’t say Goodbye or Thank you for coming and we didn’t spend the bunches of money we would have spent on pink stuff and gadgets.

Grand Lake, CO

Cabin Quilts and Stitches


Looking for Gifts

We walked back across the street. I spotted a trading post ahead and went right past a shop called Cabin Quilts and Stitches which I assumed was a sewing supply. Bill called out to me and pointed at the sign dangling above. “Quilts and Stitches?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t have any sewing projects in the works.” He pointed in the window, “Looks like a gift shop,” he said. We walked through the door and were greeted by the sweetest of ladies who told us about the fabrics and yarns on sale. I told her I was looking for gifts. She waved us in and told us to enjoy browsing and we did.

Grand Lake, CO

Gifts at Quilts and Stitches


The store is filled with fabulous gifts in addition to quilting and sewing supplies. As we browsed, the sweet lady asked where we were from, if we were enjoying Grand Lake and what brought us here. She showed genuine interest in her customers which was a greater number than three.

Unfortunately, many of the gift items were too bulky or too breakable for me to transport back to Arizona. She showed me some better options for packing and traveling and I purchased a few items upon her suggestion. I can’t tell you what they are because I don’t want to ruin birthday surprises but I’ll give you a hint. It has something to do with household cleaning. “Do you think you’re sisters will like those?” Bill asked as we were leaving the store, “That’s not something you’d normally buy for them.”

“Not sure,” I responded, “but I had to buy something from that store because she was so darn nice.” Bill rolled his eyes a little not thinking I noticed. He’s more of a practical businessman than I am. He may not always buy something just because a sales person is nice. But I know him well enough to know that it increases the odds. And I know him well enough to know that he won’t spend money where people aren’t nice.

As for me, I’m a sucker for niceness. Nice people feed my soul. In return, I want to buy something from them. So, there you go folks. Be nice. That’s all.


Cabin Quilts and Stitches

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