Do you have anything in your house that has a pretty great story, but you sort of forget the story just because you see the object every day? Seeing the object all the time dulls the amusement factor of the story.
This antique floor lamp has just such a story. It belonged to my grandparents, and when my grandfather got remarried and moved to Texas (way back in the 1970s), my mom inherited it. When she got it, the shade was totally ruined, although the lamp itself was in good shape.
Mom decided that she wanted to redo it in what would have been the original style--with a beaded shade. Since it also needed rewiring, she took it to a Dallas lamp shop. When she asked the proprietor about redoing the lamp, he proceeded to insult both the lamp and my mom, suggesting that the lamp was a piece of junk, and that it didn't matter since she probably couldn't afford to have it fixed like she was wanting it anyway. I don't know whether that guy was just naturally grumpy or whether he was just having a really bad day, but he--understandably--ticked off my mom.
The next day when she had calmed down enough to talk about the incident, she called her banker (remember when we had those?). She gave him the shop's name and the owner's name, and she told him to tell the owner that she wanted to buy the shop--and to be certain that the owner knew for whom the banker was making the inquiry.
I don't know who got a bigger laugh over that phone call--the banker or my mom. The banker called my mom back to report on what had transpired during the conversation. The owner was puzzled at first as to why some apparently random woman wanted to buy his lamp store. When the store owner inquired as to who wanted to buy his shop (which, of course, wasn't for sale) the banker lowered the boom, saying, "Remember the woman who tried to have a vintage floor lamp restored at your store, and you wouldn't help her?" After receiving grudging confirmation that the owner did indeed remember my mom, the banker said, "Well, she just figured that if you wouldn't help her, she'd buy the shop and hire someone who knew how to run a business." The banker hung up on a very flustered lamp store owner.
We'll never know if he learned to treat customers better because mom redid the lamp herself! She found a plain shade, and hand beaded the trim around the bottom. She even rewired the lamp too! I think it turned out pretty well!
Mom decided that she wanted to redo it in what would have been the original style--with a beaded shade. Since it also needed rewiring, she took it to a Dallas lamp shop. When she asked the proprietor about redoing the lamp, he proceeded to insult both the lamp and my mom, suggesting that the lamp was a piece of junk, and that it didn't matter since she probably couldn't afford to have it fixed like she was wanting it anyway. I don't know whether that guy was just naturally grumpy or whether he was just having a really bad day, but he--understandably--ticked off my mom.
The next day when she had calmed down enough to talk about the incident, she called her banker (remember when we had those?). She gave him the shop's name and the owner's name, and she told him to tell the owner that she wanted to buy the shop--and to be certain that the owner knew for whom the banker was making the inquiry.
I don't know who got a bigger laugh over that phone call--the banker or my mom. The banker called my mom back to report on what had transpired during the conversation. The owner was puzzled at first as to why some apparently random woman wanted to buy his lamp store. When the store owner inquired as to who wanted to buy his shop (which, of course, wasn't for sale) the banker lowered the boom, saying, "Remember the woman who tried to have a vintage floor lamp restored at your store, and you wouldn't help her?" After receiving grudging confirmation that the owner did indeed remember my mom, the banker said, "Well, she just figured that if you wouldn't help her, she'd buy the shop and hire someone who knew how to run a business." The banker hung up on a very flustered lamp store owner.
We'll never know if he learned to treat customers better because mom redid the lamp herself! She found a plain shade, and hand beaded the trim around the bottom. She even rewired the lamp too! I think it turned out pretty well!
Love the story
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