Do you have a favorite old thing to wear?
Bruce Redmond does. I found that out by talking to him just for a few minutes on Groundhog Day.
My Groundhog Day certainly didn’t live up to the spirit of the movie. I wasn’t anywhere that I find myself on a normal basis, and a half a foot of snow a couple days before ensured that my particular Monday was significantly different than usual.
So, as I was walking through our Spartanburg store, I asked Mr. Redmond if I could help him with anything.
“You reckon I could trade in this coat?”, he asked with a grin.
He showed me what I can only assume was once a Carhartt jacket. It’s the Detroit nowadays, but Lord only knows what it was called when it came off the rack. The collar is in tatters. There are several outright holes, and even more worn spots that will wear through soon. A couple of places are hanging on by literal threads.
“I just love this coat,” Mr. Redmond said.
Talking to him a little longer, I learned he’s a dedicated Harrison’s customer. I asked if he’d gotten the coat from us.
“Probably,” he said. “I get most everything from y’all. But I’m not sure it would have been when this store was here.”
That makes the coat 10 years old, at its youngest.
I tried halfheartedly to be a good salesman and offer him a new one. I knew before I opened my mouth what the answer was gonna be. But I was surprised.
“I’ve got a newer one,” Mr. Redmond said. “I bought it from your Mauldin store. But I don’t care anything about wearing it. This one’s perfect.”
He ticked off the reasons why. He’s an electrician, and the pockets are a storehouse for all kinds of tools of the trade. The jacket’s short, which allows him to use the pockets on his jeans a little more easily. He likes the lining, and the warmth, and pretty much everything about it.
Now, back to that groundhog. With Punxsutawny Phil forecasting six more weeks of winter, and with the weather we’ve had already, now might be a good time to pick out a new, warm coat.
You just can’t have Mr. Redmond’s. Fortunately, we know where you can find one just like it.