random thoughts – Day 2,356 (Thursday) – bolts and all kinds of jobs

Today was the day for my haircut appointment, which had been rescheduled from July 28 because my hair was on its best behavior and there was no way I was going to mess with it then. My hair stylist is in Worcester, and back in the days when I was sociable and on top of things I would make lunch plans with a friend who lived in Worcester. For the past year (maybe longer) I’ve been negligent in the friend meet-up part of things, and on appointment day, I’m often flying solo and visiting a thrift shop.

Bolts of fabric!

Today, my plan was to visit Savers before the appointment but then I took a detour and landed at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The store is in the old Building 19 location and still has the old store name in the building, right underneath the new name. I thought the Ollie’s store in Fitchburg was chaotic, but Worcester was a hundred times worse. The anxiety kicked in the minute I crossed the threshold and I nearly turned around and walked back out. But, and it was a big but, allegedly, there were bolts of fabric, lace, and tulle, that were available beginning Wednesday and that is what stopped me from leaving. With so few fabric stores left, the idea of full bolts of fabric was intoxicating. 

In a disaster of retail display, the bolts were stuffed underneath a wood structure that was loaded with a bunch of random stuff. There was some very rugged striped upholstery fabric, aqua tulle with sparkles, white tulle with foil multicolored flowers, plain white tulle, one bolt of green tulle with sparkles, and dark green lace. After pulling out the stuff I liked, I started sending fabric photos to my dance partner.

Ideally, we will be able to coordinate belly dance costumes with some of the stuff, but there is currently no plan. I bought two bolts each of the aqua tulle, white floral tulle, and dark green lace, and the sole bolt of green tulle with sparkles. Luckily, the fabrics are lightweight because I forgot to grab a cart. I headed to the register clutching seven bolts of fabric. Each bolt has eight yards of fabric and cost a pittance at $3.99 each. I haven’t bought fabric at anything close to that price since finding muslin for 39-cents a yard in the early 1990s.

All kinds of jobs!

While crossing town from Ollie’s to the hair salon, I got to sit in Grafton Hill construction traffic. It provided a chance to window shop and there was one shop that especially caught my attention. The window was crammed with figurines and statues and the sign over the door makes some lofty promises. Botanicas Las 21 Division De Haiti claims “We do all kinds of jobs - Good Fortune - Love - Health - Court Cases - We Guarantee Your Job.” 

Hello, come again? The curiosity on this one could send me right back there. I could use some love. Health is important. Guarantees are comforting. We’ll see.