Chapter 10
Rachel called Claire Saturday morning as she and Lily were about to head out the door to look for a dress.
“I just talked to Stephanie. Her brother is thinking about renting out some of his studio space downtown. She can tell you more, but it could be a possibility for a shop. I told her you’d give her a call if you wanted to check it out. If you’re still serious about the idea of renting a space?”
“I am. I’ll call her now. Thank you!” Claire jotted down Stephanie’s number, then punched the numbers into her cell phone. Stephanie answered on the first ring. They chatted for a minute before Claire got to the point. “Rachel mentioned that your brother might have a shop to rent?”
“Yes! He’s thinking of renting out part of his space. He’s selling his pieces as quickly as he makes them, so he doesn’t need as much room.”
Claire was intrigued. “What does he make?”
“Gorgeous wood furniture. All custom orders now, bookcases, tables, hutches, cabinets. It’s a great location downtown, on India Street.
So that’s not far from Main Street, and there are lots of shops nearby.
I don’t think you’d need to do much to the space.
There’s already a wall up and a door that connects to his side. So it should be pretty quiet too.”
“What is he asking, do you know?” Claire held her breath, hoping the amount wouldn’t be too far out of reach for her. It was probably a good thing that the shop wasn’t right on Main Street, as that would be more expensive.
Stephanie mentioned a number that wasn’t as shockingly high as Claire expected.
If she sold a bag every month or two, depending on the price, she should be able to easily cover the rent.
Was that realistic? She thought it could be, and with her initial sales, she had a cushion in the checking account to get her by if she had a slower than anticipated month.
She would be more nervous if she was going into the winter months.
But with summer around the corner and the season going until October before things really slowed down, she was hopeful that she might be able to make a go of it.
“I’d love to see it soon if possible.”
“Cody is there now. He’ll be there most of the day, and he said if you were interested to stop in anytime.” Stephanie had two brothers, and Cody was the one Claire had spilled coffee on when she first arrived home. She liked the idea of sort of knowing the person she might rent a shop from.
“Perfect. I’ll do that. Lily and I are on our way downtown now to do some shopping.”
“Good luck. I hope it works out!”
“Me too!” Claire was still smiling as she ended the call and turned to Lily. “We have a stop to make before we start shopping.” She filled her in on the shop.
“Awesome. I think that’s near the Hospital Thrift Shop. The one you wanted to go to. I looked it up online.”
“That’s right. I forgot it was on India Street. We’ll stop in there before we hit the other shops. Just to see what they might have.”
They found a parking spot a few doors down from the address Stephanie had given her.
The building was pretty from the outside and painted grayish blue and had white shutters and two big bay windows.
It actually looked like two separate shops, with the one on the right twice the size of the one on the left.
Each had its own entrance. Given that Cody was selling furniture, she assumed he’d be in the larger shop.
There was a sign on the door that said, Open, please come in.
So they did and a bell chimed as they walked in.
Polished wood furniture filled the room, and they could faintly hear the sound of a sander out back. A moment later, Cody walked out and smiled when he recognized Claire.
“Stephanie told me you might stop by. Is this your daughter?”
“Yes, this is Lily.” Claire looked around the room and was impressed. “You make all this? Everything is so beautiful.”
Cody smiled again, and even covered in sawdust, he still looked good. Even though she wasn’t looking at him with that kind of interest, Claire could still appreciate how attractive he was, especially when he smiled and his dimples appeared.
“Thanks,” he said. “Can you tell me a little about your business? Stephanie said it’s some kind of a thrift store?”
“More like a consignment shop for luxury fashion. Bags and shoes mostly.”
He nodded. “Do you want to take a look at the space? It’s about twelve hundred square feet, about half the size of this shop.”
“Yes, I’d love to see it.” Claire and Lily followed Cody into the adjoining space.
“I kept smaller pieces in here, chairs, nightstands, bookcases.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room, which was totally empty now.
The ceiling was about ten feet high, and the big bay window let in a lot of light.
Claire had noticed when they walked in that there were flower boxes below the windows, but they were empty.
The floors were hardwood, and there were two smaller rooms in the back that could be used for storage and maybe a fitting room and a bathroom.
Claire and Lily walked around the room, and Claire started to feel excited as she pictured shelves and racks with all her items. The size seemed perfect.
It was just big enough that she could display everything and have plenty of space for walking around and trying things on.
Lily wandered off as Cody began to ask Claire about her experience.
“Did you work in retail off-island?” He watched her curiously, and Claire wondered how much Stephanie had shared about her background.
“No. I don’t actually have any recent retail experience,” she admitted.
Cody raised his eyebrows but said nothing and waited for her to continue.
“I worked in a swimsuit shop one summer when I was in college. Where women could buy different-size tops and bottoms. I mostly worked in restaurants other summers. The money as a server was much better.”
He grinned. “I get it. I bartended for years, same reason. What makes you want to do retail now?”
Claire glanced at Lily, who was busy texting on her phone as she headed outside. She lowered her voice so Lily wouldn’t overhear. “I need the money. I’m going through a divorce, and my husband blew up our finances. No one is hiring for retail or restaurant help at the moment.”
Cody looked sympathetic but also a bit skeptical, and Claire felt a wave of panic. Now that she’d seen it, she desperately wanted the shop.
“It is early for summer hiring,” he agreed. “Tell me more about your business. Have you started it yet, or is it brand-new?”
“Both actually.” She told him how it came about.
“So you’re selling stuff that you already own mostly?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I have some other pieces coming from friends. I really think this could work.”
Cody was quiet for a long moment. “Listen, I’ll admit I don’t understand your business idea, but I just don’t feel good about having you sign a year lease, taking your money, and the idea doesn’t fly.
You said money is tight. Maybe wait a while and keep selling out of your house.
Make sure the demand is there before you take the risk of opening a shop. ” It was a pretty firm no.
Claire felt the sting of hot tears and frustration. She needed to get out of there before she embarrassed herself by crying in front of him. She just nodded and turned to go. “Well, thanks for showing me the shop.”
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out, Claire. Maybe see how it goes and check back in a few months if you’re still interested.”
Claire nodded and walked out the door. Lily was sitting on a bench, scrolling on her phone. She looked up with an expectant smile. “So what did you think of it?”
“I love it. It’s perfect.” Claire sighed heavily and looked away. “But I didn’t get it.”