Wow! 1400 of you showed up at the Insane Insidewalk Sale this weekend. We shopped, we gabbed, we snagged incredible bargains. What I liked best, though, was hanging out in the dressing room. There are private rooms for those that prefer them, but many of us (me included) stripped down in the communal space. It reminded me of jaunts to Loehmann’s Back Room with my mom. Women flocked there for the extensive inventory of discount designer collections, and we made a pilgrimage a few times a year. My mother pursed her lips at her reflection, hand on hip (yes they did skinny-arm back then, too), and spun around in one frock after another. Cast-offs were quickly snapped up by other shoppers, and everyone shared their opinion. Our room was the same…women of all shapes and sizes cheerfully offered advice, “a bit too tight,” or “where’d you find that top,” or “that’s fabulous” or “if you’re not taking that, hand it over.” For me at least, it provided some old fashioned community that doesn’t exist in our new world of online shopping. The sale was a very happy place, a welcome distraction, and just what we needed. Thanks all for coming.

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