THE BARBER CHAIR & THE BIRTHDAYS
Friends, we’re so excited to have officially launched our customer birthday celebrations at Plume. But before I tell you more about how we’re helping you celebrate, let us first take a stroll down memory lane to May 2017 when the barber chair first entered my life.
It was all Jeremy’s idea. I have to admit I was surprised he even suggested it because his love affair with Plume waxes and wanes. As does any husband who’s supporting his wife’s dream, he tires of hearing about it and just shuts down from all things shop related at times. And then all of the sudden when I think he’s signed off for good…I get a text from him out of the blue last summer asking if I saw the barber chair for sale on our Neighborhood Facebook Page. (I had not in fact seen it)
ME: (After examining said chair on the FB page) “What in the world am I going to do with that?”
JEREMY: “Put it in your shop”
ME: “Uh. Ok.”
And the next thing I know this is happening…
You might be a redneck if you’re from Kentucky and are spotted rolling a 600 pound barber chair up the street while your daughter videos the whole ordeal. That’s my sweet dad and my hubby Jeremy lugging that thing from our neighbors house a street over from ours…to our garage. You cannot imagine how heavy it is. Which is why the neighbors we got it from sold it to me for $75. They were moving and didn’t want to have to move it. We later did some research and found out that due to the “double round” design (the seat is round as well as the back) it’s worth quite a bit more than what we paid for it. Mind you, we didn’t buy it for the financial gain, we bought it for the nostalgia it brings…but it is nice to know if everything else goes belly up there’s “money in the barber chair” (saying that in my best George Bluth voice).
At the time, I had no space for it at the shop (another reason why I couldn’t believe Jeremy even suggested the thing) so rather than loading it onto a truck…we just wheeled it right out of the neighbors basement, down the sidewalk, up our driveway and parked it in the garage.
Where it sat. And sat. And sat. Until April 2018.
We started construction on the new space and enlarging the Gathering Room. I had a couple scenarios rolling around in my head about what to do with it. I thought about making it the guest of honor chair in the Gathering Room for all the brides and baby mamas we were hosting showers for, but there ended up not being room for it. I was secretly happy because I also had a vision of it somehow sitting next to my checkout counter where tired shoppers and friends could come have a seat and chat with me while I was working behind the counter. (My uncle has a small locally owned hardware store in Kentucky that also has an old barber chair in it right by the checkout area and I can remember going in there and seeing my Grandpa sitting in that chair…as well as my dad on many occasions…so a part of me loved having this same feel in my shop.)
Finally on April 18th, we moved it into Plume and it fits perfectly beside the counter. Not long after, Neal found it.
Such a sweet gentleman, resting to wait on his wife and daughter shopping. My heart was so happy! (At one point, Neal even nodded off in the chair, its so comfy.)
I had other ideas rolling around about how to really use this chair for fun too and decided it would become the “Birthday Chair”. I wanted to start giving customers a free cupcake if they come in during their birthday week and use the chair as a fun place to snap their picture and celebrate with them.
On May 18th, finally recovered a bit from the Grand Opening of the new space, I decided it was time to launch that whole idea. I had been flitting around the shop all day by myself and kept saying…”I need to find someone with a birthday this week so I can have them come in and help me launch the birthday cupcake promo”. Wouldn’t you know that Grace comes in to work that afternoon, and it was HER BIRTHDAY!! I could not believe it.
God has such an amazing way of confirming when you’re working within His will and moving in the right direction. I put together this sign that now hangs behind the chair and we’re able to change it out quickly to the person’s name were celebrating when they come in. Reading/singing the sign to the tune of 50 Cent’s “Go Shorty, It’s your Birthday” is a must. Thanks 50, (or do I say Mr. Cent?) for the inspiration.
Join me in wishing these friends Happy Birthday too!
Bennett…Cupcake of Choice: Simply Chocolate.
Already planning for next year when he will choose Simply Strawberry.
Lauren…Cupcake of Choice: Dark Chocolate Raspberry.
Janet…Cupcake of Choice: Simply Chocolate
Abbey…Cupcake of Choice: Simply Strawberry
What do you need to do to celebrate your birthday and grab a FREE Cupcake at Plume? Just stop in any time during our normal business hours Thursday & Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-4. Tell us it’s your birthday (or within a week of your birthday…since we’re not open 7 days a week). Pick your cupcake flavor from our 8 delicious options (See full menu here). Plop in the barber chair and we’ll take your pic and maybe even light a candle and sing to you!
We hope you always see a trip to Plume as a fun experience, not just a place to shop, although we do have some pretty great unique, handmade birthday gifts too. More than that, I’ve always wanted it to be a place people love to visit, to see some little bits of history that you just can’t find anywhere else, like our beloved barber chair. A place to celebrate…and maybe sit in the Gathering Room with friends and share a cupcake or two like these girls did.
Happy Birthday Friends.
See you Soon!
P.S. We had such a great turnout for our Felt Succulent class we’ve added a 3rd session. Click here to sign up.
P.S.S. We’ve also just added a new Children’s Book Reading event with local Author Aaron Fox. For more info and to sign your kiddos up…go here.