Big Ideas for Small Business

Every few months, we pack into the car and go to Greenville (SC) to hit the mall and do some serious shopping. When the seasons change, Asheville just doesn’t have the goods to feed the monster. While browsing through the Macy’s shoe department, I came upon them. THE shoes. The shoes I saw myself kicking around in all summer long. Red Hula Girl Shoes made by Rocket Dog. Perfect in every way. Bright red, not too orange, not too blue. Big rubber bumpers on both ends to bring back memories of those childhood keds. Cute little grass skirted hula girls and the word “ALOHA” sprinkled throughout. Nothing to tie, just slip ‘em on and wear ‘em anywhere. Perfect. Well, perfect in almost every way. The $39.99 price tag gave me chills even in the warm weather. I must have $$$ for video games. Shoes are my second priority. So I passed on the perfect summer shoes.

I don’t have many regrets in life. My grandmother told me that regrets were the one thing you don’t want to take with you. Ever since I passed up those perfect sneaks I have regretted it. I have thought about those shoes non-stop. I even tried to order them online (since we don’t have a Macy’s in Asheville) and come to find out, they come in many colors, red being “rare”. Fine. Well, after two months of constant regret and periodic searching, I found the very same shoes on Solestruck.com. My heart skipped a beat, my face flushed, and my fingers fumbled to grab my credit card from my wallet even though now I’d be paying over $50 for the dynamic duo. I placed my order assuring myself that soon I would slip those babies on and walk with pride.

A few days later, my Red Hula Girls arrived carried by our neighborhood FedEx man who will not step foot into my yard due to my two large and rowdy canines. I brought the box inside, grabbed the scissors and began to cut the box open. It was double boxed. I cut through the layers of tape, then plastic, removed all the customary paperwork, and at last had the hula girls in my hands. Ah, that new shoe smell. Mmmmm… They were every bit of what I remembered. I flicked off my flip flops and slipped on the shoes. Too small.

Too small? How can this be? I tried them on in the store? My left foot is a full size smaller than my right, so I wondered if maybe I could just grin and bear it. But I came to the realization that this was utter folly. I’d have a black toenail in no time. So I wrapped them up just as they arrived and sent them back.

As if the pain wasn’t enough, we made our semi-monthly trip down to Greenville today and guess what? The very same shoes were on the sale rack and for only $19.99!!! In a frenzy I combed the sale racks, even the smaller sizes (you know how people hide things just in case they want to come back later in the day). They had every size except the 9-1/2’s.

Serves me right.

If the world gives you a “perfect pair of shoes”, buy them. However you define that perfect pair. Missed opportunities leave a sour taste in the soul. If the door opens, step in, and ask questions later.

Great design in daily objects is often overlooked because the object is so well designed that it flows seamlessly into our spaces. Case in point, my $3.99 alarm clock made by Equity. It has everything an alarm clock should and nothing that can’t be done by another type of appliance.

It’s battery operated so power outages aren’t a problem. It has a big snooze button front and center for easy pounding in the wee hours. The snooze button also acts as a light so you can view the time while staring at the ceiling counting sheep. Otherwise, no light to keep you awake and drain the battery. Unless you like the soft glow of your alarm clock’s digital readout you might find this to be your favorite feature.

There’s only 5 other buttons on the top of the device to set the hour and minute for either clock or alarm. And one final switch to turn the alarm ON or OFF. So simple you don’t need instructions. This is great for those mornings you decide you want another 30 minutes to sleep and need to reset your alarm without thinking.

All in all, this is the perfect alarm clock. And since it only cost $3.99, I won’t feel bad if it goes flying across the room on one of those mornings I wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

So the next time you reach for your Bic ballpoint pen, your Mr. Coffee, a paper clip or rubber band, pause a moment to thank the makers for these objects. All of which are so simple and beautiful in their concept and design that we don’t realize their genius.