I'd rather be. . .

Lando

So by now I have told you, or you have realized I enjoy shopping. More specifically, I enjoy shopping at Von Maur. I’m sorry Lando, I am sure by the time you are able to read this you have already spent a great deal of time at Von Maur, but it is a family tradition. It has been a family shopping favorite since the downtown Davenport store and it was called Petersen, Harned, Von Maur or simply “Petersen’s.” Grammie can tell you stories about going to Petersen’s with Nana with your Great-Aunt Kim and being placed on furniture to purchase, on sale of course, while she went to find a clerk. (Nana would have been your great-grandma, but she wouldn’t have phrased it that way. She would have said she was your mother’s grandmother, she would have it said it this way because in her mind, she was too young to be a great-grandma.) 

{Before Grammie was born, Nana sang with a jazz band. "Stormy Weather" was one of her favorite songs to sing.}

Nana loved Petersen’s. (Although they officially changed the name of the store  to Von Maur in 1989; Nana always called it Petersen’s.) This was also reflected on her license plate frame: 

I’d rather be shopping at Von Maur

Can you really blame her? Von Maur is a great place to shop. Free gift wrap, piano player, interest free charge card, the canaries by the piano at the North Park and South Park stores, the awesome sales, and the shoe room. Nana taught Grammie and Grammie taught me; you always go to the sale racks first and try to find the third mark down. Lando, you will have a lot of great clothes and shoes from the sale rack at Von Maur. It is a family tradition. 

{Whenever we drove over the 74 bridge, Nana would point to the old LeClaire Hotel and tell us she used to sing in the ballroom there on the top floor.}

 Nana was a bit of a fashionista. She loved clothing and shoes. The more sequins the outfit had the better. If it was red and had sequins, you knew it would be found later in Nana’s closet. (Lando, this could explain why your Mom likes red so much and shoes. It also explains the current 4 pairs of red shoes in the closet.) She enjoyed clothing that made her stand out. 

Nana would have been proud of your Mom’s Von Maur skills. My favorite pair of red heels, 80% off in the shoe room, earlier this summer I found a $60 outfit for Han Solo on sale for $6. I really think Nana enjoyed the hunt for a good deal at Von Maur. She knew she was getting good merchandise, but she also liked the thrill of saying the original price versus what she paid. (Unfortunately she tended to buy clothes, even when she didn’t need them. You can ask Grammie and Aunt Kim about this.) Today I found some books for you on the sale table, all of them at least 50% off. (You now have Shout! Shout it out!, Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born, and Can't Sleep without Sheep. You need these books. I really enjoyed reading them in store. Pat, the clerk in the children’s department, pointed them out for me.)

Things I learned about shopping at Von Maur with Nana:

• Always check the sales rack first and look for the third markdown.

• The shoe room is a must stop every trip.

• Know the name of the clerks. They will call you when something you like goes on sale. (Olga, in the children's department, at South Park was a favorite growing up. I loved her accent! Today I am a big fan of Pat, in children's, and Nancy, in gifts.

• Even if you don’t like it on the hanger, try it on. (When shopping for my first prom dress, Nana made me try on every formal dress in the store. Even the silver sequin one that made me look like a disco ball.)

• Stop and listen to the piano player.

Lando, tomorrow would have been Nana’s 85^th birthday. Although we didn’t always get along in the end, she was a very important in my life. On a funny note, I need to share my conversation with your Aunt Meg.

Meg: Hi

Mom: No Meg, we didn’t get the call today.

Meg: You aren’t lying to me are you?

Mom: No

Meg: I thought for sure you would have gotten it today. I thought Nana would put in a good word. (Aunt Meg picked the last business day before Nana’s birthday in your contest.)

Mom: Meg, Nana didn’t like me in the end.

Meg: But she liked me. She would have wanted me to have the cake pops. 

Meg, okay you didn't win Lando's contest for guessing the referral date. You know you will get cake pops soon. At the very latest, you will get some at Lily's birthday. 

Happy Birthday Nana.