Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Jonas Brothers
At The Consignment Store

Earlier this week, I went to Second Fling in Goldsboro, NC, a store which just happens to be my favorite consignment store in the whole world. It's a place where I've shopped at least a couple times a year for the past thirty years.

In fact, I was reminiscing about it at dinner last night, telling Steve and Sarah that I went there before I was married, and when I was a newlywed. I got maternity clothes there when I was pregnant with both kids and I also went there to buy clothes for them as they were growing up. In fact, I got one of my all time favorite dresses for Sarah there when she was about five; it had paper dolls all over it and was done up in the sweetest style and colors. I will always adore that dress and have even saved it as a keepsake.

Here's a not-so-clear picture of it. (Sarah had a cast on her arm because she broke it when she slipped on some ice.)



I remember buying a sport coat there for Steve that he wore forever when we were on the road; of course, I have bought tons of clothes for myself, as well as books of all varieties, lots of jewelry and even a few home decorations. I've taken loads of clothes there over the years to re-sell and got back some nice little chunks of change in return.

I'm not a hundred percent sure on this, but I think that some of the same people who worked there thirty years ago are still there. When I walk into the building, it's like time has stopped. Although the world outside has gone on, presidential administrations have changed, tyrants have been toppled, and wars have been fought, Second Fling still stands basically unchanged in the same spot, offering the same sweet brand of Southern charm and lovely bargains that they have all through the years. (Sarah calls clothes found at consignment stores, "pre-loved clothes." Don't you love that?)

And the place is huge. When I say huge, I mean huge. Larger than huge. Huger than huge! Behomothic, even! (I just learned that word. Isn't it great?)

I can spend half a day in just the front part of the store, and still never really see everything. (Of course, I'm the sort of person who tries on thirty items for every one thing I buy, so that takes a while.)

Besides the regular women's clothes in the front area of the building, there are also evening gowns, wedding gowns, the biggest inventory of shoes you have EVER seen in a consignment store, pocketbooks, lingerie, some nicer furniture, nursing scrubs, fine china, and tons of jewelry.

Then there's a hallway that leads back to a smaller room that features men's and children's clothes. Through yet another door is an additional enormous room with even more household stuff, rows and rows of books (be still my heart), Cd's, videos and DVDs, men's bargain clothes, exercise equipment, decorations, and miles of miscellany.

If you walk even further back through the building, there is another room almost as big as the cavernous room in the front of the store which is sort of the "yard sale" area. It features clothing where the prices are more on the thrift store/yard sale scale.

I must say that I hardly ever even make it back to that room because I usually run out of time and/or energy before I ever get there.

And speaking of running out of energy, I always bring a snack and some water and about halfway through my day at Second Fling, I go out to the car and take a 10-minute rest break. The place is THAT big. It HAS to be big, to hold all the memories I have of it.

Now. Some you might be wondering at this very moment:

Why is this crazy woman rambling on about Second Fling when the title very clearly mentions the Jonas Brothers? Surely, she cannot tie those two subjects together in any sort of logical way.

Oh yes, I can!

As I was leaving Second Fling on Tuesday, I got trapped behind two elderly ladies in the narrow walkway leading out to the front door. They had stopped to look at some furniture that was on display and had camped out there in the aisle in order to further peruse the furniture and discuss it at greater length.

I sighed to myself, shifted into "park" and just sorta hovered nearby, pretending like I was looking at a case of necklaces while the ladies continued to converse in their honeyed, genteel tones. I hated to just go barging on by them while they were having their important furniture talk, and besides, I love to eavesdrop. (As long as the subject is not terribly personal or private.)

I heard one of the women say something about the color of the furniture; her friend then commented on its style.

As they both continued to gaze at the furniture, the first lady said, "Do you want to know something, Miss Mildred? The Jonas Brothers told me that this kind of furniture is coming back into style."

Well! You can be sure THAT line caught my attention!

I cast a fleeting, furtive glance at Miss Mildred to see what her reaction would be and to try and discern whether or not she was at all taken aback by the fact that the Jonas Brothers had been communicating with her friend about furniture styles.

As it turns out, Mildred was completely nonchalant about that bit of news. "Really? Well, it's probably true then, because the Jonas Brothers really know what they're talking about when it comes to furniture."

At this comment, they both nodded wisely to each other and blithely strolled out the door.

I, however, was frozen in my tracks.

I stood and considered the only two options that this conversation could possibly represent:

First option:

The Jonas Brothers are now branching out from their fabulous career in music and have begun advising elderly Southern ladies on styles of furniture.

Second option:
Both of those sweet little ladies are living in some sort of alternate reality, some sort of Fantasy La-La Land, where it makes perfect sense to stand in a consignment store and discuss the Jonas Brothers and their contributions to the furniture industry.

Neither option was appealing. And yet, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out any sort of third option.

I slowly made my way out to the car, chewing hard on that conversation, trying to figure out if I had imagined it all. But no, plain as day, I had heard the words, "Jonas Brothers."

Jonas Brothers.

Oh wait! Suddenly it hit me!

For many years, there had been a furniture store in Smithfield owned by the Jones Brothers. The JONES Brothers.

And since any Southern woman worth her salt can take any one- syllable word on the planet and effortlessly transform it into two or more syllables, Jones naturally became Jonas!
Voila! Mystery solved!

I felt so much better after finally reaching that conclusion because it made me sad to think that those two dear old ladies were thinking that they were in touch with the Jonas Brothers and it confused me beyond words to think that the Jonas Brothers had deviated from their music career to give opinions to elderly Southern ladies about on furniture.

So I went home, a happy woman.

I'd been to my favorite consignment store, I had a bag of bargains to show for it, and I'd transformed Jonas back into Jones. (I'm sure the Jonas Brothers would be thankful.)

It was a day well spent.

6 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Joanne said...

Hello Smiths! I have followed you through Sarah's site for years but I don't sign in often. Too busy farming.I sneak a little time out of the day to check up on you. How exciting to be moving to this beautiful place! I found a live webcam that the town of Manteo has on Queen Elizabeth Street. OOH. Royalty. Any way ... what a kick it would be for us to see the Smiths live on this webcam. It faces a store front that I think says Antique Gallery. We could all tune in and see you guys waving at us!

Anonymous said...

What treasures did you get at the store?
sheila from st. louis

Mindy Barker said...

I've been to Second Fling!!! When my husband was in the military, we were stationed at Seymour Johnson, and I use to love to go there! I can attest that it IS huge and that you can find almost anything there.

I don't think I've ever left a comment, but I just had to share that! :)

Mindy
no longer military, and now "stationed" in Lithia, FL!

Pam D said...

Well, my my. How many of us have lived in Goldsboro and were stationed at SJAFB? I was there from 1982-1985 and have a vague recollection of Second Fling myself! Wow. And to think that the Jonas Brothers now visit and give furniture and decorating advice. I think that just might be one of the signs of the apocalypse. And if it isn't, it should be....

Ann Martin said...

Been to Goldsboro but never to Second Fling. I'll have to try to find it next time I'm in the area which may be December and definitely should be February when we go to the Ernie Haase & Signature Sound concert. Still have those tickets, Becky, if you can work out the trip from Manteo for Feb. 4th.

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Pam has a matching paper doll jumper!!!