Bravo

So, Ellery and I are back from summer market in Dallas and not surprisingly, we had the best time. I’m always so thankful I raised the perfect shopping partner. She will stand in stores and consider with complete determination what PJP shoppers will enjoy from all the different product lines.

We flew in on Wednesday afternoon and back yesterday morning. And in the days that elapsed, we walked just over 17 miles in the market. Jason stayed here and was the captain of the ship of both stores and Jeanne popped in wherever and whenever he needed her. Neither were sad to not be with us because they don’t enjoy shopping for eight hours a day or walking 17 miles in three days. We also never stop to eat and just snack on whatever the showrooms provide so that we can keep moving. Both Jeanne and Jason hate that part particularly because neither of them consider Cheez-Its and a Peach Bellini to be a lunch. (But we do.)

We looked at so much fun stuff and we bought a fair amount to arrive at both stores over the coming months. (We are super excited for the holiday items to arrive.). We also met some fun people who buy for different regions of the country and it is always nice to hear a perspective about their stores that gives perspective to our own store, if that makes sense.

Not only is Ellery a good shopper, she’s pretty adventurous too. Every night we would just find a place that looked interesting and we would Uber there for dinner and whatever else we could find. One night we got 10/10 manicures. On another night, we got 10/10 salads. On Saturday night, we took an Uber to Chuy’s because we love their food and because the company has basically forsaken our state, minus one location in Kansas City that is not as good as others we’ve been to. And let me tell you, It was as if our fate aligned. Within two city blocks was an Anthropologie, a Pottery Barn, a Crate & Barrel, a Yeti Store, and a three story Restoration Hardware with a rooftop wine terrace.

Obviously, we shopped all of them. Have you been to Restoration Hardware lately? It is basically a three store museum in homage to design. They don’t even have cash registers in them because you don’t buy the stuff - you scan a QR code and work with a consultant. In the store, you just admire their furniture and take a lot of selfies. And in short, this is the story of how I fell completely in love with a $17,000 chair.

For starters, “chair” isn’t even the correct word. It was a chaise covered in Tibetan wool and It was DIVINE. It was literally the most comfortable item I’ve ever sat on. Because Restoration Hardware encourages people to hang out in the store, I sat in that chaise for 30 minutes and watched TikTok. I also thought that at an average nine-inch pie price, I would need to sell 945 for $17,000 - though I would still have all my fixed and variable costs to contend with. If I had a briefcase with $17,000, I would just throw it Restoration Hardware. And then Jason would have a fit because he wouldn’t care how glorious it is to lay on Tibetan wool, rather he would feel that chair to be very overpriced. I wonder if Oprah knows about this chair? I feel like she should put it on her favorite things list, and she would love it, and she could afford it.

At any rate, I will think of that chair with true affection for all the days of my life and there’s not a darn thing I can do about it. But to Restoration Hardware and designer Milo Baughman: BRAVO. Well done. You deserve that $17,000 and I will always think of you. (Also, I so hope no one buys it because I’ll be back in January…)