GRAVENHURST BUSINESS COMMUNITY SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR - "WE WELCOME STUART MCLEAN" FOR CHRISTMAS
THIS IS A NICE GIFT FROM THE CBC AND ONE OF CANADA'S BEST KNOWN STORY TELLERS
SUZANNE HAS BEEN WORKING ON A VARIETY OF CHRISTMAS 2012 "VINYL CAFE" COOKIES, FOR NEXT WEEK'S TWO NIGHT PERFORMANCE. NO, SHE'S NOT FEEDING THE AUDIENCE. THE COOKIES WILL BE FOR HEADLINER, STUART MCLEAN, AND HIS CREW, IF THEY HAPPEN TO WANDER INTO THE REAL VINYL CAFE, IN THE MULTI-SHOPS OF THE FORMER MUSKOKA THEATRE BUILDING. THE ONE ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE OPERA HOUSE, WITH CURRIE'S MUSIC PROMOTED IN BIG LETTERS ON THE BRAND NEW MARQUIS. IS THIS A SHAMELESS PLUG FOR OUR MAIN STREET BUSINESS, THAT SELLS VINTAGE VINYL….AND EVEN NEW VINYL STILL WARM OFF THE PRESSES? THAT WOULD BE CRASS. THIS IS ABOUT STUART MCLEAN AND THE COOKIES HE HAS INSPIRED. NOT ANTIQUE AND RECORD SALES IN THE SHOP NEXT DOOR! I'M HORRIBLE. I'M ASHAMED OF MYSELF. YET HOLY MACKINAW, THIS IS A BIG BUSINESS EVENT, TO OUR MAIN STREET…..TO START OFF THE FESTIVE SEASON….AND YES….CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.
THAT'S RIGHT. SUZANNE HAS BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES AND ICING COMBINATIONS, TO MAKE EDIBLE RECORDS - IN KEEPING WITH THE "VINYL CAFE" THEME, AND STUART MCLEAN'S VISIT TO GRAVENHURST NEXT WEEK, FOR A TWO NIGHT STAND AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE. SOLD OUT IN "RECORD" TIME. GET IT? VINTAGE VINYL? ACTUALLY, IT MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO A RECORD. I'D HAVE TO CHECK THAT ONE OUT TO MAKE SURE!
WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF THE ROOF WAS READY TO GO. THAT WOULD REALLY BE THE ICING ON THE EVENT. IT WAS ESTIMATED THE WORK WOULD BE DONE BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK IN NOVEMBER, AND I CHALLENGED RIGHT BACK…..THAT NO IT WOULDN'T. SO I WIN. THE BOOBY PRIZE UNDOUBTEDLY. BUT BY GOLLY, THERE'S NOT THAT MANY DAYS LEFT, BEFORE THE CBC CREW PULLS INTO TOWN, AND THE PRESENT PLYWOOD ON TARPAPER ISN'T ALL THAT FETCHING……ON ONE OF OUR MOST HISTORIC BUILDINGS. OF COURSE, THAT'S SOMETHING FOR LOCAL COUNCILLORS TO WORRY ABOUT. I'M NOT SURE THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT STAGE ITS AT……BECAUSE I NEVER SEE THEM ON SITE LOOKING UP. WONDER WHY?
I THINK ALL BUSINESSES IN THIS TOWN SHOULD ROLL OUT THE WELCOME MAT, FOR MR. MCLEAN AND HIS ENTOURAGE FROM THE CBC, BECAUSE IT'S A BIG DEAL…..AND ONE THAT PUTS A ZING IN THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES IN OUR LITTLE ONTARIO BURG. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PERFORMER WITH A HUGELY POPULAR CHRISTMAS SHOW, ON TOUR THROUGH CANADA, AND IT IS A MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT COUP, TO HAVE HIM SHOW UP ON OUR DOORSTEP, TO PLAY FOR THE FANS OF SOUTH MUSKOKA…..TO OFFICIALLY LAUNCH THE SEASONAL FESTIVITIES. JUST MINUS THE THREE FEET OF SNOW, AND THE HALF BURIED REINDEER OF SANTA'S VILLAGE.
PERSONALLY, I'D LIKE TO SEE HIS NAME BACK UP ON THE OPERA HOUSE MARQUIS, IF ONLY JUST A MENTION, WITH THE BUDGET OF LETTERS THEY HAVE…….TO COVER ALL THE BASES. I KNOW THE OTHER ACTS NEED PROMOTION TOO, BUT THE VINYL CAFE IS A NATIONAL TREASURE…..AND JUST BECAUSE IT'S SOLD OUT, OVER TWO NIGHTS, DOESN'T MEAN IT SHOULDN'T BE HERALDED ON THAT BRIGHT LIGHT IN HERITAGE SQUARE. WE'RE ALL GLAD THAT HE AND HIS CREW DECIDED TO RETURN TO GRAVENHURST, WHERE HE HAS PERFORMED IN THE PAST. SO GLAD IN FACT, THAT WE'RE PLANNING ON SERVING VINYL CAFE COOKIES, IF STUART AND GANG DROP IN FOR A VISIT.
ANDREW HAS WORKED WITH STUART ON TWO PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, ONCE AT THE OPERA HOUSE, WHILE FRED SCHULZ WAS IN THE MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND AGAIN AT THE CAISSE THEATRE IN BRACEBRIDGE, ALSO FOR A TWO NIGHT GIG.
BUT WHY COOKIES…..WHY, OH WHY?
When our boys, Andrew and Robert, began their vintage music business, more than six years ago, (now in their seventh) we had one of the tightest budgets in the free enterprise system. They didn't borrow money from the bank, and they never purchased what they couldn't afford. They couldn't even afford to set up a bank machine, or credit card system for their first two room shop, in the upstairs (formerly the projector room of the theatre) of the cavernous old theatre building….they shared with the Just 4 Kicks Dance Studio, which occupied most of the downstairs studios. In order for the lads to get an edge, somehow, to attract and keep customers, they tried out many customer-friendly plans, such as substantial discounts to regular customers, a place to jam on a cold winter's day, ongoing music talk constantly with all-comers welcome to join in (even the occasional professional musician on tour), and oh yes, Suzanne's cookies. They are prepared for the regulars every Saturday morning, and let me tell you……they would be devastated to show up at the shop, for their usual music debate, hot coffees in hand, if the still-warm cookies hadn't yet arrived. Gads, talk about developing a dependence. Debate stops long enough to down a couple of ginger snaps, or some oatmeal raisin cookies. Not talking. Just eating. Noisy eating. Almost musical with the occasional slurp and sputter of spilled coffee.
Last week it was oatmeal / peanut butter-chocolate chip, following-up the iced brownies the week before; the peanut butter and chocolate chip crisps before that. Rice Krispy squares. My God, I could easily smother myself with them, if I wasn't on a strict protocol of only two squares, and then only on special Saturdays. Once a month. I'm on this diet, you see! I hate it!
Every Friday night, she labors over the mixing bowls and stove, after a week's teaching at the high school, to make enough cookies to handle the ever-increasing attendance in the boys new recording studio……also used for lessons throughout the week. The cookie tin is usually empty by three in the afternoon, especially if it was "brownie" week. They are the most popular desert treat, for the Saturday music crew. There are even references to Suzanne's cookies online, from roving professional musicians communicating on Facebook, from those who had stopped in to visit Andrew and Robert, while vacationing in Muskoka…..and if it was a Saturday, getting mitt-fulls of homemade cookies to tide them over on the journey to lakeside. Suzanne, by the way, has been largely oblivious to the popularity of her baked goods, and most often, the only thing she gets in return, is the empty tin on Saturday night. Well, that's not quite true. Those musicians who like their stipend of cookies, will often shuffle back into the antique wing of our family store, to offer thanks for her ongoing benevolence to poor guitar players and drummers…..who may or may not be down on their luck. They seem to be pretty happy with fresh baking, that's for sure. By the way, our shop has expanded into ninety percent of the building over six years, and me thinks it has something to do with cookie-favors……on top of good pricing of course.
So call it cheating or a smart marketing strategy, but Suzanne's cookie treats became a part of the boys' successful business history. But now she can't stop baking. She may have to retire from teaching school, to become a half-time baker, half time antique shop clerk. It was what we did, this cookie thing, when we didn't have a lot of money to invest, in advertising, but wanted to make the shop a popular, friendly, comfortable place to hang out…..and yes, occasionally buy a guitar, mandolin, banjo or vintage record from the lads' huge collection, which they started acquiring in their early teens.
Wouldn't it be a great show of support, for a fine performer, and a Canadian legend of the stage, (and microphone), to put up some "welcome signs" for the visit of the CBC to our town, with our special guest, Stuart McLean. Do you know there are still people looking to buy tickets for the sold-out shows. You never know. There might be scalpers out there in heritage square getting double the price for the tickets. Did I mention I waited too long to get Suzanne's tickets to the show, and how stunned I feel, having to face the woman, with icing and gingerbread on her face, reminding her once again, how sorry I am to have forgotten to buy our tickets when they first came up for sale. I am the tortoise you see, and I have, unlike the moral story, never beat the rabbit once……in many attempts over a lifetime. Just because someone told me I could! I never believed that story anyway. So I sort of convinced her, that at the very least, we could show our support for the Vinyl Cafe Christmas Show, by making some special cookies that looked like spinning records. I thought I might have been scorned for suggesting it, but low and behold, she had been thinking about the same idea. Ah, that's what's special about soul mates. Just so you know……and I'm sure you do……Suzanne never reads my blogs. Since we became a couple, in the latter days of my newspaper career, she has only ever read my work several times, always when I needed a second opinion about something controversial…..which I'm a obsessively inclined.
I hope our local BIA will find this a great opportunity unfolding, to bring together our little neighborhood, to publicly thank Mr. McLean for bringing us his famous Christmas Show, which over the years, has travelled from sea to sea, north to south, and all over again. It's no surprise the show sold out quickly…..because he's a rock-star of story telling. He's been telling stories to us Curries for decades, and it's rare for us to miss his CBC 2 show on Saturday mornings, while we're off on our weekly antique hunts. If we're open early at the shop, he's on air for the benefit of our customers, who often linger. That's good for a shop like ours, because lingering creates discovery, which leads to statements like, "I love your shop….and I'll take these things." But they get a cookie free.
There's a lot of grumbling going on in the test kitchen tonight. Make that a lot of crumbling. She's got over a week to figure it all out, and if you know our family at all, the perfect cookie will emerge……even if it takes all night.
The nice thing here? Many of the ticket holders are from out of town…….and we like guests to visit our community…..any day of the week.
Thanks for visiting this blogsite today. Are you going to be in attendance at the big show? Can you sneak my wife in? There's a few cookies in it for you! Just kidding.
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