The Notorious B.I.G. and My New C.O.A.T.

For the entire first year that Jac was open, my dear wife hemmed and hawed over exactly what items she should "take home" (I think the word she used most often was"adopt"), and what should be left on the racks to be sold. There were always many good of reasons to adopt, say, a dress ("I love, love, love it!", "This would look great with...", "I really do need..."), always countered with the one good reason not to adopt said dress ("That dress needs to be sold."). It was never an easy decision.

To fully comprehend the situation, you need to understand the depths of Jaci's obsession for everything in the store. To say that she's "selected" our clothing, gifts and "stuff" would be a severe understatement. She lusts over every single item that you see in Jac, for hours on end. And that's before she even places her orders. Seriously. The woman is absolutely smitten with everything that you see at 245 N. Highland Avenue, Suite 120. This isn't just blog propaganda (is blogropoganda a word?) either. M'lady loves everything in the store, and if she had her druthers, everything in the store would also be in our house.

Alas, everything in the store cannot be in our house. We have to sell some of it. Actually, most of it. This leaves us with many difficult decisions, and leads me to one of Brooklyn's Finest (shout out to anyone that got the reference without clicking on the link), The Notorious B.I.G., who succinctly summed up our dilemma in his posthumously released "Ten Crack Commandments":

Number four: know you heard this before

Never get high, on your own supply.

You'd almost think that he too had owned and operated a small, independent mom 'n pop boutique. He nailed it. Never get high on your own supply. Biggie never would have helped himself to his favorite Steven Alan shirts before they went on the floor, nor would he have treated his (numerous) girlfriends the latest and greatest Toki jewelry soon after the UPS guy dropped them off. He would have known better.

Now how does this apply to my new c.o.a.t, and why I have taken so long to get to the point? Soon after we started carrying men's clothing, I found myself staring at the same conundrum that Jaci had been dealing with for some time. A new coat arrived from NSF, a label that personifies California cool.

I longed for the coat for months, admiring the bomber styling and classic front detailing. It spoke to me, and it also spoke to my several-years-old, seen-better-days Club Monaco black hoodie jacket ("Your days are done old hoodie jacket... I'm the new jacket in town... he wants me... he needs me... he doesn't love you anymore.).

After months of listening to the Notorious B.I.G.'s cautionary words over and over in my head, I finally broke down and "adopted" the jacket from the store. I have no regrets, and I can now fully appreciate what Jaci goes through every day as she obsesses over a store full of fantastic finds.

Postscript: There are still two of the NSF Dean Jackets remaining, and they're marked wayyy down. Click here to buy one for yourself!