Like that's gonna stop me!

Neither wind, nor rain, nor heavy construction equipment will keep this Brightonista from her favorite store. That said, it took me a while today to map out how exactly I was going to get past the orange cones, heavy equipment, closed roads and torn-up concrete to make it to the front door of Aida's, my Brighton haunt of the past 10 years. I had come to share the love, so to speak, from my recent ebay windfall. And I knew Aida's could give me what ebay couldn't: instant gratification!
The number of physical obstacles between me and the store left me wondering whether Aida's was even open. I worried for Aida (both proprietess and friend) and wondered whether her business could withstand both the downfall in the economy and the detour to her store.
Aida is a strikingly upbeat person. When I finally got inside, I found her not unhappy about the construction outside her door but thankful that the work was behind schedule. The street widening had originally been planned for December. THAT would have hurt, she said. I lingered inside for an hour, choosing new charms (have you seen the kitty cat? It has rhinestone eyes and a tiny heart hanging from its collar!) and caressing leather purses, imagining which one I might one day buy. The charms are doing well at Aida's, in downtown Wichita. She now has an entire counter devoted to them and the display is quite enticing. (I walked away with five!) I was just about to leave when another two women walked in, obviously as undeterred as I was. It was then I knew Aida would be okay. Brightonistas, we take care of our own.