For as long as I've known him, JP has dreamt of retiring on the stretch of beach in Washington state where he summered as a child. We've returned to that beach every summer with our children and enjoyed the freezing cold Puget Sound on hot summer days, the views of Mt. Rainier, and Jim Furber's pancakes, made with his mother's secret recipe.
JP bought a house on that beach a few years ago, though with a small business in California, his dream seemed just out of reach. But on July 1st, JP will retire, pack up his UHaul and head to that pretty house to enjoy slow days, cold water and pretty views. No pancakes, as we lost Jim a few years ago, but he visits occasionally in the form of a bald eagle that soars over the house.
With JP's retirement imminent, I've been reflecting on these last 14 years of Elsie Green together. It hasn't always been easy. In fact, sometimes it's been damn hard. But there have been so many sweet moments. In honor of JP's dream that's finally come true, here are my top Elsie Green moments with him:
- Road tripping from California to Austin, Texas towing an Airstream Bambi full of Elsie Green merchandise. We stopped along the way for pop ups with gracious hosts like Palihotel in LA, El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas, and Hotel San Jose in Austin. We worked hard, we sat outside the airstream at night listening to a Feist concert a few blocks away in Marfa, I read The Devil's Teeth aloud to JP while he drove.
- Being featured in GOOP our first Christmas which took us from selling to family members to selling to strangers.
- Opening our Barlow shop. The night before it opened, we tucked into bed, held hands and said to each other "we did it."
- Early, early mornings at the Alameda Flea Market, working together to put together the prettiest stand we could in the dark with no coffee because the food trucks didn't arrive until the market opened.
- Shopping together in France for the first time right after we lost his mother. It was a much needed diversion from the grief. I roamed the streets of Paris bringing back cheese, baguettes, and other French delights for him while he rested and coped with his sadness.
- Meeting with Kelsey at a wine bar in Walnut Creek to talk her out of moving to Portland and offering her a job.
- Receiving our first container at our first little warehouse with no wifi, no hot water, and no heat. First we had to figure out how to get the crates off the truck. Then we had to figure out how to get them open. Then we had to figure out how to get the stuff out of them.
- Working at various times with each of our three children. They've all come and gone over the years as part time employees of the business.
It warms my heart and breaks it at the same time to close this chapter of our partnership and move on to the next - the chapter in which JP lives out his dream on his beach.
JP will be in the shop through June 30th, so come by and say bonjour and bon voyage, give him a hug, and wish him felicitations for his retirement.