I’m a jogger. My wife and I live in Chicago, and have owned the same condominium for about seven years. That means that my jogging routes are totally established. In fact, I have a set route for every day of the week, and I almost never waver from those.
But recently we visited my wife’s sister and her husband in Portland, Oregon, a beautiful city that I am not well familiar with. During our visit
I ran twice, each time through fascinating new neighbourhoods filled with interesting architecture, retailers, parks and other attractions. My normal run is about 45 minutes long; during these runs in Portland, the first time I looked at my smartphone my running time was nearly up and I was barely tired.
The point? Sometimes it’s good to try new things.
I mention this because over the past year I’ve fielded a number of phone calls from costume shop owners unhappy that one or more costume suppliers that had long dealt with had changed their discount structure or product lines. While I sympathised with them, I also encouraged them to consider new suppliers. These shops are comfortable with the suppliers they have used for decades, and that’s wonderful, but I told them they may be pleased with what some other, less familiar, suppliers offer.
To read the full article from our columnist, Ed Avis, executive director of the National Costumers Association, click here.
