HANGING AROUND 

By Caron Schwartz 

I Have Nothing To Wear 

It’s Spring when every woman’s fancy lightly turns to …  her closet (sorry Alfred, Lord Tennyson).  

The springtime blues hit as I put away the sweaters I had been cuddling up in during the coldest Florida winter in memory. Where’s my spring-appropriate duds for the few weeks of nice weather before humidity descends upon us like locusts? I needed a wardrobe intervention, but wanted more than the usual suspects. 

Bay Club, a new boutique on Fourth St. N in St. Pete, was first on my list. The black exterior, which made me think I was about to enter an exclusive nightclub, contrasted mightily with the sunny apparel inside. As I browsed pretty little things I’d never squish into, a pretty little blonde hung silently behind the counter. She could tell I was not in my element. 

A walk across the street to the other Fourth N. boutique, Shandy Style, would have been nice. But without a stop light or crosswalk for as far as the eye could see I drove a half block to a turn-around. The two-story white building oozed Southern charm. The staff was friendly and welcoming. The merchandise, which ranged from cute to sophisticated to sexy, was sized for every body, although nothing appealed enough to try on. 

“Let’s enjoy a nice windows-open drive to Bellair Bluffs,” I suggested to my intrepid partner, Lenny. Little did he know my hidden agenda was checking out the two Suzettes’ establishments on Indian Rocks Road. “We can stop at the Belleair Coffee Company,” I offered as enticement. 

Lenny, whose wardrobe hasn’t had a facelift since the Reagan administration, couldn’t resist the java jaunt. But when I rolled past the coffee shop, he knew the jig was up. At Suzette’s on the Rocks, a helpful employee-of-a-certain-age steered him to “spouse equivalent” seating. I loved the selection but hesitated to spend so much on something I’d only wear until we turned on the air conditioning. Right next door Suzette’s Too, however, was more my speed and price point, and I walked out with a long-sleeve sale-rack special suitable for next fall. 

But the cure for springtime blues was close to home. I walk past Zaiya Artizen Market in Gulfport nearly every day. So, it should come as no surprise that that’s where I found a comfy cotton Buddha Love T-shirt made by local creative genius Lisa Taylor. 

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