Good stuff
Building 19 is one of the unquestionable treasures of New England.
They're a discount retail store chain that focuses on reselling liquidated merchandise from retailers who have gone out of business, or had a warehouse fire, or overstocked, or whatever.
It's one of the most humbling retail experiences you've ever had -- the stores are shabby and the merchandise is often just piled on tables, showing signs of damage. And they sell a *lot* of cheap junk. But occasionally they'll have absolute gems, and that makes it worthwhile, at least for those of us who value a bargain over the presentation.
It's the sort of place where you can occasionally get Armani tuxedo for $49 that smells like a building fire (nothing that won't come out with a good dry cleaning). Or find an oriental rug that might cost pennies on the dollar compared to what a fine rug merchant would sell it for, as long as you have a pickup truck and can haul it away yourself.
On this most recent trip, I picked up perfect-condition hardcover copies of Dungeons & Dragons manuals for my older son, for Christmas, for $8 a piece -- compared with $30 each at Borders. I also got for myself some Tsubo footwear -- fantastically comfortable designer shoes for $30, compared to $90 (the cheapest I could find the boots I got) online.
Anyway, our kids are intimately familiar with the Building 19 experience, and Emmeline and Robert both have little patience for it (or, for that matter, for shopping in general).
But James is a bit more adventurous -- he likes to explore the metal pile at the junkyard with Grandma in the hopes of finding a usable bike or scooter, for example.
So James came with us yesterday, when we took a ride up to Hanover (about 40 minutes away) to find some bargains.
James, never one to miss a joke, saw the Building 19 sign when we pulled into the parking lot. Their slogan is "Good Stuff Cheap."
"Good Stuff..." he paused, pretending to have trouble reading the last word.
"C - R - A - P," he spelled, giggling.