Note: This post is part of an ongoing blog series called #costamesa365 where the author is striving to shop only* in her city of Costa Mesa, for a year.
“How many more days, Mom?”
Six, ok? Six.
“How many more days, now?”
You asked me five minutes ago, so it’s still six.
“How many, Mom, until you-know-what?”
Six.
“I actually did the math and, because the day’s half over now, I think it’s five-and-a-half, Mom. Is it five-and-a-half?”
Sigh.
My ten-year-old daughter woke up one day, a couple weeks ago, and decided that she absolutely, positively MUST OWN BLACK-AND-WHITE CHECKERBOARD SLIP-ON VANS THIS INSTANT OR SHE WILL DIE!!!
And with that one request, everything changed.
GONE are the days when any old hand-me-down Crocs will do.
GONE is the convenience of just sheathing her feet in whatever random thing was on clearance at Kmart.
It’s over.
Because now?
Now she CARES.
So I put a date on our family calendar showing when I was free – and we had the funds – to take her shopping for OMG HER OWN PAIR OF BLACK-AND-WHITE CHECKERBOARD SLIP-ON VANS!!!
We’ve spent the last ten days counting down and finally, FINALLY it’s here. Today? We be slippin’.
Of course, no Internet-shopping here in #costamesa365 land – so we’re going old-skool (kind of like the classic slip-ons themselves, which have been around since before I was her age.) Brick-and-mortar, baby!
As I researched our shopping options (shoptions?) I discovered that Costa Mesa is not only home to Vans HQ – but two different Vans stores (as well as a bunch of independent shoe stores that also carry them.)
It was a toss-up for us between the South Coast Plaza location and the one at Costa Mesa Courtyards off Newport Blvd. and 19th Street. But Courtyards was closer to my house, so when the day FINALLY arrived, off we went.
The shop itself was super cute. So many fun, street-style clothes, accessories and shoes. My kid was in checkerboard heaven.
In a stage-whisper, she said, “Mom, ask the man for my size. ASK HIM!”
Unfortunately, he was sad to report they didn’t have the black-and-whites in her size. All sold out over the holidays – but they could order them to the store if we wanted?
After ten days of bated-breath, I returned to my daughter, worried she would pass out with disappointment at the news. But she’d been busily browsing while I’d been inquiring and guess what?
OMG THE BLACK-AND-PEWTER CHECKERBOARD VANS ARE THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN – AND NOW, I’M SO UNIQUE!!!
And that, Vans fans, is how it’s done. ♥
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*We will always start by shopping / looking in Costa Mesa, first. But if we really need something and an alternative is nowhere to be found in Costa Mesa, we’ll stray. Also, as parents, we’ve decided that certain kid-related things (mainly educational) will need to remain baked in.
