My Umbrella Story

What kind of idiot goes shopping for patio furniture in late August?

This kind.

Last Wednesday, someone, (okay, it was me) left our patio umbrella up. A brief, but strong storm rolled through our neighborhood later that day. Our glass topped table, powered by strong winds (and that damn umbrella) was tossed into a very hard stone retaining wall in our backyard - with predictable results.

The umbrella was unsalvagable (good riddance) and the table was a write-off.

Our patio set had given us a solid decade of service and so off we went to find a replacement.

We tried all the usual haunts - big box stores, brand name outdoor stores, but found very little selection and outrageous prices (especially for this time of year). Out of ideas, we tried the Internet. There were surprising few patio furniture stores in the area (we live just north of Milwaukee).

One search result was a store called On The Deck, located in Oconomowoc, a 40 minute drive away. Frankly I wasn't very impressed with their website and I had low expectations, but it was a great day for a drive to lake country. And so, off we went.

We found the store, located in a very old building, on the main street, perhaps 50 yards away from the lake. We almost missed it because the space they occupied looked like it was originally designed to hold three (relatively small) adjacent stores. I guess I was expecting a more modern single story commercial building.

As we entered the dimly lit store, the old wood floors creaked. We were greeted by a treasure trove of patio furniture and accessories. We wound our way through the rabbit's warren of rooms, created by the unmodified floor plan of the three original stores. Each room revealed more selection, more surprises.

And then we discovered the best thing of all.

The two ladies who ran the store.

Pleasant, engaging, knowledgeable and patient - they walked us through the choices and spent way too much time with us, scouting the entire store for just the right umbrella to match the set we were interested in. About an hour later, we finally completed our purchase.

The whole experience was a flashback to a time when all the stores in your hometown were run by their owners (who were also your neighbors). Back to a day when product quality, good value for money and personal service were business cornerstones.

Even if you aren't searching for patio furniture, I'd recommend paying them a visit. You'll certainly enjoy the ride to Oconomowoc and the trip down memory lane.

Now, if I can just remember to close that umbrella every night!