Overpriced And Fancy

I became a member of the Cody Chamber of Commerce back in January.

If I had known how quiet and tough of a business market Cody was in the dead of winter I'm not certain that I would have committed to a membership.

But they got me early in the season (as did the local newspaper when I also committed to a large scale marketing push for tourists that I hoped would pay off through the summer).

By the end of February I was kicking myself for spending the money when money was becoming increasingly difficult to come by at that point.

But here we are - now early in July - and the past winter is just distant memory.

Cody Chamber has proven to be a wonderfully supportive, active and engaged chamber for which I am eternally grateful.

I do not regret becoming a member at all.

One of the regular programs they have is a monthly after-hours deal.

Different businesses in town host get-togethers after 5, which includes tours of the respective businesses, and inevitably food and drink of some description.

Most of the businesses that agree to host are well-established, large scale, well funded, and with enough space to accommodate 100 or so hungry and thirsty business-owners.

I'm often one of them, and I have told LC good naturedly that I plan on eating and drinking my chamber fee ($200) at these little soirees between now and next January when my 2020 membership fee will be due.

I'm only (half) joking of course.

The food is always great and in truth I know very few of these folks, but it is a good chance each month to smile and nod and hand out a business card or two.

And often a chance to visit a business that I might otherwise never get to see.

Last month was one such occasion.

A new furniture gallery opened recently and Chamber members had the opportunity to see the place before it was open to the general public...................

I walked into the gallery feeling vaguely uncomfortable (as I always do at these things), looked around quickly to see if I knew anyone there, did not see any familiar faces, and instead slowly wandered the main floor immediately in awe of the pieces in front of me.

They may have been pieces of furniture, but they were actually more like pieces of functional art.......................

No-one else was taking pictures, and in truth I wasn't even sure if picture taking was welcome, so I did not take many.

The floors were fancy.  The lighting was fancy.  The furniture slash art work was fancy, and I tried hard not to laugh out loud when I looked at the price tags................

I smiled.

I nodded.

I wandered slowly.

I ate a piece of fancy, low cal, spinach pizza, hungry and desperately wishing I could get my hands on a piece of thick crust pepperoni from Pizza Hut.

There was only fancy, fruity beers to drink so I was now not only hungry but also thirsty.

The furniture slash art work was made by a variety of artists.

At one point an elderly gentleman and I were standing admiring a piece, we introduced ourselves to each other, and when I learned that he was an artist I politely asked him if he had work in this gallery.

Smiling he replied "No - this was by invitation only.  And I wasn't invited".

Smiling politely I responded with the banal, as these kinds of places and these kinds of conversations demand.................

Standing in line for another piece of thin crust, artisan, low cal, spinach whatever whatever (because the gallery owners were bringing out pizzas one at a time) I was suddenly over the entire experience.

I grabbed a slice of lousy pizza since I was still hungry and stood in the middle of the room because.................well.............if you spilled pizza on one of these pieces you could easily become the proud owner of a VERY overpriced piece of wood.....................

If I sound dismissive about the entire experience it's because I was.

And am.

It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was the cup of tea of presumably many people, so in that regard it was a success for this new business.

The furniture slash art work was beautiful.

All of it was beautiful.

But I left early and still hungry, and as I headed towards my Tahoe with 207,000 miles on the odometer I called LC and asked him to put a frozen pizza in the oven for me.

I was hungry.

I'd be home in 15 minutes.

One last look at a $25,000 desk and a $4000 chair, and I was outta there...................