A Stop at the Furrier Shop

Tory & I took the fur coats we inherited from Aunt Zena, to a really upscale furrier shop in downtown Hartford (this is a well-to-do part of town). How odd we must have appeared, walking down the blvd. in beach attire, carrying fur coats. I was laughing the whole way. We walked into this exquisite shop, with beautiful furs of all colors and lengths hanging in a very ostentatious manner. We were greeted by the blonde sales associate, dressed finely, and introduced herself, in a Swedish accent, as Olga. After our explanation of the items, she assessed them with a gentle and discerning touch. She knew what she was looking for apparently. Immediately she noticed that both long coats were dry, and the stole was dry but workable. Basically, no good. The 2 coats were too dry to recondition, plus they are out of style. We asked her about peoples interest in vintage pieces, and she believed that the most we could get would be $150 for the stole only, since it was the only "mink" item and it was in the best shape. The other 2 coats are on their way to falling apart. Now as I handle them, it's evident to me what she said was true. One of the coats is already ripping with just the minimal handling we've done. Nonetheless, I got an education on fur coats. You know, for the day I go to buy one. Hee Hee. At one point while we were in the store, she went to the back to talk to the owner about the type of fur of one of the coats, and I was doing a "Dominic"....touching everything!!! I was tempted to walk through the racks like my kids do at Target while hearing me reprimand them. Most of the coats there were in the $3-$15 thousand dollar range. Yikes! But oh how luxuriously soft they were. I would love to have a blanket made out of one. Anyway, I will try to sell the stole at a vintage clothing store and see what I can get for it. There must be someone who wants to feel rich, yet not pay the cost.