Yesterday I received a promotional call from the Salvation Army. It wanted to let me know about the BIG going-back-to-school sale it was having.
This evening I received a similar call from C. D. Peacock, a purveyor of fine jewelry in Chicago which opened its doors in 1837, marking Chicago's transition "from semi-savage conditions to civilization and refinement" (according to one historian).
This photograph shows the famous brass peacock doors of the State Street location, no longer inhabited by C. D. Peacock. The long list of celebrity clientele wasn't enough to rescue the jeweler from downsizing.
You may be inclined to think that someone is scrolling through the white pages to make these sales calls, but I've been a customer at both establishments. Of course, CDP hasn't seen me for quite awhile, so they want me back. The SA, on the other hand, was rewarding me for being a repeat customer.
It's contradictions like this that plague the unemployed. Where do we fit in? Who are we now? Will we ever again be given the opportunity to walk through extraordinary doors like these to experience all they represent?
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