Can a business be both modernized and quaint old-fashioned at the same time?
If it can then that defines the classic Confectionary in town.
The place sits on a major side street just two doors down from the main street and has been there more than twenty years. The shop is very narrow but long as it stretches away from the street.
It is also a Mom and Dad type of outfit extremely popular with everyone around the area. Business is steady with mainly repeat customers and yet it's seldom crowded except before Holidays.
There's a long glass counter along one side and across the back that holds the stock of product.
From the front of the store you'll find five kinds of doughnuts, three kinds of sticky rolls and three kinds of donut type bars then three kinds of huge muffins. Donuts, sticky buns and bars are sold mainly to the morning trade but available all day. Next you find three kinds of seasonal fruit pies of the nine inch type and four kinds of ten inch double decker cakes in addition to three kinds of cupcake. Six kinds of cookies and three types of bagel are next. Ice cream is last along the aisle and candy is in the counter across the back. The candy is mainly filled chocolates.
There are only four people running the business except on holidays when two or three part-timers are added. The actual service of customers is handled by two girls of High School or Community College age that are always extremely proficient. If anything gets depleted in the counter or a customer wants a larger quantity of anything one of the girls will disappear to the back of the store and return quickly with what is needed.
The girls can add simple greetings and names to the top of a cake, in icing, faster than anyplace else in town.
The ownership of the store makes up the remaining two members of the staff. A woman of striking appearance sits at a small narrow counter on one side as you enter the store. She is always impeccably and conservatively dressed in a woman's suit and high heels and offers the most genial and pleasant demeanor as she totals, bills and cashiers your purchases as you leave. Her husband is a dour man that can be seen at a desk behind a glass window beyond the candy counter at the rear of the store. He seldom ever comes out of his office except to scream at his wife or one of the girls.
The products they sell are highest quality, delicious and most unusual of flavor. It isn't the stuff seen in most fast food bakeries or donut shops and it's a mystery how they manage to obtain such unusual products and nearly always have enough on hand for a customer's need.
Additionally if a customer is willing to order and wait a day before pick-up it seems the guy can always find the 'wanted' including special flavors, sizes or even ice cream cakes and sell them at a competitive price. Although always glum the guy obviously has talent that isn't apparent when looking at him.
One customer began coming in five years earlier after moving into town and accidentally stumbling on the store. He's always noticed the husband's business-like appearance. That first time the customer noticed the husband was dressed in a conservative suit, white shirt and tie. A year later the husband seemed to be trying to regain his youth or never gave it up because he had the haircut of a twenty-year-old with a bad comb-over. He had also changed his clothing to that of a youth with gold chains around his neck, an open vest with shirt open halfway to his waist and loafers. He still yells but seems to think he is a gift to young women.
The subject new customer has a serious sweet tooth and makes trips into the store two or three times each week. He is a bachelor in his early forties and has acquired controlling interest in a small business at the edge of town. He frequently buys donuts for his morning staff or something else sweet for them on a holiday or birthday. The guy has become a regular client and gives the store considerable business from his small company and personal purchases.
After a year the older gal up front began recognizing him, called him by name and always gave him a huge smile. He liked her a lot and after that first year she would sometimes not charge him for something he purchased although she would always glance to the back to see if her husband was watching. One morning after a no-charge on a dozen doughnuts for the morning he leaned over and kissed her cheek as he thanked her. She blushed but he sensed she liked it as he stared appreciatively at her.
After that first time it seemed she gave him more things without charge and each time he began glancing back to see if her husband was watching and if he wasn't then she got another kiss on the cheek although one day he 'slipped' and kissed the side of her mouth. She blushed but thanked him and asked him to hurry back. She always remained on his mind for long periods after he departed the store.
This went on for another year and then one hot summer day the customer pulled into his favorite lunch spot. It was a fast-food place that had excellent air-conditioning and perfectly clean interior. He never ate in his car but would park and walk in for his order and then sit at one of the tables. This particular day he got his order and was carrying it back looking for a table when he saw the gal from the Confectionary. He'd never seen her visit the place before nor discovered her outside her work but he was happy to see her. He walked over to her and asked if he could sit with her. She seemed delighted for the company as she finished her lunch and as she stared into his eyes he had the feeling she very much enjoyed seeing him.
They talked and she stayed and sipped her coffee from a Styrofoam cup as he ate and finished his Coke. When he'd finished he asked her about being there and mentioned he'd never seen her in the place before. He noticed now that she wore the suit jacket unbuttoned and was wearing an almost transparent white lacey blouse with the top three buttons opened and cleavage showing.
She admitted this was her first time although she added that she and her husband lived only a mile away and she always passed it going to and coming from work. She added that she'd always thought it would be nice to stop in and then that day as she prepared to leave the Confectionary for lunch and after being shouted at by her husband, she remembered the place and because she needed to get away and this place was several miles from work she drove over to have lunch.
He asked about her husband and at first she turned almost sullen before she opened up. He quietly told her how much he always enjoyed seeing her and that he envied her husband.
She asked why and again he quietly mentioned that having her smiling and happy around the house must keep hubby contented and with a figure like her's the guy must always be in hog-heaven even though he always seemed grumpy at work.
Confidentially and almost whispering she told him she and hubby slept in different rooms, that he seldom came home after work and that he'd had at least a half-dozen mistresses over the past five years. She added that when she'd found out about the mistresses she'd tried to get him interested again in her but it didn't work and so she'd finally moved into a separate bedroom and although she'd fix hubby's meals and clean up after him she didn't see him at home.
Then quite suddenly she realized what she'd been confiding and apologized.
