Not that Chevy Chase. World Shoppers Are Here.

As the previous post mentioned there are deals to be had at the auction houses. This post takes note of an MSNBC story today about all the world coming to the states for their summer vacation. I for one, say welcome. Just today on a cloudy, rainy, muggy, typical Washington July day, I saw this story to be very true.

Just a couple of blocks from my home is the relatively new Rodeo Drive of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Over the past two years a proliferation of high end stores have opened here in the neighborhood. Nothing much of interest to me. There's Tiffany's of course along with Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren.

I walk past these stores twice daily heading toward my own place of work further down Wisconsin Avenue. Most of the time they appear to be empty. I always look at the young man dressed in a perfect black suit standing by the door of one of the stores ready to open it to potential customers. How can he stand there all day long like that? Yet he is always there.

Today however was different and noticeably so. While walking to meet a few friends, I first noticed a group of young Asians and from what little I heard took them to be Japanese. They were holding multiple bags from the Brooks Brothers on the corner and were fully clothed in what only can be called high American Prep, and they had the look down pat. Half a block later I ran into the most beautifully, traditionally dressed Indian family, swathed in summer saris and fancy footware coming out of Jimmy Choo, equally laden with bags. I began to take notice. Fifty feet further and this chic Italian family comes walking out of Barney's with the pretty teenager going on and on about "Boomindales" across the street but beelining for the Ralph Lauren next door.I'd seen the story on MSNBC just this morning and here was the world right before my eyes shopping like mad. I thought it was great!

Tomorrow, I'm going straight to the PR department at my shop. We have six weeks of summer vacation to go and if the world wants to shop here in DC who am I to complain.