Shopping in Ridgecrest

Last Saturday we decided to go shoe-shopping. Baby B owns two pairs of shoes that he can fit into (not counting sandals, for which it has grown too cold), but one pair is getting AWFULLY small and the other pair (purchased at Target a few months ago) already has a hole in the sole of one shoe, so he won't wear them. So I said, we MUST buy him shoes, which means we need to go to Palmdale.

Rocket Boy said, how about if we buy them in Ridgcrest? Where in Ridgecrest, I said, I won't buy shoes at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Rocket Boy suggested Corny's Shoes, which has been here since the beginning of time. I've heard many people say their parents always bought them shoes at Corny's.

Significantly, I've never heard anyone say they bought their OWN kids shoes at Corny's. When we four walked into the store, on China Lake Boulevard, the first thing I noticed was that there were no small shoes on display. We walked all around the small store -- no small shoes. Rocket Boy asked the man at the counter whether he carried kids' shoes and without looking up the man said no, he did a long time ago, but not now.

So we all got back in the car and headed in the direction of Palmdale. But as we were driving, I said, what about that sporting goods store, Big 5? Maybe they would have kids' shoes, and Rocket Boy agreed that that was a good idea. So I turned the car around and we drove there.

We all got out of the car and went into Big 5. We walked to the back wall, where the shoes are, and we walked all along the wall, looking at all the shoes: women's shoes, men's shoes... and no kids' shoes. Rocket Boy asked a salesperson and she said no, sorry, no kids' shoes. Rocket Boy asked her whether there were any stores in town that carry kids' shoes and she said Wal-Mart and K-Mart.

I felt a rage bubbling up in me, and I said, I won't buy my kids shoes at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. I don't know why I was so angry. Ridgecrest is a small town in the middle of nowhere. It has limitations. But I think actually I was angry at all the people who live here and buy their children shoes at Wal-Mart and K-Mart, as if there were nothing wrong with it.

The salesperson looked unhappy, but then she said that there was another place in town that sold kids' shoes: Kool Threadz. You're kidding, I said. I thought that was a skateboard store. No, she said, they have nice shoes. Kind of pricey, but nice.

So we went to Kool Threadz, which IS a skateboard store, on Balsam Street in downtown Ridgecrest, but oddly enough they had some kids' shoes. Little baby Vans, which are of course skateboard shoes. Fussy Baby B tried on a pair and didn't like them. He tried on another pair and didn't like them. That should have been our signal to go.

But I couldn't. I couldn't walk out of the only store in Ridgecrest that sells kids' shoes other than Wal-Mart and K-Mart without buying any shoes. So I bought Baby B a pair of cute black and white Vans for about $25. Which he won't even try on again.

Today I offered them to Baby A instead, but he won't try them on because they belong to Baby B.

Eventually I'll give them to the Salvation Army.

In the afternoon we went to a salon on Ridgecrest Boulevard and all got haircuts (except Rocket Boy, who got his hair cut there a few weeks ago). Very nice haircuts, I might add.

And maybe next weekend we'll drive 90 miles to Palmdale and buy shoes.