There goes the neighborhood
It couldn’t have been more Berkeley really. Maybe I have “gone all the way” — shed my British skin and become a Bay Area babe. Or maybe not.
I was buying a yoga mat at Lulu Lemon. Because, yes, I have started doing yoga. The mat is eco-friendly of course — it will biodegrade when it is told to. The sales assistant was being charming and chatty and I was helping myself to complimentary green tea while she processed my purchase.
I asked her whether she was sure the mat was “sticky” enough (”in the know” terminology for a good grip don’t you know). Yes, she responded, as long as you don’t sweat a lot when you exercise. I raised my eyebrows to answer and she said, “But no, you don’t look the type — too dainty.”
Dainty? I can’t believe someone used that word in relation to me. What a lark.
When Lulu Lemon came to “our” part of College Avenue we were all a bit sniffy about it in my family. “It’s all going to pot” we bleated — the old soda fountain and hardware store are closing down and being replaced by useless home accessories and gift shops. All this gentrification was bringing the neighborhood down.
But, once I actually went there, I decided I (secretly) like Lulu Lemon (founded in Kitsilano, Vancouver, “one of the healthiest places in the world” apparently). It provides a thoroughly pleasant retail experience. The interior is tasteful with nice wooden fixtures and floors and well-arranged, fashionable but not flashy clothing. (The same cannot be said for the exterior whose loud presence in a nicely preserved Victorian corner building does clash with its surroundings.) They give you natty reusable totes to take away your goodies in.
And, of course, the best part is that as you buy another soft and cuddly sweatshirt or deep V organic tank, you can kid yourself that you’re one step further to fitness nirvana.