“Autumn coats…”
The overlapping voices were disturbing. Whitaker Scarlett wasn’t in a hurry to buy anything, looking at each stall one by one. She hadn’t put a single piece of clothing in the bag she was carrying. Sanders Wren followed her closely, afraid that she would be bullied by the locals. Sanders Wren had a typical Sablewick appearance, and spoke with a strong local accent; no one could easily fool her.
Whitaker Scarlett didn’t like those extremely cheap clothes; if she wanted to buy those, she wouldn’t have had to come so far.
After looking at all the stalls, Whitaker Scarlett chose two. These stalls, also wholesalers, didn’t just pile the clothes haphazardly; they were hung up one by one, apparently ironed, and looked particularly textured.
Whitaker Scarlett gently touched the fabric:
“Boss, how much is this?”
“Are you buying retail or wholesale?”
“Wholesale! I want more than one.”
“13 Dollars wholesale, 16 Dollars retail.”
At other stalls, such a round-neck sweater would only cost a few Dollars, but this one cost 13 Dollars, double the wholesale price. Sanders Wren held up the clothes, “Don’t try to overcharge us as outsiders!”
The boss chuckled, and Whitaker Scarlett touched the sweater’s fabric. The yarn used was softer, and there was a lace trim around the neckline, with colorful beads sewn on with transparent thread… Women in Harborfieldwould like such sweaters; a higher price was acceptable.
“What colors do you have? I’ll take two of each color.”
Red, white, and black were the main colors, and Whitaker Scarlett liked the style, even taking two ginger yellow ones. She paid cash, and the boss was also smiling, “You’re a quick and decisive customer, I have some new goods here!”
The boss pulled out a large bag from under the stall and took out the so-called new styles.
Whitaker Scarlett shook out and laid flat the clothes. They were indeed beautiful; white and green threads were woven into a maple leaf pattern, and the collar was a turn-down collar instead of a round neck. Such clothes could still be worn as autumn underwear in Harborfield, and even worn underneath when it got colder.
These were definitely styles that wouldn’t be hard to sell.
Whitaker Scarlett thought the green one was the most beautiful, followed by the sky blue. This watery blue was more delicate and lively, different from the dull “army green” and “blue ant” colors.
Women in the 1980s didn’t necessarily like to wear worker-peasant colors; it was just that the market didn’t offer them more choices. Whitaker Scarlett specifically chose styles with bold and novel colors; she believed that these clothes would sell.
People in Harborfieldwould accept this new trend.
Whitaker Scarlett decisively bought several pairs of bell-bottom pants. Thankfully, people at this time were generally slim; she only took two sizes for most styles, and most customers could fit into small and medium sizes. Women who wore large sizes were already considered plump, and sizes above XL? Either they were rich and ate whatever they wanted, or they were the type who would gain weight even from drinking water.
