K-Mart is Kewl!

When I was in middle school, I wouldn't be caught dead in K-Mart.  It would have been social suicide.  In fact, there's a funny story my mom loves to retell about the time I nearly plowed over my poor Grandma in K-Mart when I was nearly caught shopping there by some classmates.  My Grandma told me I had nothing to worry about, after all, they were caught shopping there too.  "Still!"

I avoided K-Mart for years.

Then I moved to a small town in California where the only shop was K-Mart.  We all hated it, but had to shop there or else drive an hour to the nearest Target.  This solidified my dread for the place.

So, when I moved to Perth, I was less than thrilled to see the big, red "K".  Let's just say I didn't go rushing in the place with excitement.  But then something about the advertising caught my interest.  They actually sell t-shirts, pillows, and plates for $5?  Shoes, jeans, and popcorn makers for $10?  Insane.  I had to check it out.

The place is okay. Definitely the place to find a fun bargain. Which brings me to my favorite K-Mart story.

First some background...

Hagen and I were at the park for a morning play.  I was wearing my usual workout pants and top (just in case I found the time for the gym of course).  After about 15 minutes, a couple of  "mums" came up with their "bubs".  These moms were adorable and dressed so fashionably for the park.  I hope they weren't offended by my staring, I was just admiring their fashion sense.  I especially liked a belted dress one of them was wearing with leggings, boots, and a little sweater.  After squinting to see the pattern on the dress, I noticed they were actually little horses.  Definitely from some high end boutique...very cute!  I thought to myself, "I really should get dressed in more than workout clothes now and then."

She looked something like this. (Photo from Shine.Yahoo.com)

Now for the K-Mart part...

Usually the shops around here close early, but on Thursdays they're open late.  I needed a little "breather" from the homestead, so I took an evening off to go shopping.  I still had my workout clothes on, so the gym was also a possibility.  You can relate, right?  Well, somehow I ended up at K-Mart so I hit the clearance rack.  I love a bargain, even at K-Mart.  You won't believe what I found, but the horse dress.  I was dying! Better yet, it was the horse dress for $10, and it included the belt!

Needless to say, I bought the dress.  I've worn it a couple of times since, but I haven't sported it at the park... I'm just not there yet.  I have other K-Mart stories, like how my Dad found a pair of great shoes for $2 while he was visiting, and my hair dresser had K-Mart sandals that were identical to my very expensive Steve Madden's.

I'm going out on a limb here, and perhaps committing "social suicide" but the truth is, I think K-Mart is kewl, with a capital, big, red K.