Norman...Is That You?

Every retail store has it's colorful cast of customers. The ones who usually spark debate among the clerks long after they've left the building. One of the most notorious at our store was a man named, Norman. Norman was an elderly gentleman who always dressed the same; a long tan overcoat, Stetson hat and heavily stained shirt and tie. He was one of those remnants from the past whose observations and comments were always tainted with outdated expressions and beliefs. He often used the words "colored" and "Negro" when referring to African Americans. And his obsession with the Nazi regime in Germany was disturbing and suspicious at times. He loved to make thinly veiled racist comments in the store. His ignorance came close to getting him banned from the premises, but Norman was still with us by the time we closed our doors in 2004. He once showed-off a photo of himself standing alongside a road pointing to something. With the photo was a news article baring the same photo with the caption..."Norman points to the spot where the body of his friend was found." It was creepy to say the least, and his explanation of the story was vague and strange as well. But for all of Norman's quirks and awkwardness with the staff, the one thing he did well was leave little gifts following his weekly visits. They usually were hand-drawn or photocopied bits of paper containing everything from local movie theater listings to anniversary notices for not-so-famous historical events. But my favorite was a diagram of what he called a "Rockin' Video Theater", a screening room in our store where customers could sit and watch movies in comfortable rocking chairs. He was sure this was a unique money-making idea for us, even though it had been tried and had failed by local pizza parlor's in our area. I could fill this blog with Norman stories for years to come, but in the interest of variety I will post them sparingly. But you can be sure that future posting will include stories and exhibits left by Norman for you all to enjoy and ponder.