Market Friday Gets Down to Five Below in SoCal!

If you're anything like me, you enjoy being in the know about things. And then being able to share that "know" with your friends. And the fact that you then look pretty cool to them is a nice perk. Well, I live in Southern California now, but moved here from Chicago. Californians tend to think that they have the best of everything. Honestly, in many ways they do. I mean, sunshine, great weather, mountains, ocean...it's pretty amazing!!! However, I sometimes get a little tired of them just assuming that they have the market covered on ALL things awesome. Sure, West Coast has In & Out burgers... but the Midwest has White Castle! The battles could rage on...

(my daughter, perplexed that I'm making her pose for this picture, and sporting a shirt she got on a recent trip to Chicago which says, "Chicago is my style." Thankfully none of her SoCal friends bullied her about it ;)

Anyway, I share all this because the other day a "Five Below" store opened up in the area and none of my SoCal friends had ever been to one. So...of course...I took the opportunity to say, "O my gosh, you don't know about Five Below!? They are all over in Chicago! They've been there for years! Great for kids' birthday presents, summer toys, cheap t-shirts, make up, flip flops...all sorts of stuff...all for under $5." Yes, sounding a bit like a know-it-all, I know. But I don't get those opportunities much.

(@joechiappetta getting some help from our daughter's friend, picking out some art supplies)

Last time I was able to pull the same trick was when the Aldi grocery store came to California. I believe I said something akin to, "O my gosh, you guys don't have Aldi here until now?! What a shame!! I've been shopping at Aldi since I was 20! I can't imagine all the money I would have wasted all those years if I didn't have an Aldi in my town. I'm sure glad Aldi came to California, just in time for me to move here!"

Again, I know, a little obnoxious. But I have to deal with native Californians looking at me funny when I say I'm originally from Chicago, on a semi-regular basis. As if having had experienced snow and wind makes me just a little bit of a misshapen puzzle piece. "You may look tan and Cali like us, but you have that little accent that comes out when you say the word Chicaaaago. It gives you away."

But it's not a huge deal. I love living in California and the grand majority of people are extremely welcoming. And after all, the greater percentage of the Californians I meet are transplants here, just like me.
I think Billy Joel may have been on to something when he wrote his song "Los Angelenos":
Los Angelenos
All come from somewhere
To live in sunshine
Their funky exile
Midwestern ladies
High-heeled and faded
Drivin' sleek new sports cars
With their New York cowboys
Hiding up in the mountains
Laying low in the canyons
Goin' nowhere on the streets
With their Spanish names

So Happy #MarketFriday to all the Los Angelenos out there, @dswigle for inspiring this event, and everyone else as well! And if a Five Below store comes to your town and you are in the mood for some frivolous shopping on the cheap, check it out!