When
Edison invented the light bulb, or when Ford came up with
the concept of a horseless carriage, no doubt there were
plenty of nay-sayers and those who felt it was nothing but
“dern new-fangled foolishness”. At the risk
of joining the ranks of
those lacking the vision to see a future good, I have compiled
a few new products and business ideas that I, for one, wouldn’t
lay odds on their success. But then, I am constantly surprised
by what appeals to supposedly reasonably logical adults.
#1. You may never be invited
to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom at the White House but you
can now buy the 100% terry lined, waffle weave, one size
fits all, authentic White House bathrobe with the White
House logo for only $125.00. When friends and relatives
(well, let’s face it, you aren’t likely to have
an opportunity to show it off to strangers) inquire as to
when you were invited to the White House, you either have
to fabricate a bold face lie, or completely deflate the
VIP impression the bathrobe is intended to achieve. Frankly,
I think I’ll stick to my trusty full length 100% Turkish
terry in an ample woman’s size, from Lands End.
#2. Can’t find any shoes
to match your pink and purple polka dot dress? By going
to a web site such as tupli.com
or stevemadden.com,
you can custom design your own shoes. While the ability
to select a style, heel height, color and pattern of your
choice certainly sounds appealing, the cost of $150.00 and
up makes me pause and think about the fit… even if
I send in my measurements. Different styles fit differently
and since the custom shoes from Steve Madden are assembled
in China, I would have some serious doubts. We all know
about that old foot-binding practice the Chinese women suffered
in order to fit into those tiny, little velvet shoes. My
Easy Spirits or Mephistos in basic black and brown will
do very nicely, thanks all the same.
#3. I had heard of time-shares
but a new service called Flexpetz allows dog lovers to select
the canine of their choice and spend a few hours or a few
days with it. While currently only available in New York,
San Diego and Los Angeles, they hope to expand and suggest
how wonderful it will be to stroll through the parks in
Paris and London with your Flexpetz dog. While the idea
originated because some people have restrictive rules regarding
pets where they live, are away on business too frequently
to own a dog or find their family schedule too busy to include
a pet, I wonder if the animals involved will understand
these “human reasons” for their constant change
of ownership. While the service tends to take in dogs that
need re-homing and does include their vet care, a dog bed
and food and a GPS tracking collar in the event they wander,
the costs are steep. There is a one time registration fee
of $150, an annual fee of $100, a monthly fee of $50 and
a daily time charge of about $40.00 on a week-end. Oh yes,
if you need your pet delivered, shuttle service is $25.00
each way. Wouldn’t it make more sense for those unable
to assume the full time responsibility for a dog to settle
for a gerbil or canary?
#4. While it is true, more
and more people are choosing cremation over in the ground
burial, the latest idea is the Neptune Memorial Reef, a
16 acre, two million dollar underwater area, three miles
off the coast of Miami where the lost city of Atlantis is
replicated. Your ashes can be installed in a memorial plaque
on one of City columns or with $7,000 or so to spare, your
cremated remains can be placed in one of the statuary lions
or other bronze beasts decorating this underwater Disney
world. The developers expect it will become a diving destination,
although for the less hardy remaining members of the family,
a more restricted view can be had from a glass bottom boat.
I can hardly wait to see what
other ideas will surface in the remainder of the year.
As Jimmy Durante was fond of saying, “You ain’t
seen nothing yet!”
Jean Cherni
is founder of Senior Living Solutions, a retirement advisory
service. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or
15 The Ponds, Branford 06405.
H. Pearce Company REALTORS®
is a full-service real estate company with more than 100
agents and branch offices in greater New Haven and the Shoreline.
Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North
Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings
can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com. |
