Several years ago, a colleague was visiting Southern Living from a sister magazine in London (that’s London, England—not to be confused with New London, Alabama). Everybody else was taking her to the most sophisticated eateries and watering holes in Birmingham, but when it was my turn to show her a good time, I picked her up at her corporate apartment and said, “Hey, you wanna go to Walmart?” And we have been friends ever since. I can still see the look on her face when we made our way through the garden department, rounded a corner, and there it was—that expanse of white tile stretching the width of a store where floor space might well be measured in acreage, not square footage. And the ceiling is so high that you will occasionally hear birds chirping up there—birds! They fly in through the garden department and periodically branch out to do a little recon in Health & Beauty. You could probably hold a 5k charity run in Walmart—or a horse race if you just threw down some welcome mats so the floor wouldn’t be too slick for the ponies.

One does not see such a thing on Sloane Street. Not everyone is a fan of the mega-mega. And I get that. But if you’re a fan of Southerners and our unique turn of a phrase, Walmart is an eavesdropper’s paradise. It has become a cultural phenomenon. On any given day, you might hear something like . . . “Can y’all put some steel-belted radials on my SUV while I buy my groceries, get my pictures developed, and look for school clothes for the kids?” “Look, Mama—they’ve got Oil of Olay on a two-for-one.” “Don’t buy those cheap $3 T-shirts—they’ll draw up the first time you wash them. The good cotton is on the $7 table, and it’s absolutely worth the money, for what you get.” “I think people who buy their cleaning products at the grocery store are just plain crazy—you can’t beat this price on 409.” “Do we have any more bathing suits? No, ma’am, we don’t. We marked ’em down to $2, and they all got gone.” (Meditate on that for a minute.

How boring would it be to say, “We reduced the price and sold all our merchandise”? wedding party rentals northern virginiaWe did not sell our merch. best way to paint metal lockersThose bathing suits got gone. model home furniture for sale in raleigh ncKind of lends a mystical quality to it.) “You reckon they carry (wind chimes, paint, computers, flat screen TVs, lingerie, candles, skillets, goldfish, swimming pools . . .)?”Answer: yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, and yep. “You reckon this anti-aging cream is worth a flip?” (See Products Our Mamas Swear By) “Well, hallelujah, they’ve finally put the white towels on sale. That’s all I buy because then you can just Clorox the daylights out of them.”

“Jane buys her clothes in the men’s department. She says their stuff is more comfortable—but I’m partial to the Kathie Lee Gifford Collection.” “That girl over yonder needs to hit the Root Touch-Up—bless her heart.” (See: 24 Phrases Only Southerners Use) Buy online and return core parts to the store to be refunded the price. On Orders $75 or Greater and free shipping to APO, FPO, DPO addresses. Save time by buying online and picking up items in store. Benjamin Moore is only available at independently owned paint and hardware stores. It is an unparalleled retail experience whether you need interior or exterior, premium or commercial-grade paint or stain. Benjamin Moore paint stores are ready to serve you. Knowledge is mixed into every can of Benjamin Moore paint. Color consultants and paint experts help you combine the right color with the right paint for the right results. And unlike big box stores, you’ll always find personalized, unrushed service.

Just Down The Street Our innovative products are found at over 5,000 independently owned paint and hardware stores throughout North America. But if for some reason the product you need is out of stock, we can usually have it delivered to the store overnight. READY TO ORDER SAMPLES? SEE OUR PRODUCT CATALOG.This image shows the new color scheme proposed for the Mentor Walmart. Two big-box retailers are going for a fresh look at their Mentor locations. Neither will be conforming to the plans coming from corporate, however. Gabriel Brothers — now rebranded as “Gabe’s” — and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. representatives each recently requested to re-image the building facades, mainly with a new coat of paint and some sign changes. Gabe’s, 8485 Market St., is installing a new sign over the entrance. “We are in a substantial expansion mode and re-imaging of all of our existing stores,” said Andy Berdar, Gabe’s construction director. “We’ve been doing business in the city of Mentor for quite some time, and it was dated and needed to be refreshed.

“What we want to do here is very consistent with what we do in the entire chain.” However, the one in Mentor is going to look a bit different. Berdar initially requested painting the entire surface on which the sign is mounted a medium blue, as a backdrop for white lettering. The Planning Commission unanimously rejected that plan at the July 7 meeting. “I don’t believe that the blue is harmonious with the existing building elevations as a whole,” commission member John Perkovich said. The current surface color of the sign area is beige and similar in tone to the other store fronts within the shopping center. Berdar noted that the Honda dealership nearby uses the same blue tone. Joseph Szeman, the commission’s legal adviser, responded, “It’s not to say blue is prohibited in Mentor, it’s how are they are using blue with relation to this entire structure, and is it harmonious with those exterior color treatments or not.” The request was scheduled to go to the Zoning Appeals Board, but Berdar asked that it be dismissed and instead submitted an alternative proposal.

The background will remain beige and only the lettering will be blue. In other action, the commission approved re-imaging the Walmart store, at 9303 Mentor Ave. The assent came after a change to the plans as a result of a lengthy discussion at a previous meeting. In May, commission members expressed opposition to returning the 1992 structure to a blue-and-gray color scheme out of concerns about blend with area buildings. The item was tabled at the applicant’s request while he got feedback from the client. A revised color palette was submitted at the July meeting and involves keeping the building in the brown and beige spectrum. The changes are anticipated to be complete in October or November, said Brian Lorenz with WD Partners, representing Wal-Mart.. “Part of the project is an interior renovation as well, moving around grocery components, coolers, things like that; general maintenance on the inside, restrooms and stuff, so (it’s) a pretty big project,” he said.