Such childhood, very nostalgia.
Sad news, my friends: Claire’s Accessories is said to be going bankrupt. Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? Claire’s resides in a very special place of my heart, because I’ve never grown out of my Claire’s phase. If I’m walking past, I will always stop in. After I reopened my ear piercings, I splurged on quite a few pairs at a Claire’s buy-one-get-one-free sale. They sell rings that are small enough to fit on my teensy little fingers! Oh, Claire. I’m going to miss you.
What will I do now? Will I be forced to buy kitsch earrings off Amazon? Am I banished to the small and inadequate jewelry sections of H&M and Forever 21? Will I finally go to the Charming Charlie in Midtown? Claire’s is synonymous with “cheap and cheerful,” and those stores just don’t have that. They’re either too blingy, too hip, too trendy, or trying to evoke some kind of weird S&M vibe (the last time I bought a choker at Forever 21, I was really panicking that I might get mistaken for someone’s “pet” while wearing it). Not so at Claire’s! You can buy a plastic tiara and stud earrings in the shape of French fries. That is SO much more “my brand:” cute, quirky, and edgy, without trying TOO HARD. Think Clarissa Explains It All meets Miss Frizzle.
My heart goes out to the bereaved. Where will “BE FRI ST ENDS” find the trinkets to declare their undying devotion to each other?? Where will aspiring young actresses find costume jewelry for their community theatre productions? Where will young gay boys buy their first feather boa? WHO WILL PIERCE OUR EARS NOW THAT YOU’RE GONE, CLAIRE?!?
They say you can’t go home again, and it’s true. Growing old means watching your childhood heroes die. And this one definitely hits hard. So long, Claire. We’ll pour out an Orbeez for you. Don’t worry about the mess: we’re wearing Jellies and all of our furniture is inflatable plastic.
image of Claire’s Accessories via bargainmoose on Flickr
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