Businesses come and go, and that's a fact of life, but not many can equal Saffees. For four decades, I have shopped at and loved this store. My husband and I even became friends with members of the third generation when Saffees opened its doors in my city, and before they assumed ownership from their parents. They knew what I liked and how to fit me, but that's not all.
In Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness, I wrote a story relating how they carried on a tradition begun by my husband to always have a gift from Saffees for me under the Christmas tree. They knew how devastated I was at the loss of my husband just a few short months before the holiday, and wanted to make certain that I had a gift from Saffees under my tree at least one more time.
Since then, they've occasionally delivered clothing to my house, and most recently, a selection of "mother of the groom" dresses from which to choose. Three bulging discs prevented my going to the store so Steve, who operates Saffees in Lawrence, picked out five or six formal dresses from another location and had one of their staff bring them to me to try on at home.
All of the gowns would have worked, but there was a stand-out. Since I'd previously done a little panicking and had another dress in reserve, they told me to keep it until I decided if I wanted the extra dress. No brainier − it was perfect! The dress was gorgeous and I could even wear my lumbar brace underneath without detection. I just needed to justify having a second dress, but this was clearly the one.
My husband could always pick out clothes for me, and so could the owners Steve, his sister Marie and her husband Ronnie. I'm going to miss having people who knew me so well, but most of all, I'm going to miss their caring, and the integrity and personalization with which they operated their business...they were truly friends.
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