3 minute read
It’s Been a Grand Run
It’s Been a Grand Run
By Mark Metzger
This year marks my 17th in Middleburg owning Highcliffe Clothiers on Washington Street and my 50th in retail. And now, it’s time to retire, which I’m planning to do in September.
Why did I open my shop in Middleburg and close my other store in Washington?
I’m an avid fisherman, and when I get the rare chance to bait a hook, I take it. In my D.C. days, I’d hang a “gone fishing” note on my store’s front door and go fish. Often when I arrived at the store the next day, there would be notes— “where were you?…I was here…What do you mean you were fishing?”
When I put the same sign on my Middleburg door, the next day, everyone wanted to know what I caught, and the fact that people out here appreciate the pastimes and passions of their friends, neighbors and business people has always appealed to me.
When I closed my store in Washington, it was the start of a great adventure in Middleburg.
The late Wendy Pepper (a Middleburg dress designer who once appeared on Project Runway) had once worked with me in Washington. When I was contemplating the move, she suggested I meet her friend, Punkin Lee, owner of Journeyman Saddlers, because she had some available space she wanted to fill with a retailer.
I drove out to Middleburg, met her and fell in love with her unique, four-level building. After some intense negotiations (not really), I decided it was about to become my new retail home.
The second day after I moved in, I was schooled by a lovely woman who told me that not all dogs are dogs. Some are hounds, she told me, and I never made that mistake again.
The second week, I got a lesson on what the equestrian folks wear and don’t wear. The saddle seat coat I had custom made in “alternative” fabrics as a strictly fashion piece was a style that “we” don’t wear out here.
Still, it’s honestly been a pleasure learning about all things Middleburg and its surroundings. I’ve met some wonderful people, first as customers, and now friends. I love that people honk their car horns at me on my morning walks, just to say hey. I’ll miss that, for sure.
I love that people park funny at the Safeway. I love our Christmas Parade and wish there were hitching posts for horses in town. I love the carriage rides and those horses going clippety-clop through the village.
I love that the most coveted thing people want from my store when I retire is my stuffed fox. I could have sold it a hundred times.
I love that if you tell someone you need a hand with something, there are countless hands to pick from.
I love that I sell axes, a lot of axes, so many I’ve been questioned by the supplier as if I’m doing something nefarious. Hey, we’re in the country. People use axes. I could go on and on. Most of all, it’s been a great run and I truly will miss each and every one of you. This community is beyond special in so many ways.
For the first part of my new chapter, I plan to learn how to take a nap and what it’s like not to work on a weekend, which I’ve done for 50 years.
And I’ll be going fishing. No notes on the door necessary.
