Life as a "Tool Girl"

That's what they call me at work...I think it's meant to be flattering. :-) I work at Capilano Rock and Gem and I spend most of my time in the tool department. It's not as glamorous as the fresh water pearl or the semi-precious stone bead section. It's dusty and sometimes very disorganized but once you see past all that you begin to see the gems hidden there...the tools. Not just the shiny and new but sometimes the ones that are hidden behind years of accumulated inventory that appear during the constant attempts at organizing the area and it can be like finding hidden treasure. Some places just defy being organized and I am beginning to believe that the tool area at the store is one of them. I think that's part of it's charm although not everyone would see it that way. I get to meet people that are just as passionate about tools and silver as I am. Some customers educate me and I educate some customers. It is all about give and take...with so much creative energy in one place it would be difficult for that not to happen. Obviously I enjoy working there! Any why not...the people that I work with are wonderful. I've met great people, made wonderful friends, received referrals for many of my students and in general learn something new every day. This was not meant as a commercial for the store...honest...I'm not being paid to say these things. But check out their website or better yet visit the store...you'll be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of some of the stock and you'll end up staying for much longer than you had planned. Look at me...customer for many years and one day they started handing me a paycheque because I was around so much!