Murphy – For an hour and a half on Dec. 17, time stood still for myself and Cherokee Scout co-worker Abigail Blythe Batton.
What an experience it was for two women whose attention span is challenged on any given day.
It all started at 3 p.m., when Abigail and I climbed into the storefront window at Marketplace Antiques downtown. The goal was to maintain the stillness of mannequins, with the exception of those brief moments when we would change tasks. It was creative marketing geared toward entertaining shoppers.
Abigail, in her fishnet stockings and fancy dress, and I in my elf ears and ugly sweater – which was actually pretty darn cute – would attempt to entertain walkers and window shoppers without moving or laughing.
We dressed warm, as the weather was chilly that afternoon. Good Lord – I had failed to take into account that the large panes of storefront glass would warm things up quickly.
Just 20 minutes into our stillness, I could feel the moisture running down my back. It was at that point that I realized I hadn’t used the restroom since I drank a bottle of water just prior to stepping into the festive and warm window.
We also didn’t realize the glare from the glass would be as bright as it was. Neither of us were comforted by wearing sunglasses, as we didn’t think to bring any.
Plenty of visitors stopped by the window and stared at us, including Mayor Tim Radford, who made it his hour-and-a-half mission to try and make us laugh. His antics included bouncing up and down in front of us and pretending to be asleep on a bench just outside the window.
“Now this is creative marketing at its finest,” Radford said. “I love it. Abigail and Anngee look fantastic.”
Who says politicians can’t make you happy?
Other folks could be heard questioning whether or not we were real. I heard several people say they couldn’t believe we could remain that still. Others said we really did look like mannequins.
“This is pretty awesome,” Mary Davis of Andrews said. “It’s fun and attention getting.”
John Shepherd added, “They’re doing a great job, especially in those poses when their hands are out. Very still, they’re doing great.”
At one point, the cough drop I had in my mouth bounced out onto the floor. I believe in the 5-second rule that allows one to eat something off the ground providing it was picked up within the time constraint. However, I missed my opportunity to do so as someone stepped in front of the window to watch us again, so I couldn’t retrieve it.
I needed that cough drop, as it eliminated the scratchy throat I developed due to nerves. It appeared as though God answered my prayer, and my scratchy throat ceased to bother me any longer after that.
Abigail accidentally dropped an item she was holding, but she was also unable to retrieve it as others stopped by the storefront window.
For a few moments, I could have sworn folks could see my heart beating out of my chest, as I nearly fell off of the small space in which we had to work in. Thanks to my cat-like reflexes, I was able to catch myself before falling and landing on a table filled with antiques.
The tip jar we placed outside the store window raised about $50, which was donated to the local homeless shelter.
When all was said and done, it was an experience we’d both happily partake in again. Thanks to a fun and open-minded store owner, we were invited back again next year. Perhaps it will become a new holiday tradition.
Store owner Deni Graves said, “Oh my gosh, I loved it. I hope to have the girls back for many years. The customers loved it.”