Yesterday I went out chandelier shopping with my friend Laura (realtor by trade, professional shopper by choice with a veterinary past). She and I braved the downpour and winds to hit a couple choice lighting establishments. All had wonderful pieces but, as both Laura and I agreed, we have very expensive taste! Some were really cute but too small for the space and some were perfect but too far outside my budget.

Me holding the chandelier

We finally got to our last stop, Hippo Hardware. If you don’t know Hippo – it’s a 3-story building filled with things you need for your older Portland home – doorknobs, registers, bathtubs, chandeliers, and so much more. They had some great choices and I noticed one I particularly loved off by itself. A very nice gentleman came over to be sure we weren’t parked on the street – weekday evening limits were coming up – and since we weren’t we snagged him and asked some prices. Sadly he informed me that my chandelier was way outside my price range. He then informed us that he was the owner and we chatted. He gave me some heartfelt advice on business ownership, entertained Laura and I for awhile, and then found someone who really knew prices. We were told the chandelier was $950 less than what we had originally been quoted!! Turns out the “crystals” were plastic. I did not love it any less and I brought it home in the back of Laura’s car with her making very careful turns and us giggling every time it made clinking noises.

Of course I hadn’t seen it lit up and wasn’t sure it even worked but everyone at Hippo was so nice and assured me if I kept my receipt I could return it. That night Michael braved the rain to buy a plug-in cord to see if it lit up (I think he was secretly hoping it wouldn’t – not a fan of chandeliers). He wired it and plugged it in and it was beautiful! To me it looks like a pineapple – the symbol of hospitality and I think it will look perfect in the waiting area of the practice – I can’t wait to see it hung!