The Way of the WASP: Quality First, then Good Price

A Tale of Two Sales

Almost as much as WASPs love their oatmeal, they love a good deal. But never at the expense of quality.

Living where we did on the Connecticut Shoreline, there were a handful of those small, but great, clothing stores for women scattered throughout the upscale suburbs, where it was hard to make a mistake. These included regional chains like Talbots and The Country Store of Concord. These stores catered to both the teens as well as the Old Girls, and everything in between. And for the men, there was New Haven, just a fifteen minute drive away, and the epicenter of what would later be called preppy clothes.

But what was more interesting was the access to the suppliers of these stores, at least those US made items. While much of what these stores sold, woollens especially, came from England and Scotland, New England at the time was still producing a lot of classic items. This included button down shirts, khakis, Topsiders, blucher mocs and camp mocs, and of course the now infamous Maine-made Bean Boots, which we all wore though we called them pacs.