Oh Dad, Poor Dad

You're walking through Oakland's "Uptown" (formerly Downtown), where retail is scarce and often sad. (Example: the "Wig's" store.) As you round a corner near the 19th Street BART station, the sight of this window brings you to a confused halt.

What. The. Hell?

Questions tumble through your head. Did you miss the grand opening of some too-cool-for-school boutique from Manhattan's Meatpacking District? Is the display a contender in a new "Pimp My Store Window" reality show? Did the gang from Fecal Face Gallery stage a stealth installation?

You check out the details: Rococo chair. Bare feet. Ill-fitting clothes. Randomly draped red fabric. No hands on the mannequin.

"I have no hands, and I must scratch."

And all that ... stuff spilling out of the toolbox.

There's a clue here.

Dress shirt, baseball cap, tie, work gloves, power cord, drill ... Wait a minute. What's that brand name? Craftsman? Yes indeed.

Which means we could be at only one store:

Yes, my friends. The Oakland Sears, Roebuck and Co.—purveyor of fine Craftsman tools and sturdy Kenmore appliances—has gone all ironic/conceptual/surreal for Father's Day. Or run out of money. Or lost the will to live.

Have a happy holiday, all you dads. Shop locally!

Comments

[tanita]

Hee! I'm going to go with "lost the will to live..."

[Patrick]

I think it's kind of cool.

[felicity]

this is lovely! i like the oakland sears a lot (though you should never try to return anything there).

[Marta Randall]

I never thought I'd miss downtown Oakland, but indeed I do.

[Kelly Parkinson]

This is perfection. Exquisite! Every detail is so wrong it's right. And if there's one thing fathers need, it's an extra set of hands!

[Nick]

The main idea is there. A Father looking at dad goods, dreaming of a Father's Day gift. What went wrong?
Last heard at Sears, Oakland : " After you finish the Father's Day window you can go home!"