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Wednesday 25 July 2012

The Lavender Lady

I am not sure why I recalled this story but when I was growing up in Edmonton, it was a Christmas  tradition for the Lavender Lady to make her annual appearance in a corner of the cosmetics department of The Hudson Bay Store.  I call her the Lavender Lady because even after many years of seeing her there, I never learnt her name.  She was in the store for one reason alone and that was to sell lavender. ( Back then lavender was popular but nowadays lavender sachets are a bit old fashioned.) Sitting on a high stool and holding sway over a large open basket of dried lavender, she was a presence not easily missed as you walked through the store.

As I remember her, she looked a lot like Helena Rubenstein of cosmetic fame.  She wore a white smock over a multicoloured dress of black, white  and purple.  Her dark black hair was worn pulled back and not a hair out of place.  Her makeup accented her eyes and endowed her with rosy cheeks and crimson lips.  Two huge, faux diamonds glistened in rings on the ring finger of both hands and the crimson colour of her nails matched her lips.  If she was wearing perfume, it was masked by the scent of lavender surrounding her.

She never sold the lavender loose.  The lavender she had in the basket was so you could touch it, pick it up, and hold it close to your nose for a gentle sniff thus making it more likely that you would make a purchase.  She would dip her hands into the lavender and let it run through her jewelled fingers creating an additional burst of scent.

She sold the lavender in small sachets or the more popular little wicker baskets that could be placed in drawers or cupboards to scent their contents.  The baskets could also be displayed on a dresser or hung in a closet.  There were lavender soaps and talcum powders available but those were hardly within the budget of a twelve year old looking to buy a Christmas gift for a mother, sister, or school teacher. A couple of baskets of lavender would do nicely and because the scent was long lasting, it was a gift that would keep on giving for months after Christmas.

I do not actually recall ever purchasing any of the lavender myself but I had a friend who did.  Once he bought four of the little baskets to give to his mother and sister.  After bringing the baskets home and wrapping them up, he had a hard time finding a suitable place to hide them because the scent was so strong and his mother had a good sense of smell.  He solved his problem by hiding them in an old suitcase and slipping it under his bed.