John Curley, High Maintenance Bitch, and Me

If you had to rattle off names of "Seattle celebrities," chances are that after you mention Curt Cobain, Dave Matthews, Frasier and Patrick Dempsey (OK, that last one is wishful thinking), you'd mention John Curley. John (yeah, we're on a first name basis!) is the host of a popular nightly show called Evening Magazine, which happens to be a favorite show of mine -- as in, if it's on I likely won't turn it off. John Curley's one of those people who you assume is really friendly and nice because he seems that way on TV, but you wonder what he's like when the cameras aren't rolling. Like, can anyone be THAT gregarious?! I'm here to tell you that John really IS as friendly as he seems!

Elisabeth lives in a trendy, young-professional, up-and-coming neighborhood just outside Seattle called Wallingford. She and I decided to meet today for lunch, since she has a business trip, then I have one, then she has another one, and it'll be a while before we can get together again. As I approached her house, I noticed a bit of commotion and then realized that John Curley was in the midst of it all. And then I realized why: he was standing in front of an up-scale pet store store called "High Maintenance Bitch." Coincidentally (really!), the restaurant where Elisabeth and I had planned to eat at was right there. As we approached the commotion, the high school students who were clamoring around John took off -- and Elisabeth and I were left gawking awkwardly at John as he prepared to go on camera. He looked at us, smiled a genuine smile as if he was truly happy to meet yet ANOTHER fan or two, and struck up a conversation... which turned into a picture for my blog! (John seemed thrilled to be "featured" -- ha ha -- on a blog! That's him in blue, and his cameraman behind me.) What a TRULY nice guy! As we ate, Elisabeth and I observed John for the next hour, and he was as friendly, inviting and chatty with everyone else as he had been with us. I'm impressed.

After lunch, we decided to go into the "High Maintenance Bitch" store and check it out. We're decidedly NOT lovers of yap-yap lap-lap dogs, so Elisabeth and I walked in with an eye-rolling attitude. I mean, c'mon -- they have POODLE TU-TUs!!! But the woman who worked there, Lindsay -- a local like Elisabeth and just her age too -- was great! Friendly and informative (the store has been featured on CNN, ABC. AOL, and in the NY and LA Times), she chatted with us for a while -- and then I ended up taking a picture of Elisabeth and Lindsay! (Her necklace says -- you guessed it -- "High Maintenance Bitch"!)

I left there thinking brilliant marketing. Absolutely BRILLIANT marketing! Both John Curley AND the store!