Why Bootsie's!?! So many people have asked why I would name my business Bootsie's. Is that your nickname? Are you selling boots? Do you love wearing boots? What's the deal?
Well, you see, my maternal grandmother's lifelong nickname was "Boots". It began when her parents were discussing what her name should be while in the hospital after her birth. Her mother wanted to name her Lois Jean. Her father, looking up from his newspaper said, "You can name her whatever you'd like to, but I am going to call her 'Bootsie''.' He loved reading a popular comic strip of the time called Boots and her Pals. They both got their wishes, and she was named Lois Jean Rafter, aka "Bootsie" for short. My grandmother was a coal miner's daughter, living in Greensboro, PA most of her early life. She was a 1945 graduate of Mapletown High School. After high school, she moved to Carmichaels, PA, where she later met and married my grandfather.
Remember the comic strip that her dad loved? Boots' love interest in the comic strip was a dapper gentleman named Rod. Apparently Boots and Rod had a very dramatic on again, off again relationship (the comic strip couple, not my grandparents!) As you may have guessed by now, my grandfather's name was Rodney. :) If you happen to stay at our bed and breakfast, you might notice that our parlor coffee table has comic strips inlaid under epoxy. These are in fact copies of the original comic strip "Boots and her Pals". My mother was able to track down some of the original comics from the 1920's!
Why did I pick this grandmother as the namesake of my business? Several reasons.
First, I want to say that I have been overwhelmingly blessed in the grandparent department! I have had the privilege to know, love, and be loved by nine grandparents!! Two of those were great-grandmothers, four of those were biological, and three of those were "step" grandparents, all of whom treated me as their own. I am forever grateful to have known each one of them.
My grandma Kerr "Boots" and I just had an extra special relationship. So many of my best early memories are connected to her. She loved me without conditions, just as I was. She was there for anything that I may need, all the while being extremely active in her church, family, community and running her own business. Looking back, I don't know how she or any of my grandparents were able to fit in all of their activities, work and provide such a comfortable, loving space for me and my family. Again, I am blessed, and I am grateful! My grandma "Boots" was patient, kind, loving, tenacious in the best ways, a fantastic cook, beautician, and host! She and I had a bond over Saturday shoe shopping that no one quite understands to this day. It's just one of those things. One of my favorite memories is "helping" her and my grandfather host friends at their house to play Rook on Friday nights. I would help her make sandwiches, put out snacks, mingle with the guests, etc. It was always such a good time! I spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen. Everything I remember her cooking was from scratch. She taught me how to iron my grandfather's shirts and let me play dress up with her fancy dinner shoes. My grandmother also started her own beauty shop from the ground up in the basement of their home. My grandfather was extremely helpful and supportive in getting it started, of course. She made the appointments, greeted the customers, did the work, paid the bills, and had quite a nice business going by the time she retired. I found that to be inspiring.
Through all of these special moments, my grandmother was sick. For the most part, it was never a big deal. She would stick her finger before meals and draw up her insulin and give herself a shot. Sometimes she'd even let me help by retrieving the insulin from the fridge or grabbing the cotton and rubbing alcohol from the hall closet. I had no idea how serious her diabetes was, because she did what she had to do and kept on going with her life, no big deal. It wasn't until a few months before she passed away that there were obvious signs that her health was fading quickly. Rather than get into the details of her illness, I would like to remember her as the vibrant, incredible woman that she was. Saying that, we lost her when she was only 61 years old. I don't think it would have mattered if she would have passed when she was 100, I'd still miss her greatly every day, just as I miss all of my loved ones that have passed. A part of me can't help but wonder what she might have thought of my mom and I starting this business together and what kind of input she might have given. Those things will remain unknown for now.
What I do know is that I am blessed, I am thankful, and I am honored to name the biggest "project" I've encountered in my life so far after a woman that I have the deepest respect for and miss every day. I pray that I can be a fraction the woman she was and provide love, comfort and hospitality to others in her honor!
Comments