| By :
Mark Etinger
My father was a tailor of the old world. He was Italian, and loved to look good. Wearing brown with black was unthinkable in our household growing up. When I was a little boy he had a successful business in a nice part of town. Most of the other families were immigrants just like us. My father worked hard at his shop, and when my mother wasn't taking care of me and the house, she helped him manage the store. There was a young boy from Naples, who my father had taken on as an apprentice. Between the three of them there wasn't a spare moment. By the time I was eleven the neighborhood was known as the Italian neighborhood. And along with that reputation, everyone knew that my father was the Italian neighborhood's tailor. His was a successful business, so much so, that he began to think about opening another shop across town. At this point the kid from Naples was a pro, and Dad left him alone in the shops during the afternoon when he had other business to take care of. When the new shop opened he was there every day. I remember not even seeing him for about six months—he'd come home at ten and get up at six. But the location of the second shop wasn't as good as the first's. The business working capital Dad had was rapidly drying up. He had to take out a business cash advance to keep the shop afloat. It took another six months or so before the second shop was able to hold its own and still it was nowhere near as popular as the first. Dad had told all of his customers about the new store and they were beginning to refer neighbors from farther away—he was resolved. It was another year or so before Dad was able to repay his business cash advance and the second store held steady. I began working there when I was fourteen and I learned a lot about the trade—I still hem my own clothing. But I knew it wasn't for me. I wanted to go to college, and so I applied for a scholarship. Today I thank Dad for working so hard when I was younger. I know that I wouldn't be here without him and I know that his second store wouldn't have made it without that business cash advance and his work ethic.
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.nextlevelarticles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
