When it comes to buying keychains, I'm pretty much a cheapskate. I rarely pay more than a dollar for a single keychain, at least nowadays. If I remember correctly, back when Basic Fun Inc. was at its peak I was easily shelling out between five and seven dollars apiece for their Barbie keychains and their mini board game keychains. But the last time I bought something in that price range was when I got my World's Coolest Polaroid camera keychain.
(Note: This statement is no longer true. See my Walt Disney World Vacation post.)
In fact, if I hadn't wanted that Polaroid keychain so badly, and if it hadn't been a similar value to my old Basic Fun keychains, I don't think I could've justified the cost to myself. So, $6.99 is pretty much the maximum price that I'm willing to pay for a new, unused keychain. That is, until now.
I fell in love with this notebook keychain the first time I saw it. The cover is made of leather, and the pages inside are stitched into the spine, rather than being glued.
I found the keychain at a little shop called East Meets West. It's the type of place that sells incense, dreamcatchers, and dragon sculptures. My Dad, who has a rock and mineral collection, also likes to look at the store's assortment of stones and crystals.
This style of keychain was available with a number of different cover designs, all of them having some sort of fantasy motif. I specifically remember a dragon design and a pentagram design. However when I looked at the price tag, I went into sticker shock. The cost was $9.99 plus sales tax, for a single keychain. I couldn't justify spending that on such a small, frivolous purchase. But when and where was I ever going to find something like that notebook keychain again? That's when it occurred to me that I might have another option.
As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my sisters likes to go to the local Renaissance fairs. I'd only been to a Renaissance fair once, and the experience was off-putting for me thanks to the number of costumed performers who came up to me out of nowhere and tried to involve me in their routines. However I knew there were a lot of vendors and craftspeople at these events, trying to sell their wares. Maybe my sister could find a similar keychain for me at a lower price the next time she made an excursion.
I showed the keychain notebook to my sister and explained that I was hoping she could find me one for less money at the next Renaissance fair. My sister told me that she had seen similar keychains at the Renaissance fairs, but that they were priced higher there than what the store was charging. Even after hearing this I still managed to find the willpower to put the keychain back on the rack. But deep down, I think I knew it was just a matter of time before I bought one.
The next time my family was in the area I went into the store, just to look. At least, that's what I told myself. I immediately looked for the rack with the leather covered keychain notebooks. It had been moved since the last time I'd shopped there, and there were a lot fewer keychains on the display. I was hit with a new feeling of urgency. If I waited any longer to buy one of these keychains the store might sell out before I could get one and they might not restock them. I felt like it was now or never, so I bought one.
I'm not sure why I picked the unicorn design cover. Like I said before, there were a lot fewer keychains when I got back to the store, so the cover options were also more limited. Maybe it has something to do with seeing The Last Unicorn film too many times during my childhood. Regardless, I don't think I'll be spending $9.99 on a single keychain again any time soon.
(Note: Famous last words)
Signed, Treesa
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