I went with my wife into Florence the other day. (About a 35 minute drive.) She wanted to buy some soap, or perfume, or something like that. I’m a man, a real man – and I do not care about such stuff; but I went along because I’m a nice guy. And then we entered this soap store, The Farmacia di Santa Novella. To my shock, it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. As good as the Duomo down the street. Better, maybe – God forgive me. Every inch dedicated to Beauty. And then I noticed there were no price tags. No items shouting ‘Bargain”…or “Two For The Price of One”…No room for sales tags because every inch was dedicated to Beauty. The place seemed to be doing a booming business. It’s been there making fragrances and soap, for over a thousand years. Imagine trying to sell something and promoting it with “Beauty” instead of “$ Savings”. What an idea. I grew up liking that White Soap, the one that floats…and the other one that “Powers The Dirt Out”…but buying something that someone took the care to make look beautiful?. Whoever thought that would be the way to go about making a good, long term business? The answer is: Some Nuns. Just goes to show how the world has changed.
I’ve read: Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder. I’m told some of the most powerful people in the world behold the newly brightly painted swimming pool blue Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington is a now thing of Beauty – as will be the forthcoming Giant Arch…So, Beauty and Money might be intertwined. We”ll see.
