by Chloe Taylor
“Wait! I think I’ve just had a brainstorm for what to do with those,” Marcus said. “Do we have any ladders at home?”
“Yeah,” Dad said. “I’ve got one or two old ones hanging around in the garage. They aren’t in great shape, though.”
“That’s okay,” Marcus said. “Just bring them when you come back with the zip ties.”
“What do you want ladders for?” Zoey asked.
“Wait and see,” Marcus said, which was annoyingly mysterious, but Zoey didn’t mind as long as his idea worked!
When Dad came back from his errand, he asked Marcus for help. They returned carrying two old wooden ladders.
“I’ve been meaning to get rid of these ever since I bought the aluminum ladder, but luckily for you, they were still in the garage,” Dad said.
“They’re perfect!” Marcus exclaimed.
“Perfect for what?” Zoey asked.
“Watch and learn,” Marcus said. He propped open the two ladders, then took one of the clothing rods and rested it across the ladders’ steps. “Ta-da!” he said, picking up another one and resting it on a lower step. “Your clothing rack!”
“Wow! That’s such a great idea!” Zoey exclaimed. “It looks . . . rustic, which will tie in perfectly with the twine clothesline and wooden pegs!”
She started hanging clothes on the rods while Dad and Marcus strung up the twine and tied the clothing rods to the ladders to keep them stable.
“Good thinking on the ladders,” Dad told Marcus.
“Just being a good brother,” Marcus said, grinning.
When Zoey finished arranging all her stuff, it turned out she didn’t even need the things she’d borrowed from Allie and the other vendors, so she went around and returned them. Between Marcus and Aunt Lulu, they’d solved her problem and created a cool, rustic look for her booth.
“Our make-do booth looks better than how I designed it!” Zoey said.
“Teamwork,” Dad said, putting his arms around Zoey and Marcus. “The Webber family makes a great team!”
CHAPTER 10
Fashion Hardware
Aunt Lulu often uses the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention,” but it was never more true than this afternoon, when we were setting up my booth for the gift fair! I thought we wouldn’t have enough display items to show off the things I’ve worked so hard to make in a way that looks attractive and will make people want to buy them. But between Aunt Lulu, Dad, and especially Marcus, my day was saved! We rigged up twine and clothespins to hang up lines to display some items, and then Marcus had the brainstorm to use two old ladders as a base for the clothing rods, creating the perfect rustic-looking rack. All’s well that ends well! And I got an idea for hardware-store inspired clothing made of nuts and bolts (fabric bolts, that is). It was a win-win!
Dad dropped Zoey off early the next day, so she could be in her booth before the gift fair opened. Zoey looked for Allie on the way over, but she didn’t seem to be in hers yet.
The first hour was very slow. There weren’t many people at the fair, and the ones who were there didn’t seem interested in what she had to offer. It was really depressing to watch people walk straight by her booth with barely a glance.
Zoey started to worry that the whole days was going to be a total failure and she’d end up losing money on the booth rental. That would mean less money to buy fabrics for all her other ideas.
Just as she was starting to despair, a girl walked by the booth, saw the fabric bracelets, and stopped.
“Wow!” she said. “You have so many more designs than they sell in the store!”
“That’s because I make them myself,” Zoey explained. “They’re not the name brand.”
“I don’t care if they’re the name brand,” the girl said. “I totally love your designs.”
I wish Ivy felt that way, Zoey thought.
“I’m going to get this one,” the girl said, picking out a bracelet with a sunflower design.
“Thanks for being my first sale!” Zoey said, taking her money. “Do you want a bag?”
“No, I’m just going to wear it right now. It’s a gift from me to me!” the girl said.
Zoey laughed. “Well, enjoy wearing it!”
Shortly afterward, an older woman came up and started browsing.
“These are just beautiful—and so unusual,” she said, picking up one of the silk-screened scarves with Ezra’s painting on it.
“My friend did the artwork,” Zoey said. “Here’s a card with his information if you’re interested in buying one of his paintings.”
She handed the woman one of the cards Marcus had designed with Ezra’s details.
“Thank you,” the woman said. “In the meantime, I’d like to buy this scarf for my daughter-in-law. It’s just her kind of thing.”
Things are starting to look up, Zoey thought. She just hoped it kept looking up enough so she’d make a profit.
She wondered if Ezra was going to stop by to hang out, and if so, when. That would definitely brighten up her day.
Just then Zoey saw a familiar face step into the booth—Jan.
“Your layout looks wonderful!” Jan said. “So creative with the ladders and the twine clothesline.”
Zoey laughed. “We had to do that—because I didn’t have enough display materials!”
She told Jan about the short delivery and setup hiccups from the day before.
“Well, you certainly made the best of it,” Jan said. “Now, I need to find a present for a friend. . . . What do you suggest?”
“I recommend the silk-screened scarves,” Ezra said, surprising Zoey by sneaking into the booth while she was talking to Jan.
“Hi, Ezra! Have you come to help and hang out?” Zoey asked as Jan looked around.
He grinned. “At your service!”
“Ezra did the original artwork that I silk-screened onto the scarves,” Zoey explained to Jan. “Here’s his card.”
“These are so beautiful,” Jan said. “I’m not sure which one I like best!”
She ended up buying one for her friend and one for herself.
“See you in the store!” she said. “Good luck with the rest of the fair.”
“Did you see? She took my card!” Ezra said. “Maybe she’ll buy a painting!”
“Another customer who bought a scarf took the card too,” Zoey told him.
“Thanks, Zoey,” Ezra said. “This could turn out to be a pretty good thing for me. I’m sorry I freaked out.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Zoey said. “Because you were right—I should have asked you first.”
“Hey, look—Libby and your other friends are here,” Ezra said.
Sure enough, Kate, Priti, and Libby converged on the booth.
“How’s it going?” Priti asked. “Are you a gazillionaire yet?”
“Um . . . I’m still a few gazillions short,” Zoey admitted. “It was pretty slow earlier.”
“It looked like a lot more people were arriving when Mom dropped us off,” Libby said. “So hopefully things will get busier.”
“The bracelets look really good,” Priti said. “I’m sorry I overreacted about you copying them.”
“It’s okay,” Zoey said. “I understand.”
“Hey, do you mind if I go look around before it gets too busy?” Ezra asked. “I haven’t seen any of the fair yet.”
“Sure—I got to go around and look yesterday when I was scrounging for display materials,” Zoey said.
“The booth looks amazing,” Kate said. “And the scarves and headbands with Ezra’s art came out so well!”
“Let’s go look at the rest of the fair with Ezra, then we’ll come back,” Priti suggested.
The four of them trooped off to look around, and Zoey sold a few more bracelets and a headband in the meantime. She also had another visitor: Ivy, who stood by the booth, looking awkward.
“Hey, Ivy,” Zoey said. “How do you like the gift fair?”
“It’s pretty good,”
Ivy said. She glanced over at the display of bracelets. “Listen, Zoey, I . . . want to say . . . well, I’m sorry about how I acted when I found out the bracelet wasn’t the store brand. I was just really embarrassed when Emily called me out on it in industrial arts in front of everyone. Plus, I really thought it was the real deal. It looked really good.”
“It’s okay,” Zoey said. “I was just trying to do something to make your life easier.”
“I know,” Ivy said. “It was nice of you to think of me. See, I’m wearing the bracelet again.”
“Great,” Zoey said. “So . . . how are things going?”
“Not so good. My dad still hasn’t found a job.” Ivy sighed. “He’s pretty depressed about it, and Mom is working really hard all the time.”
“I hope things get better soon,” Zoey said.
“Yeah, me too,” Ivy said. “Anyway, I better get going. Emily texted me she’s going to be here with her mom, and I don’t want to bump into her. She’ll probably try to make me buy things with money I don’t have right now.” She waved good-bye. “See you in school. By the way, the booth looks great!”
Not long after Ivy walked away, Kate, Priti, and Libby came back.
“What did Ivy want?” Kate asked.
“We saw her here talking to you,” explained Libby.
“Yeah, she seemed . . . almost friendly!” Priti said.
“She was friendly,” Zoey replied. But she’d made a firm promise to Ivy that she’d keep her family’s situation a secret. How was she supposed to explain why Ivy was being nice to her without giving anything away?
“What’s come over her?” Libby asked.
“I . . . well, I did something nice for her, and I guess she appreciated it, so she’s warming up to me or something,” Zoey explained.
“Ivy?” Kate said. “I find it hard to believe that she’s changed her spots so quickly.”
“But I think she has,” Zoey said. “Maybe she’s just . . . getting better at seeing other people’s points of view?”
“I know you’ve hinted that she’s been behaving differently lately,” Libby said. “But . . . I’m with Kate. I still think you should be really careful.”
“I don’t know,” Priti said. “Now that I think about it, Ivy has been more friendly in class—just not when Emily is around. Maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“We should,” Zoey said. “At least I think so.”
“Well . . . if you think so,” Libby said.
“I’ll try,” Kate said. “It’s hard after how mean she’s been. But if Zoey can do it, so can I.”
The girls decided to go look around some more. Zoey didn’t mind, because traffic was picking up, and she was starting to make more sales.
“Come look at these adorable bracelets!” a woman said. She reached out and pulled her daughter, who’d been hiding behind her, to the front of the booth.
It was Emily.
“Isn’t this one with the ice-cream cones just the cutest thing?” Emily’s mother said. “I’m going to get it for your sister. Why don’t you pick one for yourself?”
Zoey held her breath, wondering what Emily would say.
“Those aren’t even the real bracelets,” Emily sneered. “They’re copies. See, they don’t have the charm showing they’re the real thing.” She pointed to the logo charm on one of the many bracelets she was already wearing on her wrist.
“Who cares about a logo?” Emily’s mom said. “I think these are even cuter than the brand ones, and there are so many more designs to choose from. Pick one, sweetie!”
Reluctantly, Emily browsed through the tray of bracelets. She picked one with a flower design. Zoey wondered if she’d ever wear it.
“Good luck with the rest of the fair,” Emily’s mom said as they walked off.
Emily didn’t say anything to Zoey and didn’t even thank her mom for buying her the bracelet. Ivy seemed to have changed because of her dad losing his job. Zoey wondered what it would take to make Emily be nicer.
She didn’t have much time to think about it because just then Ezra returned, which was fortunate since they only had a minute alone before a sudden rush of customers came to the booth. They sold a lot of the scarves, headbands, bracelets, and a few of Zoey’s clothes.
“I’m really glad you decided to make the silk-screen accessories,” Ezra admitted. “I can’t believe so many people are going to be wearing my art!”
Zoey was having a great time with Ezra, but she couldn’t help feeling the teensiest bit jealous that the silk-screen designs seemed to be outselling her own stuff. But then she remembered Daphne Shaw’s comment on her blog a while back that the best designers work in teams, collaborating to create stronger work. Besides—in her heart, she wanted Ezra’s items to sell well!
“I wonder why my friend Allie hasn’t stopped by,” she wondered aloud to Ezra when they had time for a breather.
“Maybe she’s too busy at her booth,” Ezra said.
“Maybe. But things have been a little off between us since she and Marcus broke up,” Zoey explained. “Also, I’m worried that she’s mad at me for doing accessories, since that’s kind of her thing, not mine.”
“But I thought the organizers said you needed to have more accessories to get a booth.”
“They did,” Zoey said. “And Allie and I made a pact not to get all competitive with each other. But still . . . She wasn’t very friendly yesterday when I asked to borrow her display items.”
“I think you’re worrying too much!” Ezra said. “Look, here comes another customer!”
They had another small flurry of buyers. Then, as soon as things quieted down, Zoey saw Allie coming toward the booth.
“Wow, Zoey, you did such an amazing job with the booth!” she said. “So ingenious to use the twine and clothespins—and I love the ladder rack and those cool headbands.”
“It was a group effort. Marcus came up with the ladder idea,” Zoey said. “The twine and pins was Aunt Lulu. And Ezra’s paintings are on the headbands.”
“You guys make a good team,” Allie said.
“Yeah,” Zoey admitted, thinking about how everyone had rallied together to make her booth look great. “We do.”
“Did you hear that Zoey’s going to have some pieces sold at Daphne Shaw’s new pop-up shop for tweens?” Ezra asked Allie. “So awesome, isn’t it?”
Zoey cringed. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Allie herself yet, and she was worried her friend would think she’d been keeping it from her on purpose.
Allie smiled stiffly. “It’s an amazing opportunity,” she said. “I read about it on the Fashion Insider blog. I’m really happy for you, Zoey.”
Whew! So Allie already knows, Zoey thought. But she didn’t seem quite as happy about it as she was saying.
“I’m really psyched, but I still don’t know if I can go to the opening,” Zoey said. “Dad has an away game, and Aunt Lulu’s doctors want her to stick close to home because of the baby.”
“That stinks!” Allie said. “We have to figure out how to get you there!”
“Well, let me know if you have any ideas,” Zoey said.
“Will do. I better get back to my booth,” Allie said, looking at the time on her cell. “Mom’s holding down the fort, but I can’t stay away too long.”
“I hope she does come up with an idea,” Zoey said to Ezra as Allie walked away. “Or at least I hope someone does.”
“Yeah,” Ezra agreed. “You should be there!”
Zoey and Ezra continued to chat while customers browsed the booth.
Then Allie came by, appearing to be smiling for real this time. “Guess who solved your opening night problem?” she said. “This girl! Your friend Allie Lovallo.”
Ezra waved hello to Allie.
“What? How?” Zoey asked, hoping it was true.
“I talked to my mom, and we realized that the Daphne Shaw opening is the same weekend Mom and I are planning to go to New York City to look at a fash
ion design school I’m thinking of applying to for college,” Allie explained. “Mom said that we could give you a ride, and she’d be your chaperone at the opening, if Daphne doesn’t mind putting us on the guest list and if your dad’s okay with it.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Zoey said. “But I’ll e-mail her right now to ask—and I’ll call Dad!”
Her father agreed with the condition that he wanted to speak to Allie’s mom about the details. Before the gift fair closed, Daphne had replied to Zoey’s e-mail saying that she’d be happy to put Allie and her mom on the guest list if it meant that Zoey could be there.
“My problem is solved!” Zoey said, hugging Ezra. “I’m going to the opening!”
“Roll out the red carpet.” Ezra laughed. “Sew Zoey’s in the house!”
Zoey chuckled. “Now comes the hard part,” Zoey said. “Figuring out what to wear!”
CHAPTER 11
Pop-Up Shop Bop
It’s been nonstop sewing! As soon as I finished making the clothes for the gift fair, I had to start making the clothes for the next exciting event: Daphne Shaw’s pop-up shop for her tween clothing line! Daphne’s selected two of my pieces to display in the shop. It’s meant I’ve been superbusy and have barely had any time to spend with my friends (sorry, Priti, Kate, Libby . . . and everyone else!), but I’m sure it will be worth it! And I’ve been making this dress using—guess what?—leftover screen-printed fabric with my friend’s painting. It was his idea, and I’m really excited to wear it.
I’m driving up with Allie and her mom—we’re going to tour the City Fashion Institute in the morning and then attend the opening that evening. I can’t wait! I hope my dress is fancy enough. Allie said she thinks it will rock the red carpet. I’ll let you know!
“I can’t believe we’re here!” Zoey exclaimed in the car with Allie and her mom as they crossed the bridge and viewed the New York City skyline.
The weeks between the gift fair and the opening had been really hard work—making all the pieces Daphne ordered for the pop-up shop and keeping up with her schoolwork at the same time. But it was worth it, because tonight she’d see her clothes being sold in a real department store next to her mentor’s!