All Containers Great and Small

In the process of setting up my own "place" for the first time as a freshman at college, I made several trips to Kmart, the closest all-purpose store. I bought everything there: my first pair of ice skates for skating on the frozen lake, my sea-foam10-speed bike that I wouldn't be caught dead with today, and empty containers. My friend Jonetta, who frequently accompanied me on these forays to Kmart, could not understand this phenomenon.

Jonetta: So, you're buying containers?
Me: Yep.
Jonetta: I mean, containers that are EMPTY? Like, empty containers?
Me: Yep. Then I can organize my stuff.
Jonetta: But - they're EMPTY. It's like buying AIR, isn't it?

Poor soul, she just didn't understand.

In grad school (circa 1998-2000), I lived near Chicago, though I did not fully appreciate the magnitude of such proximity at the time. Fortunately, my roommate did. She had heard of a store called Ikea and wanted to check it out. We ventured out one Saturday for Ikea and discovered that next to it was a store my roommate had also heard of and wanted to visit: The Container Store.

I had never heard of this store, and so was unprepared for the mental shock I experienced as I stood inside the entrance and gazed in awe at aisles and aisles of - empty containers.

Tall, short, big, small, plastic, wood, glass, metal, paper, bamboo, clear, colored - the containers and displays dazzled my eyes until, in a fashion similar to Isaiah, I had to put my hands over my eyes and say, "I am not worthy!"

That day, I only bought one item of the thousands that called out my name - a white plastic 2-ounce travel bottle that I still have as a memento of my brief time in a magical land called The Container Store.

Sadly, that special time faded from my memory as other things crowded in, like reality and getting a job. Then, three events occurred that indicated I was predestined to return to The Container Store:

1. We moved to the Atlanta area - home to not one, but TWO Container Stores. And both stores are within an hour of our house. (There is only one Container Store in the entire state of Florida, in Miami. But who wants to drive all the way to Miami.)
   
2. A terrorist decided to try to smuggle bomb materials through airport security via liquids of some kind (I confess, I STILL have not read the original story on that plot and so remain Uninformed about the particulars). This resulted in major changes to FAA carryon regulations, as we all know.
3. We are taking a trip overseas in March.

Q.E.D., I am supposed to go to The Container Store.

My longsuffering, supportive husband agreed to go with me (since I'm terrible with directions, and there's a Barnes & Noble next door to The Container Store). As we approached the entrance, I saw a sign outside: Contain Yourself.

These advertisers and their reverse psychology! Ahem, it works. I think John was a little scared.

While John left for B&N with great reservations about my self-control in such a store, I exerted some discipline and went to the Travel aisle first, which was the whole reason for coming. THEN I went to the front of the store and worked my way through every aisle.

To give myself some credit, I saw some things they had that I'd already implemented using items from other stores, and I also saw many items that I fully recognized could be bought at other stores for much cheaper (e.g., Target). So my great desire to buy many containers was narrowed to the travel bottles on my list, a few extra travel items, and - for John, who agreed to come - a device that has a hook like a hanger, then a piece of wood with hooks on it to put belts on; the wood piece rotates. (Granted, it's not for travel, but it IS for organizing. Plus, it's a nice Valentine's Day present for John, even if he doesn't really care about how his belts are organized.)

Now I'm ready for the 3-1-1 airport inspection. But I think our closet needs some work. Maybe an Elfa system from The Container Store would make things all better....