APB - Missing Tiger!

Sometimes a person falls so deeply in love with a work of art that they just HAVE to have it for themselves. Even if they can't afford to buy it. Such has been the motivation for any number of art thefts over time.

Including an apparent theft from Greenjeans.

This morning I noticed that one of the five finger puppets by Japanese puppet master aya*shii was missing from its black pedestal up on the high shelf where we have them displayed.

The tiger. Is. Missing.

I can't believe it.

I guess thefts happen from shops all the time and we're no exception. Last holiday season a seashell necklace went missing and we just figured it was collateral damage. C'est la vie of the shopkeeper.

But I am furious, of course. Who the bleep would steal from us? Why?? If someone wanted the tiger so badly we'd have been happy to work with them to pay over time. They didn't have to steal it!

We have no idea who it could have been or when it might have happened. It had to have been an adult since the shelf is up high. Maybe it happened during the very busy weekend (when 4 of us were in here working). Or maybe it happened yesterday when Jae was here by himself. We just don't know. But I am sickened by the whole thing.

At the same time, I can kind of understand how someone might be so seduced by the tiger's beauty -- his hand stitched suede jacket, his mane of white fur -- that they just couldn't help themselves. And maybe I need to make some lemonade here -- if people are stealing from us, we must have desirable things here! But still. C'mon!! Stealing's just plain wrong!!

So I am broadcasting to all our readers about this theft. If anyone has any information about the tiger, we urge you to contact us, anonymously if you want, to offer us any leads. If someone knows the tiger's whereabouts and can return him to us, we will accept him back with no questions asked and no penalties levied.

In the meantime, we continue to be very busy with holiday shoppers and are doing our best to restock sold out items (more socks and more cutting boards are coming tomorrow or Thursday!) and make good gift suggestions. People say the shop looks great and mostly it's been a lot of fun. We're geared up for a busy week and a solid weekend to wrap up the holiday run.

This whole tiger thing, though, has taken the wind out of my sails a bit today. I suppose I should just have faith that either he'll show up or that he's gone to a new home where he will be coveted and loved beyond compare! And maybe thievery, like imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery.

Onward...