Some patriots fly the flag; these go to Nordstrom

Besides aiding the economy, 'Shopping for America' trip should be 'a hoot'

By DANI DODGE
Mail Tribune

Nobody can say Medford women aren't doing their part to help the nation recover from the terrorist attacks.

At least 45 are "Shopping for America."

"I feel very strongly as a certified financial planner that we have some control over our destinies," said Nancy Brewold-Johnson of Medford. "If we change our lifestyle and stop shopping, our economy will naturally go down. They will have won.

"We have to keep the dollars circulating."

With that in mind, Brewold-Johnson has chartered a bus that will take 45 of her clients and friends up Interstate 5 to Portland. Final destination: Nordstrom. This is the third year Brewold-Johnson has booked a bus for a shopping excursion, but this year she's dedicating it to "Shopping for America," and more than twice the number of women are going along.

The women will fill the bus windows with "Shopping for America" banners and wear red, white and blue the entire two days. They leave Friday.

"I wanted to treat my clients to something special, and a lot of ladies don't like to play golf," Brewold-Johnson said. "We're all businesswomen. We either own a business or have employees we supervise and I think as women, one of our relaxations rather than golf, is shopping.

"Shopping: It's a hobby."

And shopping in Portland is also a way to make sure that you don't wear the same gown to the Christmas formal as your co-worker, said Linda Caldwell, one of Brewold-Johnson's clients.

"Up there, there's enough diversity so styles don't cross," Caldwell said. "And besides, it's a hoot."

The women leave Medford early in the morning, debarking first at the outlet malls in Woodburn. Next they hit a custom furniture store. They arrive in Portland in time for dinner. Along the way, door prizes are given out every 20 minutes. (Brewold-Johnson makes it a point to note she buys all the door prizes locally.) The women check into their hotels and go out to dinner. Early Saturday morning they assemble at the doors of Nordstrom, which will open early exclusively for them.

"They feed us breakfast at 8 and at 8:30 we are turned loose with personal shoppers," Brewold-Johnson said.

Caldwell said she loves the wide selection of dressy work attire available at Nordstrom.

"It's great because, of course, we don't have a Nordstrom here and probably never will," Caldwell said. "I have things I bought at Nordstrom that I've had for 10 years they are still perfectly in style and will be for another 10.

"The majority of women are professional women who don't do their job in casual clothes, and it's real hard to find those kind of things here."

Those women who want to take time out of their buying spree can get a massage from one of two masseuses who go along on the trip.

The shoppers leave Portland about 5 p.m. Saturday. A grand prize on the bus trip back goes to the woman who got the biggest discount on a single item.

"We try to get everyone home on time so they can go to church with their family on Sunday," Brewold-Johnson said. "This is just a girls' getaway."

Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail ddodge@mailtribune.com 

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