On Ironing Boards...

Our apartment came furnished with an ironing board...of a sort.  However, the ironing surface was made of particle board, which over time had disintegrated and become an interesting texture which did not contribute to the process in a positive way.  Time to find an ironing board!

My first choice: Amazon.it  Do you know how much they want for an ironing board -- something you can pick up for about $25 at Target?  $130!  On the other hand -- free shipping...but really?

I asked the merceria lady (where you buy yarn and fabric) what she would suggest.  After much thought, she suggested the lamp store.  Yes, the lamp store.  Inwardly shrugging my shoulders, I went to the place where I purchase my light bulbs.  Lo and behold, apart from many, many interesting light fixtures (I'll update the post later with pics from the shop; I need to go back & take some!), the owner sells washing machines, irons, and other household appliances.  But no ironing boards were to be seen.

A client was draped across the counter deep in discussion with the owner about the merits of a particular type of lightbulb.  This continued for some time while I waited patiently, admiring the fixtures as I walked around the shop.  For reference, it's about the size of an old-fashioned gas station (the office section).  However, it was crammed to the gills with amazing fixtures.  I wandered back to the cash register where the client was almost completing his $9 purchase.

At that point, it was my turn!  I asked about ironing boards.  "Absolutely!" he replied, and then beckoned me to follow him.  Out the store we went, leaving two other customers in our wake.  And the unlocked cash register.  And the open shop.  Down past Nonno Enrico's porchetta stand, around the corner.  He sauntered on his long thin legs while I trotted dutifully about 5 meters behind -- wanting to catch up without having to break into an undignified jog.

He opened a door which at first glance had appeared to be to a garage.  An overpowering smell of varnish left me choking as politely as I could.  Mounds of empty boxes, bare light bulbs on shelves with an inch of dust on them, and abandoned merchandise were the obvious furnishings.  Around the corner and voila!  Not one, not two, but three ironing boards!  Thankfully, they were covered in plastic wrap.
Il prezzo?  About $28.

I had a choice of one that was large enough to iron a giant's shirt and two of normal size each having an equally ghastly, though different, cover.  I was asked to choose between the two.  Hmmm...ugly A or ugly B?  I chose ugly A.

Back up the hill with my purchases (having stopped by the insurance agency with my companion, the ironing board), I arrived triumphantly.  The funniest thing to me was that no one cast a second glance at the spectacle of my hauling this thing around with me...

Love,

Alexandra