The Realtor’s Life: Me and My Man Purse
March 11th, 2008 Categories: The Realtor's Life
Well, that’s it. This Realtor business has finally driven me over the edge.
It wasn’t the state of the market or another Annapolis area agent that finished me off, or even the long hours. It’s the sheer amount of stuff I have to lug around to conduct business. So I’m shopping for my first man purse.
I have no other choice: the stuff has simply gotten out of control.
There’s my cell phone, wallet, compact digital camera, and business card holder. I have magnetic swipe keys for my office and lockboxes, and a jumble of real keys for the many doors in a Realtor’s life.
There’s my small calendar and my reading glasses, so I can see it, and a little notepad so I can remind myself what I’m supposed to be doing. And a couple of pens. It’s gotten to the point where, if I carry it all on my person, I look like I’ve been shot with a semi-automatic bean bag gun. I need a man purse.
My Realtor-wife/partner, Bev, totally gets it: she’s got purses she puts into handbags that go into still bigger carrying bags and off she goes. So we spend Friday night, date night, shopping for a man purse at the Annapolis mall, where they’re outnumbered by woman purses 10,000 to 1.
Man purses, I find, are all variations on a single theme: the man’s toiletries bag. Call me silly, but I don’t think it’s prudent to show up a client’s home to sign paperwork looking like you plan to spend the night. Nor am I willing to pay $250 to give that impression.
We press onward. We see man purses that look like backpacks, others that resemble vests. But I’m not into the collegial look or the SWAT team thing.
We ask Gary, a hip fellow at Clarks, if they carry man purses. “Are you serious?” he asks, as if we’ve just dished the latest neighborhood scandal. I assure him that I am. He tells us there’s little demand, so they keep them in the storage drawers he’s now rifling through. The best he can do is a glorified passport holder that real European men favor.
I thought this would be simpler. All I want is something slim, small, with clean lines, that doesn’t look like a leather lunch box. But it could prove more difficult than I imagined.
Well Ken you certainly are a hoot! I can only assure you that todays “Metro Man” solved your woes years ago. You would probably have better results asking or looking for a Messenger Bag. They are stylish and come in many styles and prices. European men long ago realized the utility of carrying a purse and I must admit I find it quite sexy!!!
Hi Linda - Good to hear your comments. Seems I’m the only one who didn’t know what I should be asking for: my sister called to tell me the same thing, that they’re called messenger bags. Rolls off the tongue a little easier than “man purse.” The fact that some American woman find them sexy could be a nice bonus!
Man purse - Woman purse - no matter what we have WAY too much stuff to carry around. I have boxes of stuff in my car too - There has got to be a better way. Only problem is that when we combine several things into one (like your MLS key in your cell phone) when the cell phone needs replacing, you are out of the real estate business until everything gets setup again.