The Soo has the Mole Hole, one of the finer gift shops on Portage. So, earlier this year, we were surprised to see another Mole Hole, this time in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Anne asked the proprietor if his store was part of a chain. It wasn’t. They are all independently owned. This query left him so incensed that he responded by first checking his watch and then grabbing a calculator and asked, “Do you know how many times I have been asked that question?” Then he quoted a huge number in seconds, which was supposed to indicate that Anne had asked the question one too many times. After he calmed down again, he observed that the Soo store and his store regularly compete in selling the most tiny porcelain figurines, as pictured above. We relayed all of this conversation to the proprietor of the Soo’s store, to her great amusement.
