Transmigration: The Tyrant General Can Hear My Thoughts

Chapter 231: Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty

Allen’s new fabric store was almost ready to be opened to the public.

Inside the store, Camilla and Allen were standing near a large, long wooden table in the center of the room. The table was fully covered with huge rolls of fabric. They were currently inspecting the new shipment that had just arrived from the southern borders.

Camilla reached out her hand. She ran her fingers very gently over a smooth roll of dark blue silk. The fabric felt like cool water against her skin. It was incredibly soft and rich.

She moved to the next pile. She touched the thick, sturdy cotton. She felt the light, breathable muslins, and the crisp, clean linen.

There were so many different varieties. The colors were absolutely breathtaking. There were rolls of cloth in the darkest, deepest shades of black, navy blue, and forest green. Right next to them were fabrics in the lightest, softest shades of pale pink, sky blue, and bright white. The store looked like a beautiful, colorful rainbow.

Camilla smiled a very wide, satisfied smile. Her eyes sparkled with business excitement.

"They are all beautiful," Camilla said out loud, looking at the colorful displays. Her voice was full of admiration. "The quality is absolutely excellent. You did a great job securing this shipment, Allen."

Allen stood on the other side of the wooden table. His face was no longer sad and defeated like it was when his business had failed. Today, he looked proud, confident, and very happy.

Allen nodded his head firmly, agreeing with her completely.

"Yes, they are," Allen replied, looking proudly at the fabrics. "And the best part is the variety. We bought so much bulk. There is enough for both the wealthy nobles from the upper city and the poor commoners from the lower city."

Camilla kept touching the soft linen. She thought about her business plan. In this historical world, the rich people only shopped in fancy, expensive boutiques, and the poor people only bought rough, itchy cloth from dirty street carts. Camilla wanted to change that.

"Everyone deserves to wear something nice," Camilla thought to herself.

Camilla looked up at Allen. She looked around the large store. Several carpenters were still working at the back, hammering nails and painting the wooden shelves.

"What about the renovation?" Camilla asked him, her voice eager. "When will it be finished so that we can be able to open our fabric store to the public?"

Allen smiled brightly. He pointed a finger toward the back wall.

"The finishing touches will be done tomorrow," Allen replied confidently. "The carpenters are just installing the last few shelves. The painters are finishing the front sign. We will definitely be able to open this week."

Camilla nodded her head in deep approval.

"That’s good," Camilla said smoothly. "Very good."

She stepped away from the table. She began to walk slowly around the large room. She looked closely at the renovations that were already done. She was incredibly pleased with the results.

Camilla had changed the layout of the shop. She had added a lot of modern flare to attract more patrons and make the shopping experience wonderful.

In her modern life, she remembered how large department stores were designed. She used those exact same ideas here.

First, she had ordered the carpenters to cut much larger windows into the front walls. This allowed large amounts of natural sunlight to pour into the store, making the colors of the fabrics look bright and vibrant. She also placed large, tall glass mirrors on the side walls. The mirrors reflected the light, making the store look twice as big and very welcoming.

Second, she had created wide, open aisles. People did not have to squeeze past each other to look at the clothes.

Third, she had ordered a special, designated resting area right near the front windows.

There were four soft, comfortable velvet chairs and a small wooden table.

"The resting area is a brilliant idea," Camilla thought to herself proudly, looking at the soft chairs. "When women come to shop, their husbands or brothers always get very tired and bored. If the men have a comfortable place to sit and rest, the women can spend much more time shopping. More time shopping means more money for us."

But her most important modern touch was the pricing system.

Camilla had told Allen to divide the store into two very clear, open sections. One side held the expensive silks and fine laces for the high-class nobles. The other side held the strong, durable cottons and linens for the low-class commoners. However, there were no walls between the sections. It was an open floor plan. She wanted both the high class and the low class to feel comfortable walking inside.

Furthermore, Camilla had instructed Allen to put small, clear, written paper tags on every single roll of fabric. The tags stated the exact price of the cloth.

"This way," Camilla reasoned in her mind, "poor people do not have to feel embarrassed to ask the shopkeeper for the price, only to find out they cannot afford it. They can just look at the tag and know immediately. It removes the shame."

Everything was going exactly as planned. The location was great because it would be easier for the upper class to come to the lower city than for the lower class to go to the upper city. The renovation was also going well.

Allen watched her inspecting the store. He felt a huge wave of deep respect for his sister-in-law.

"She is a genius," Allen thought to himself, watching her smile. "Her ideas are so strange, but they make perfect sense. Because of her, my business is going to survive. I am not a failure anymore."

Allen walked over to her. He pointed to a funny-looking wooden structure standing near the corner. It was a tall piece of wood carved roughly into the shape of a human body.

Camilla had ordered it to be made. It was a primitive mannequin.

"Your wooden dolls look very much alive with the fabric draped over them, sister-in-law," Allen joked lightly, laughing a little bit at the strange invention.