Pink Cadillac Boutique

I have had so many customers ask about the story behind the Pink Cadillac that is always parked in front of our store, the Pink Cadillac Boutique. So here ya go:

On October 26th, 2014, I saw a 1960 Cadillac for sale online. I immediately ran into the garage to tell my husband I had found the car of my dreams!! We certainly didn't need another project at the time, but he indulged me. I made the call to Mrs. Karen Allison regarding the car. Someone was already there looking at it, but she said if they decided not to purchase she would call me back. I was pretty let down to say the least. However, not long after that she called me back. They had decided they were not interested. Clearly they were crazy!!! I said we will be there in 15 minutes. I was in love from the moment I saw her!

Mrs. Karen Allison was just as interesting as the car! She was collecting the snakes on her property and had a large bucket of them when I walked up to her. I screamed like a little girl, to which she just laughed. But then she told me the story of the car. Her mother had purchased the car brand new in 1960. Her mother's name was Roberta, but she went by Bobby. Bobby was a truck driver when she wasn't driving her fancy Cadillac, very unusual for a woman in 1960! The stories I have heard from the family....well Bobby was a bit of a firecracker! That car was clearly her pride and joy, even after all those years Bobby had still hung on to the original owners manuals and the original key ring from the dealership. Karen had inherited Bobby's pride and joy after her passing. Karen cherished that car just as much as her mother. Karen and her husband, Ralph, had intended to restore the Cadillac back to it's original glory. Unfortunately Ralph passed away before the restorations could be done. Understandably, Karen decided to she needed to downsize a bit. She was selling her large property in order to move to a more manageable location. This downsized included a few other assets, the Cadillac being one.

Karen and I became immediate friends, her only request was that the Cadillac would be restored....not parted out. I promised her it would indeed be restored, and she agreed to sell her to me!!

As soon as I got the Cadillac home my husband and I started planning her restoration! Oh but what color should she be? It came to me in the middle of the night. PINK OF COURSE!!! But not just any pink, the color I picked was called "sassy pink". I knew Bobby and Karen would approve.

My husband and I did all of the restorations, even the new sassy pink paint job in our garage. It was worth every minute of blood, sweat and tears. That's when her name presented herself. MARILYN! She was classic and sassy and sexy, just like Marilyn Monroe!

Speaking of the restoration, I should also include the story about the Virgin Mary. Yes, this car has so many stories one does in fact include the Virgin Mary. When we pulled the dash out we found a magnetic Virgin Mary behind the dash. I told Karen about my finding. Karen remembers riding in the truck cab with Roberta (Bobby) and stopping at various truck stops, hence the truck stop find of the Virgin Mary. She is back on the dash now, as Bobby would have wanted.

Karen and I continue to be friends. She was at my 40th birthday party, and also at the grand opening of the Pink Cadillac Boutique. She has said her husband Ralph would love the way Marilyn turned out....not sure what he would think about the color but he would be thrilled just the same.

So when I have customers ask if I drive that car?

HELL YES! We have even taken her fishing! And no, I didn't get the car as a marketing tool for the boutique. Marilyn has a persona just as big as Karen and Bobby. Of course I had to name the boutique after her, and them!!

Here's to all the women who can be tough as nails when they need to be, pretty when the time calls for it and enjoy the wind in their hair!

Cheers,
Lisa Harrington
Owner - Pink Cadillac Boutique