Page 6 of Nolan
Cyber Street has so much unique charm I’m already bursting at the seams with ideas as Lindsay gives me the grand tour. Jessica designs every piece of clothing herself, and she only hires employees with fashion aspirations, so if her workers design something she likes, she compensates them and includes it in her collection. The style Jessica works with is currently all the rage: cyber chic. Functional street clothing in dark yet striking colors; pieces designed for comfort and movement, as well as making a statement. For women, there’s everything from wildly vibrant dresses meant for nights out at the club to attention-grabbing business skirts with iridescent trim and glimmering, high-collared blouses with puffy sleeves and tight arm cuffs. The men’s side of the store focuses on both street comfort and casual business, with anything from shimmery blue tracksuits to glittery silver turtlenecks to match with muted business slacks.
I’m proud my sister-in-law is at the forefront of this fashion. As far as I’m concerned, Hollywood and Paris have nothing on Jessica Bennett.
And if I can help it? Movie stars will be calling her for custom designs for their red-carpet debuts, and Paris will be clamoring for her by the time I’m through here.
“Mornings are always quietest for us, so that’s when we get our stocking and inventory done,” Lindsay explains as we walk together through the store. “We open at ten a.m., start seeing a steady flow of customers after lunch, then it gets busy between six and eight p.m for the night crew. People also always file in after getting coffee from the café next door. They can’t resist.”
“That’s good to know.” I make a mental note of that. If I’m going to be shooting videos and creating marketing material, mornings may be best for aesthetic, so I’m not interrupting customers’ shopping experiences.
“People really come this far to shop? From the city, I mean?” I ask as we return to the back room. I help her open some new boxes of inventory. Another employee arrives, a young lady who looks fresh out of high school. She’s sporting clothes that Jessica designed last year, a short black skirt with iridescent leggings and a fishnet sweater that hangs off one shoulder, showing off her black sporty cross-strap underneath.
“Of course,” Lindsay says. “Jessica’s made quite a name for herself here.”
“How long have you worked with Jess?”
“Since the opening two years ago. And let me tell you, most small businesses fold within the first two years. Not Cyber Street, and that’s thanks to her. People in New Carnegie crave individuality, and her designs deliver. Things here may be more expensive than what you can buy in any old warehouse where everything is mass-produced, but people are willing to pay to stand out and feel seen, especially in New Carnegie.”
“Good morning,” the newly arrived employee says cheerily.
“This is Christina,” Lindsay says. “She’s one of our backroom stockers.”
I wave at her. “Hi. I’m Mia.”
“Ooh, the marketing wiz I’ve been hearing so much about!” Christina bounces in place. “What was it like living in LA? Did you see a lot of celebs? Oh my god, will I be in some of your videos?”
“Of course. I’ll be making a lot of those.”
For the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon, I follow Lindsay and Christina around and help them with anything they need. In the afternoon two other employees arrive, whom Jessica refers to as style advisors—a bubbly pink-haired, self-professed makeup expert named Rae-Rae and a friendly university student named Alia, who really gets my attention with how she styled her leggings and long-sleeved dress with her long, silky lavender hijab.
“It’s important to Jessica that the customers see us in clothes from the store, so she gives us each a monthly allowance to pick anything we want,” Alia explains happily after our introduction.
I’m excited to pick out my own fresh wardrobe from Cyber Street, knowing that every piece was lovingly designed by Jess’s own hands. Of course, I have pieces from birthdays and Christmases from over the years that she’s gifted me, tailored specifically to my size and height. It’s hard for me to find pants that fit my long legs, and I want to make sure I’m dressed to show off what’s new and available now, so that people feel like they can’t live without it.
I don’t think my pride can balloon any bigger.
I’m delighted to discover our business neighbor, Royal Empress Café, serves milk tea as well as coffee. Giving myself a break, I stop by to order taro with tapioca pearls and relish my mid-afternoon treat. I’ve got so much that I can do here to help Jessica’s brand take over the region, and after that, who knows?
What’s even better is I’m just getting the word out. Everything here speaks for itself. I need to get the rest of the world on Cyber Street’s wavelength.
No big deal, right?
Being in marketing probably sounds boring, but mastering algorithms has always been a talent of mine, ever since I was a teenager. I worked my way up the ladder of a corporate fashion juggernaut, Rousseau. I was incredibly good at my job. I eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff. But now that I’ve had time to reflect and do research, I know that my old job was likely underpaying me before slashing my position altogether.
On the plane, I got curious and looked up Rousseau in the news. Their plan to replace their workforce in major departments with androids has come with some blowback, in the form of Humanity First’s California chapter. Their PR is definitely taking a beating, and I have to admit, it’s giving me some satisfaction. They might’ve still axed me, but they didn’t get away with it scot-free. That feels good.
If I were in another job like that back in California, I’d be vicious about my salary requirements. But Apollo invited me here, and he and his wife are taking care of my room and board. I’m not demanding anything, and I’m fine with the pay cut for now. I’ll be making enough to feel comfortable.
I’m using my tablet to organize my thoughts as I stand behind the counter, where I’ve been hanging out to watch the flow of customers and how the advisors interact with them, listening to Alia help a customer check out with two large bags of merchandise. Their chatter is pleasant background noise to the orchestra of creativity that’s moving through my brain at top speed. I’ve already made the boutique accounts across all the major platforms. It’ll just be a matter of cross-posting a single introduction video, then posting three to five videos a week on top of wisely managing an allotted ad fund across websites to get Jessica’s brand in front of the right fashion-hungry people. I’ll spend the weekend building her fully functional website, and we’ll be in business.
Soon, Jessica Bennett will be a household name, if I have any say about it.
For dinner, Laolao stops by with my niece and nephew and brings us delicious homemade food. Youtiao, eggs and scallions, soup dumplings, and chicken are quick to disappear when Jessica and I get our hands on it. I’m going to have to be careful with the food in Jessica’s house—everything is so delicious and made from scratch. Between home and Royal Empress Café, I might gain a pant size or three.
We’re winding down for the night. Rae-Rae and Alia sort and tidy up the store when the door opens, setting off a digital welcome bell, and I hear a familiar voice. “Well, look who finally came home!”
I turn and find my older brother smiling brightly at me. Apollo wears a black T-shirt and pants, looking like he just got off his shift at the Belmont Fire Department, and he still has that same shit-eating grin I remember growing up with.
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since I’ve seen him. He hasn’t aged much. My muscles tense with a moment’s discomfort as he approaches me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go down. Sure, we shoot each other a message every few months to make sure everything’s okay, or he’ll send me photos of my niece and nephew. He’ll even send me a funny video about baby sisters a time or two, and I’ll send something back if it’s related to firefighting. But it’s bare minimum stuff. I can’t help but feel a little trepidation as he comes closer.
