Inside the Dragon’s Lair

Throughout the day, boys pop in for mechanical pencils, resistors, reeds, project boards, Ricola, breadboards and other things that I don’t even understand. Optimistically, I place the Georgian Mom products close by the register. I’m crushed to find that they are not hot sellers.

You might think the Dragon’s Lair is just a uniform store, but I can tell you that it is not.

Over the past months, I’ve been a parent volunteer in the Lair and it has given me a completely new outlook on the role it plays in Georgian life. You would be surprised to learn that many of our boys come here just to hang out. While a few enjoy just browsing with their friends, others drop in because they need a quiet space or someone to talk to. That person is store manager Rowena Verzo – aka Miss Ro. There is no doubt that she has a special connection with the boys. Maybe they open up to her because she’s not a teacher or an advisor. More likely it’s because of the atmosphere of acceptance and kindness she cultivates at the Lair. It’s the ultimate retail therapy.

The Lair gives me another reason to love RSGC and the boys in it. When I’m here, I get to see the guys in their own environment and they are unfailingly polite, respectful and easy to talk to. While waiting for me to figure out how to charge an item (this can be quite embarrassing – I once charged a boy $141 for some pencil leads) or while a Junior School boy signs his chit with excruciating slowness, they often chat with me about their day and sometimes much more. Occasionally, I want to cry at the rawness of their feelings or laugh out loud at their remarks. 

During the quiet times, I sit by the old fireplace and wonder about the families that once lived in this Victorian semi and what they laughed at or talked about around their dining table. I bet they never imagined it would be filled with dragons, Georgians and knights. Long live the Lair.