Dateline Boston — Spring Break in Minnesota, 1994: When I was in college, I befriended a woman named Ann. When she told me she was from Minnesota, I invited myself to her house for spring break. She accepted my invitation. She was so gracious to welcome me into her home and drive me around wherever I wanted to go. Everywhere we went, I talked to people about my quest to meet Prince.

Back then, he owned a store and a nightclub. I visited both several times that week. I also went to ordinary places, like a bookstore in the Mall of America. An employee of the bookstore said that she had a friend named Pam who had a Prince connection. She called Pam, and I talked to her.

Pam had a friend who was a milliner in New York City (where I was born and raised). The milliner, named Rod, had made a bunch of hats for Prince for his concerts. Rod sent Pam a fax copy of the receipt as a joke. I offered Pam money for that fax, and she accepted. Now I have a fax copy of a receipt from Prince, and I paid $20 for it. To me, it’s priceless.

Months later, I was in New York, and I wanted to contact Rod so he could make me a hat or two. I had left his number in Massachusetts, so I put an ad in the Village Voice back page; this was before the internet or cell phones. The ad read:

To The Hatmaker in Harlem
You’re the one who made hats 4 ‘Mr. Nelson’ & has a friend named PAM from MN.
I’m the fan who bought the fax you sent to Pam. I
left your # in MA please call me ASAP.
I’d like a hat!
ALEX 123-456-7890.

Well, don’t you know, Rod’s friend saw the ad, told Rod, and Rod called me. A few weeks later, I got two hats made! So now I own hats made by the same milliner whom Prince used! More stories to come…

Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com