How wrong can I be?

I keep thinking about an incident that happened during December's First Friday.  Our store was full of people looking at jewelry, visiting, drinking wine and eating.  I noticed a young man, very casually dressed, who came in by himself.  He's here for free wine and looks underage, I thought, so I kept my eye on him.  He walked past the jewelry displays, past the food and drink, and back to the cash wrap.  I watched as he pulled out his wallet and stuffed bills into the can for donations to the local food bank.  Then he left.  He wasn't here to get something for nothing, he was here to give something for nothing.  Snap judgments can be so wrong!

Vintage Holiday Sculptures

I confess that I'm a little overwhelmed with the task of decorating the store and the display windows for the holidays. Deb Sielski to the rescue! She makes fantastic sculptures from vintage holiday ornaments and reproductions of vintage tinsel. She will be our December First Friday artist.

Her creations are whimsical and imaginative. Our store is full of them (and yes, they're for sale). You can meet Deb at our reception 5:30 - 9 p.m. December 4.

Is this ring for a woman or a man?

Jewelry used to be segregated along gender lines, and more traditional jewelry stores still do it that way.  We find that that doesn't work so well for us.  Cuff links, for instance, look great on women and men.  An 8" bracelet (listed in the men's section of our vendor catalog), works well on a woman with a larger wrist.  A man with delicate hands might look best with a smaller ring.  And large rings look GREAT on many hands, small or big.  Personality and individual taste are the best determinants for what works.

electric energy choices

Yesterday we received a call from an electric generation supplier soliciting our business.  He told us how much we could save on our bill if we went with his company.  I asked him about renewable energy sources and he told me, basically, that the country wasn't there yet and it wasn't worth looking into.  He also wanted our PPL account number; when pressed, he admitted that he was going to switch us over.  I ended the call right then and there!  Jude and I had been talking about where our electric energy comes from, so this lit a fire under me to research the alternatives.  After all, if we subscribe to triple bottom line in our business (people, profit and planet), we should walk the talk.

This morning we signed up with a company that supplies electricity from wind and water.  It adds a little to our home and business electric bills, but it's important to us.

My Morning Ride: Jude's photos for First Friday

Usually when we feature Jude's work for a First Friday, it means a show of her new jewelry pieces. This month, however, we'll see a different artistic side of her. She's been photographing various scenes from her morning bike rides throughout the city and county (and beyond). We're hosting an exhibit of photos culled from her collection.

We hope you can come between 5 and 9 p.m. Friday November 6 for the opening reception.