I knew I needed new tires because my handyman had already done the penny test on the tread of the Michelins that had come on the used Mazda 6 I had bought in 2014. It…
Month: April 2017
Ashtrays bespeak a different era for Howard Johnson’s
Posted in Black history, civil rights movement, collectibles, and food
I don’t have any young memories of eating a vanilla ice cream cone from the 28 flavors at Howard Johnson’s. My family could never afford to eat there or drop by for a bite on travels…
Betty Boop & a Harlem singer named Baby Esther
Posted in African American women, Black history, Figurines, Music, and Performers
I was surprised to see so many Betty Boop figurines at auction again. The week before, tons of them were spread out on more than a half-dozen tables at the same auction house but in another room.…
It’s the house right up the street, I heard one auction-goer say. And then another, and another. They were looking at an old abandoned house in a watercolor painting that I had just bought at…
When food was delivered in wooden crates
Posted in Advertising, collectibles, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The cover of the wooden crate was nailed shut and there wasn’t a hammer in sight to pry it open. I wanted to desperately see what was inside when I zeroed in on the words…
The tools looked like any others you’d see in a vintage kitchen: rolling pins, hand mixers, ceramic mixing bowls, sad irons, meat grinders. But one thing stood out about them. Most were one-third the size…