Paris Apartment Paris Apt. - Search Keywords I Love When Shopping

Here's a link to a Hand Picked List called Paris Apartment Accents that I put together on Bonanzle. The link will only be active until June 4, 2009. Will try to keep it in my menopausal memory bank to come back and replace it with some photos then.

http://www.bonanzle.com/hand_picked_lists/18538

Paris Apartment or Paris Apt., are keywords occasionally used to describe a certain "look" and "feel". Like shabby chic, it got way overused at one point with the resulting search results overwhelming you with stuff that in no way related to what your were looking for. Unlike the example used though, it seems to be quietly making a return and lets hope it stays quiet! Since I don't think I have many readers here, am going to say that searching Paris Apartment is becoming interesting again.

I know that interior designers and decorators often use it to search for accent pieces, and I know that some buyers use it. How do I know? Because some of my best repeat customers found me thru those keywords. BUT before you use them, be as sure as you can be that your item would be considered Paris Apt. decor. Those same buyers will probably never look at your items again if they click on one by the sound of the title and the item itself is not true to the keywords.

This is a tricky one because it can be used for Asian made and Asian inspired, overdone rococo and vintage industrial, deco, nouveau, Victorian, Edwardian and folk art, and so forth and so on. Antique and vintage items are preferred but there are new, contemporary ones that also fit. It really is more of a feel than a look on the deciding end.

I always try to imagine myself as a person living in Paris sometime between 1920 and 1960, there to pursue the arts and literary energy, past and present, that the city is known for. Somehow, it is my dream after all, I am invited regularly to salons, dinners, teas, cocktail parties and other social events held at the homes of people with their thumbs on the pulse of Parisian intellect and arts. Then I ask myself: Would this item look right in one of those homes?

It makes sense to me and actually works for me. But - my thought processes, as the other half tries to occasionally remind me, do not work along the same lines as the majority.

My Shabbi Chic has a booth on Bonanzle! Finally!

My booth is open with 69 items listed so far. I'll be adding more items every week. Spent several months checking out, watching, and getting a feel for all the new selling sites on the web. With a large number of former ebay sellers, especially those selling antiques, collectibles and vintage clothing/accessories/jewelry, looking for a 'better fit' for their treasures, the market for selling sites has expanded and is still growing.

Bonanzle is the one I chose for me. One of my first priorities, wrong or right, was how the homepage looked and how the category pages were presented. Bonanzle has a clean, professional look with no pop ups, no adds with large bosumed ladies wanting to talk to lonely people, and NO ads or links to other sites. Just the Bonanzle logo, their rallying cry of "everything but the ordinary" and, on the home page, an ever changing grouping of photos chosen from actual items found in the booths on the site. These are called hand picked lists and are created by Bonanzle members. The lists are put together around a theme and the best are chosen to rotate on the home page. There are usually up to 25 different lists rotating every day. If you don't do anything else on Bonanzle, go to Bonanzle.com and check the lists out - you can see the different ones by clicking on the logo in the upper left corner. Some are based on colors, eras, seasons, categories; some are classy; some are tongue in cheek; some are plays on words; and all of them are really attractive!

The owners of Bonanzle, Bill Harding and Mark Dorsey, wanted to create a site for people wanting to sell unique or one off items rather than wholesale, 1000 to a box, inventory. There are new items to be found there, but on the majority you'll find antiques, vintage, collectibles of yesterday and ones that will be tomorrow, and some great bargains on gently used but still good merchandise. Every seller has an opportunity to fill out a Profile and a More Booth Details section. Thru these you can see where the seller lives, how long they've been on Bonanzle, any feedback received, and information about what they sell and why. And there's a real time chat box in every booth! So if the seller is online and you have questions or want more info on an item, you can just type it in. Even if the seller is listing or elsewhere on the site, they'll be notified that someone has posted to their chat box and can get with you very quickly. Payment options are up to the seller, so checks, cash, money orders, Paypal and Google Checkout are all found and some sellers even process credit cards on their own.

Here's the link to my booth: http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/myshabbichic

And here's the link to Bonanzle's home page: http://www.bonanzle.com/

Please come visit me or just visit Bonanzle. I'll be posting more here as I add more treasures. May not have been selling much online the last few months but that doesn't mean I haven't been treasure hunting! and I have some really neat stuff to share!

What Does a Maven of Vintage Clothes, Accessories, Style, Designers and Fashion Wear?

I love clothes. Quality material, detailed construction and good design can make me quiver. There are large plastic bins stored here full of cocktail dresses, gowns, lingerie, dresses, blouses, coats, etc., - some designer, some just superbly made, very stylish clothing. Vintage silk hand rolled scarves with descreet designer names in the corners, vintage purses from chainmail to wood and plastic to petit point needlework, and vintage hats from the truly absurb little caps with 12" or more bobbing things to the wide brim with hat band accented by a small gemmed pin. Clothes and accessories enough to carry you thru any occasion, taken from the decades between 1910 and 1970.

So you would figure I'm a walking fashion plate right? wrong! What do I build my daily wardrobe around? Long, large denim jumpers with lots of pockets - and by the way, the pockets are deal breakers. These perfect fashion finds are the ultimate necessity to me. In the summer they are worn over tank tops and when the weather gets cooler, short to long sleeve tops or dresses (also long and cotton only).

Why are pockets deal breakers? Cause I can fill those pockets and keep myself hands free. When working at home I've got discs for my camera, gel ink pen, pencil with eraser and fine point marker, metal pull out measuring tape, small magnifying glass, reading glasses, index cards, iphone and possible munchies all tucked about my person, easy to find and get to. When shopping, replace the discs with cash, the index cards with a small notebook, and I'm ready to go junking.

These denim life savers are almost totally impervious to staining, so all the different goos and glops I use to clean little treasures with can dripped, spilled or wiped on myself with impunity. I can grab a bit of my jumper, do a quick rub and polish on something and not worry about ruining my apparel. Best of all, while eating, I can read, surf the internet one handed or carry on a convesation with lots of hand gestures without worrying about the salsa or whatever drips - it will wash out!

So, though I have sold Ceil Chapman cocktail dresses, vintage Pucci prints, Hermes scarves, Chanel clutches and have more to offer up to the fashion conscious online buyers, I myself usually look like the Queen Mary decked out in denim, floating by. Add old lady comfort shoes and you're got a pretty good idea - I'm the Queen Mother hippy style. The purse and jewelry are the only real hints to the fact that I might actually have some taste and you'ld probably have to be detail oriented to notice them.

Of course none of the above excludes me from being harshly critical, cuttingly derisive and horribly snobbish about how everyone else dresses! Major pet peeve regarding the younger generation's style - those low riding jeans, no matter how young you are or how nice your figure over all, only look good on about 1 out of a 1000.

Shopping Tip No. 2

Junk Shopping - Tip No. 2

There is one refrain I hear constantly from the people who know me, "How do you find that stuff? I go to the Goodwill, the Salvation Army, yard sales, and I never find that stuff.". This remark is often accompanied by a look that says "you must have other places to shop, you just won't tell anyone about them". Sometimes it is even accompanied by a verbal, "come on girl, tell us where you really find the goodies". Sorry everyone, but we do shop in the same places but we shop very differently. My personal observation is that it is not where you shop, but how you shop.

Tip #2 - How to junk shop. Most experienced junkers combine necessity shopping with the treasure seeking. Necessity shopping needs no tips. You know what you need so that's what you look for. My taste in clothing and accessories still does not match my budget, and probably never will! The majority of my exterior wardrobe has been second hand since 1970. Finding home office supplies like notepads, printing paper, index cards, etc. can save me $20 to $50 a month. The same for many housewares, business display items and other continuing expenses.

Looking for an antique, art piece, vintage designer label, or other treasure discarded as worthless, that is a different type of shopping. For this type of shopping you need knowledge, gut reaction or "an eye" and timing.

Knowledge: If you are a beginning collector or dealer, go to shops that sell the types of items you would like to find. Look at them carefully and if possible, touch them, pick them up and smell them (yes, smell them! certain materials have distinctive odors), get an idea of the texture, the colors, the "look". Go online and research them. Study the photographs and read any relevant text even if it is an auction or store description. As an example, let's say you have decided to collect vintage California dinnerware. When you're looking at three 20 foot long display racks with three shelves each, all piled up with plates, glasses, bowls, etc., it will help to be able to recognize glazes, colors, texture. Narrowing your search to 20 possible pieces is a lot easier than picking up every single one and looking at the bottom for a mark!

The ones who ask questions, go to shows, galleries, museums, read books, do some research, and spend some time learning about their particular love are the ones who usually find the treasures.

Personally, because I love all types of decorative items, my knowledge is thinner on specifics and broader on a greater range of types. I have learned how the base of a 19th century glass vase will look compared to the base of a contemporary reproduction piece; how different types of prints look under a magnifying glass; how the texture of the material, the way it was cut and put together looks on a 1930's day dress; how the hinges, finish, corners of an old box will look; and many more bits of information. In other words, I may not immediately recognize a 19th century ceramic bowl by it's maker or pottery but I will recognize the age.

My tip here is obviously to spend some time learning about the treasures you hope to find. Even if you just want to shop for "old stuff" in general, you should do some research. What types of materials were used in certain eras? What do the different era styles look like, i.e. deco, nouveau, arts and crafts, Edwardian, Regency? What "true age" signs to look for? What should be hand made and what is fine if machine made?

Gut or "Having an Eye": Look at things that draw your interest. I don't care what it is, look at it! You will often hear a collector or dealer talking about themselves or someone they know having "an eye" for particular items. This "eye" did not come with detailed knowledge and footnotes! The fine tuning comes from years of learning, the origin of the "eye" comes from what literally draws your eye. Most of the ability in my opinion comes from a natural appreciation of the item. People who love pottery usually have an already built in good eye for glazes, types of clay, and design. They may not know the verbage for these things or the technical aspects, but they know that they like it. They find it attractive and it calls to them in a way they can't describe. That is what attracts them to pottery in the first place and that is having "an eye".

If it catches your eye, your inner self likes it and it's affordable, buy it. As simple as it sounds, that is basically how I shop. Granted, there are probably subconscious triggers from the part of my brain storing the knowledge discussed above. I have to give my gut credit where credit is due though. Some of my best finds have been items that were a total mystery to me. Their only qualifier was the gut feeling they gave me. One of the great things about true junk shopping is that you can give in to your gut at a very low monetary cost. You find a bowl that for whatever reason you just love. When that bowl costs $1.99 or less, buy it. Buy what you really love and can afford. So what if it turns out to be a made in China repo? You like it and you've bought a nice home decor item for a great price! Then again, maybe it will turn out to be a nice 1950's California pottery piece or maybe you've hit the jackpot and it's 17th century Chinese export porcelain. Whatever it turns out to be, you are enjoying it, possibly learning from it, and it's easy on the budget.

Sometimes that initial attraction departs quickly when I get closer or once I'm holding it in my hands. Then there are the times it stays even when I don't like it! Some of my best "finds" have been things that I personally did not find especially attractive. I bought a 1970's 1980's southwestern style pottery wall plaque once for $2. There is a photo at the beginning of this post. That era of faux adobe with color schemes in turquoise and pink is just not one of my favorites, BUT it caught my eye for some reason. The quality of the work was outstanding, this was a piece made to last and it was signed. Because of these things, because it caught my eye and mainly because it gave my gut a twinge - I bought it. Researched the name, Vera Russell, found out this was a desirable item with a solid collector base and sold it for $140 at an online auction.

Then there are the times that the attraction stays even though I have no earthly idea what this thing is. My guilty secret is that these are my favorites. I love researching these mysteries and get my money's worthy from the fun of solving them. Invariably I learn something, not only about the item itself, but other bits of interest for use elsewhere or in the future.

Note of warning: If everything catches your eye, this won't work for you. And you probably won't do well at collecting or dealing either - just a quick heads up.

Timing: The early bird gets the most worms at yard, garage, church, school, estate type sales. They do not necessarily get all the worms, so don't blow a sale off because it's been picked over. Excellent finds can get passed over in the initial rush. Sometimes there is such a quantity of stuff that it's impossible to see everything and sometimes people just don't see what's right in front of them. I can not tell you the number of times I've been the last in a group of avid dealers perusing a sale and still found some great stuff. Plus its fun when you're in line to pay and those who were first to shop are asking you "where did you find that?!"

When shopping in thrift shops, if you specialize in collecting or dealing certain items, be it glass, vintage clothing, or snuff boxes, then there will be certain areas of a store you will peruse carefully. My tip here is to not forget the rest of the store. I've found pieces of clothing and accessories like scarves, hats, ties, purses, mixed in with tupperware and books. Found a large old Redwing Pottery jug at the end of a clothing aisle and found some nice framed seriographs sitting on a shoe display shelf. Spend the majority of your time in the section of the store that should have what you are looking for but allow for a careful walk thru of the whole store before leaving.

We are a very nomadic society in many ways. People are no longer grow up, marry, raise children and age in the same house, or even city, they were born in. Most can not move several generations of belongings with them every time they change residences. We are also a throw away society, constantly replacing the old with something new and better. For those of us who appreciate the old, these two conditions provide unending inventory.

When people ask why you love to dig around in all that weird stuff, just tell them that you are helping to save the past and recycling style.

Victorians - Death Chic - Mourning Jewelry, Basic Black Dress, and

Queen Victoria lost the love of her life, her consort Albert, and so great was this woman's influence that she took her whole country into mourning with her. Black reigned supreme in the well dressed Englishwoman's wardrobe for more seasons than would seem possible. Unless you were a young, unmarried female, your formal day and evening wear was all in classic black. Granted, if middle, upper or titled, the material range, velvet, organdy, satin, heavy to gossamer silk, fine wools, serges, crepe, garbedine, gave you some options but not many.

Even jewelry was influenced by the mourning of their queen. Locks of hair would be cut from the dearly departed and woven or braided into intricate designs. These fantastical creations were made to fit into glass framed lockets, pendants or brooches. Jet , a fossilized coal, was used to make shiny black stones and beads. These were made into jewelry and used to accent clothing or accessories.

Some women even took daily doses of arsenic to give them pale, translucent skin so conducive to a melancholy air. In other words, the whole style became so popular that you not only dressed as if in perpetual mourning, you also wanted to physically look the part.

To some the Victorian era of style is one better forgotten. Furniture
incorporated design details from several centuries the result was mostly overlyornate pieces with no style of their own. To top it off, it they weren't even comfortable to sit on. Decor tended to be in umber shades with dark, dark jewel tones. Too many, too much of, too fussy, and too totally overdone were the catch phrases for
interior design. Fashion was elaborate both in style and in the number of things one ended up wearing to be properly dressed. The saving grace was that, as noted above, almost everything was in black. Which backs up my belief that if you have quality wardrobe basics in black, you can get thru anything, even a fashion era as bad
as the Victorian one.

There are three results of that era I really like. Number 1, they made something for everything. For every single thing you might use or eat, they had a dish, serving utensil, box, holder, and so forth. These "things" were often quality made, with fine attention to detail. Seen standing alone, relieved of the Victorian clutter, they are often beautiful. The Victorians made fantastic smalls and I love smalls -
you got to give credit where credit is due. Number 2, they loved gadgets, simple things compared to today, but you could consider them the first techies. If it was mechanicized, they wanted one. Even though it took longer and was more difficult than doing it manually!

Number 3, they were the founders of goth fashion. I am not a goth myself, but like the style. Using the basic colors and theme of constantly acknowledging death introduced by the Victorians, it has evolved a much more attractive look. Like the Victorians, it incorporates other eras. Unlike them, it has restraint. And I hate to keep beating the same drum, but I'm back on the black basics of quality theme. Think about it. Those who go thru a Goth phase and do it well will have a lot more wardrobe items that will turn out to incorporate well into any new look. I mean, how much of that hip hop, rockabilly, emo, grunge, surfer, hippy, leather studded stuff hanging in your closet is going to look good at the office?

Junk Stores, Thrift Shops, Garage-Estate Sales, Flea Markets - Shopping Tip No. 1

Now if you've got any smarts at all, you know that many of the items sold in antique stores, vintage boutiques, and even at well known auction houses, were found at one of the shopping venues in the title. Granted, this may not hold true for the higher end auction houses as their items often come from private collections or high end dealers. But, many of those items, if traced, would be found to have similar backgrounds. Hand sewn quilts, embroidered samplers, hand carved dough bowls, were all items that could be bought cheaply at flea markets and yard sales 50 years ago. Many collectors became enthralled with and started purchasing items long before popular interest made them valuable.

Dealers who have brick and mortar stores usually don't have the time to do their own "junk shopping" so they often buy from "pickers". Pickers are people who will shop any venue with low prices, looking for anything that looks old or unusual. They then bring car, van or truck loads of items around to people who buy those types of things. Pickers do not always have detailed knowledge concerning age, marks, material, etc., nor do they spend time trying to attain that knowledge. Acting as the "middle man" for many dealers, they buy cheap and turn their inventory quickly. The good ones with "an eye" do very well.

Then there are those of us who are as addicted to the "find" as we are to the item itself. We just love to junk shop and the treasures we locate have extra value to us personally. It's not just the fact that we picked up a gorgeous piece of Italian art glass worth $325 in today's market for $2 at a yard sale. Though it can't be equated into dollars, the "find" itself gives us a thrill that more than doubles the profit albeit not literally. Going beyond the resale value, we also delight in finding useful and decorative items for our own personal use at a fraction of the going retail price in which ever market it would normally be found in.

So - whether you are already hooked into junk shopping, are just beginning to explore the joys of it or are thinking about trying it, here are some suggestions from one who has been going at it for 40 years.

Prepare and keep in your car the following. Find yourself a tote bag with lots of pockets, preferably something made of soft, padded or quilted material. In your bag, keep a magnifying glass or jewelers loupe, some small screwdrivers, some packs of cheap wet wipes, a pair of garden gloves, a notebook with a pen, small bottles of glass cleaner, wood soap, and a gentle detergent mixed with water, and last but not least, a small purse with a long strap you can wear diagonally across your shoulders. The purse needs to be big enough to hold money and a magnifying glass. Depending on how often you shop, the small bottles of cleaner may need to be emptied and refilled occasionally.


Now find two boxes, one from a liquor store with cardboard dividers where the bottles were and one just a regular box. In the undivided box put some used bubble wrap, unprinted newspaper or butcher type paper, or those small plastic bags of air. Roll up some discarded t-shirts, towels, etc. and put them in the slots of the liquor box.

With the above items stashed in your vehicle, you are ready to stop at a moments notice at any type of sale that looks like interesting. The magnifying glass will help you look at marks, check for chips and flea bites, get an idea of what type of printing process was used, if there are real brush strokes, if signatures are real or imprinted, check glazes, etc.

Small screw drivers will let you check to see if loose parts can be tightened, if they have a different color underneath the screw head, etc.

Wet wipes are for your hands if not wearing gloves. Also, if shopping a large spread out area, the individully wrapped ones will fit in your small shopping purse and are great for spot checking items when carrying around your bottles of cleaners would be a hassle.

Garden gloves for digging through boxes that might have broken glass, sharp edges, nails, etc. Getting a cut or puncture, even a tiny one, around a bunch of dirty stuff isn't a great idea!

Notebook and pen for the obvious - phone numbers and names of people who might have more items you want to see, who have information on items you're interested in, who sell in different places, who have info on different places to sell. What I find really handy is making notes on things I've bought, makers' marks, color, patent numbers, company names, old addresses, etc., especially when I'm having a good day and finding numerous treasures. When I get home, some quick research can be done without unpacking everything. A big glass of ice tea, take my shoes off, turn on the laptop, put my feet up and see if I can add even more zest to the thrill of the hunt!

The cleaners help to check whether those stains and discolorations are just dirt, mold or permanent, clean framed glass to get a good look at what's underneath, see if a mirror or piece of glass is permantly clouded or just way dirty, same with wood items and leather - warning! just do small spots to check and do further thorough cleaning at home carefully and with the proper products.

The small purse is an easy and safe way to carry your money, magnifier and wipes while keeping both hands free. On those occasions that a really good find is spotted, purses can be set aside and ignored while you hold and check out your prize. Large shoulder bags can make slipping thru narrow aisles or bending over to dig under tables difficult. I found one of those small rectangular shaped used Coach bags at one of my stores. It has a long strap, the front flap has a turn closure and underneath is a front pocket perfect for my iphone and enough room in the purse itself for a small magnifier, a zip change purse and an extra pair of reading glasses (one of those pairs that come in a small tube).

The boxes are pretty self explanatory. I love the liquor boxes for small items. They can be safely stored in separate sections. On a big shopping trip or extremely lucky one, more than one item can be placed in each section using a small piece of cardboard or some wadded up paper between items. Try to avoid using printed newspaper as it will discolor or stain some items. If you buy something wrapped in printed newspaper, discard and rewrap as soon as possible.

If you are shopping or on the look out for large items such as furniture, lamps, wall hangings, etc., then keep some old blankets and some larger screw drivers handy. If you buy mirrors or items framed with glass, do not lay them flat, place them on their sides with material or cardboard between them and place them so they can not fall over once the vehicle is moving. Transporting flat sheets of glass, even just one mirror for example, laying flat is asking for cracks or breakage.

Additional info - The soft tote mentioned above - mine is a used, of course, Vera Bradley with 6 pockets stitched to the interior sides. I keep one or two empty at all times for things like jewelry and super small smalls. When looking for liquor boxes, check out the larger stores as they will have a surprising variety of sectioned boxes. Good quality pints have some sturdy small rectangle sections, better quality brands have thicker dividers, sections can be 3x3 inches to 6x6.

Remember - this is what works for me. There are probably a wealth of other suggestions out there. Keep an eye out to see what other shoppers are carrying or using. If you find yourself thinking "I wish I had a - fill in the blank" more than 3 times, then figure out a way to carry one or improvise one. Happy hunting!

Bras, Girdles, Feminism, and Science Fiction

I never burned my bra, I just quit wearing it. I had left home and found an apartment in Ghent, an old Norfolk, Va. neighborhood. At the time, late 60's early 70's, rent was cheap for turn of the century apartments and older homes converted into apartments. The hippys, the art community, the musicians, the ODU students, and young sailors from all over trying not to stand out with their military haircuts, they all converged on the area to rent apartments, studio space, and businesses. Small bars with live music were packed every night and little corner deli's were wall to wall on Sunday mornings.

Because I jumped into this new life feet first and ready to be free, man made plus natural substances were a part of the new me. Consequently my memories of my first year or two tend to be in vivid vignettes with hazy surroundings. One of the first is of an intense conversation on how women had been totally enslaved by the clothes they were expected to wear. The fact that a man had designed the most popular bra of our mother's era, still heavily influencing the bra designs of ours, was made much of. Now to be honest, I do remember that the conversation involved more aspects of female clothing. It covered the skirt and dress versus the pants topics and it covered the sexual topics of why we ended up being the ones that had to dress to attract when in most species it was the male who had the most sprucing. It spanned politics, social outlook and even touched on economy and skirt lengths.

Having immediately soaked up the ideals of the time, no more hypocrocy, no more ozzie and harriet facades, we are who we are and we're honest about it, I knew after that conversation that I wasn't a feminist and could never claim to be one. I loved clothes and loved the new freedom to wear any type I liked. Long skirts with halters made out of vintage silk scarfs, men's dress vests with blue jeans, big clunky platform shoes with bell bottoms, floaty jackets made of old lace curtains, vintage joan crawford jackets with wide shoulders and cinched waists with elephant leg crepe pants, there was no way I was going to stop endulging my affair with clothes.

The undergarment part of the conversation is what changed my life. My mother and her sister took me on a womanly rites shopping trip when I was fifteen. They bought me several long leg girdles with hidden garter attachments and some cross your heart type bras. I can honestly say that I did not need a girdle at 15. There were also some nicer softer bras but they were all in satin type materials with lace and as a "single good girl", I got white cotton and heavy stitching. My mother was old enough to be my grandmother, she was Portuguese, and she was raised in an old country enclave in New England. A good girl hid any signs she had curves and what body parts she couldn't hide were put in immovable containers.

The girdle and the bra were never worn again. Vintage full slips and camisols took the place of the bra when needed and a lacy garter belt was found to hold up my hose when I wore them. That freedome alone was enough to make me a diehard hippy. But due to the very things I replaced my old signs of female bondage with, I knew in my heart that by the true tenets of feminism in that time, I wasn't one.

About two years into my new life I met two older gentleman who owned a used book and antique shop in the neighborhood. There was a front section of used paperbacks, a back section of 1st editions and rare books and a side room large enough for a few pieces of furniture and a good smattering of decorative arts objects. After several months of shopping for books and checking out the antique shop, they engaged me in a conversation. They weren't known for their friendliness to females, in fact it was a bit of neighborhood lore, so when they spoke to me it was a happening. They wanted to know who I was buying the science fiction books for and when I said they were for me they gently quizzed me to see if I had really read them. I then asked them why they would think I wasn't reading them. They said they had noted that sci-fi was finally reaching a broader reader base but the majority was male and very few females, under 5 percent in their store anyway, were reading it.

Then, the real moment came, one of those vignette memories again. One asked me if I had burned my bra and was I fighting for female equality and freedom. The whole conversation was starting to get my hackles up and I snapped back since I was already equal and free I didn't see the need to fight but did see the need for some changes in the laws, some enforcement of same and some education of those who didn't consider me so. It was the right thing to say. They had a good laugh and I had to join them. Then one told me that believing you were equal and a free person, and living your life as such no matter how others acted, was the true battle, and the true sign that you weren't enslaved or unequal.

After that we became friends or perhaps it would be more truthful to say they became two of my mentors. Another quirk in my life where a conversation about sci-fi and bras led me to meeting two people of my parents generation who gave me hope that: a. Getting older didn't mean you'ld be stuck in a rut of doing things according to the neighbors' opinions. b. Just because I wasn't screaming for equality and freedom didn't mean I wasn't getting it. The way I lived my life could and would have a ripple effect, so I was part of the battle even if I hadn't signed up.

By the way, I still don't wear a bra, still read some sci-fi and still consider myself extremely free and very equal.