Green Goose Resale and Consignment

www.greengooseresale.com

Alli was visiting a new resale shop in South St. Louis a few days ago. 

Its whimsical name is inviting.

Its use of an old florist shop preserves our charming old buildings in the city, 

  its location on South Hampton is very convenient,

and its tastefully arranged showroom provokes all sorts of ideas to try at home.

There are couches

and chairs

and tables

and accessories galore.

I spoke with Robin McNabb, owner of the
Green Goose

 and with her niece and her  sister-in-law who work with her in the shop.  

Isn't it wonderful when families are able to work together?

The Green Goose opened about 3 weeks ago. They are all delighted and a little surprised by the abundant support of the community.  Robin had a large collection of furniture for the store's opening. Since its opening most of that original inventory has already been sold  and the floor is now filled with consignments that have been coming in steadily.

Robin is happy that her business is able to support three ideas and groups that are important to her.  

For many years Robin has volunteered with Safe Connections, an agency formed to serve people who have suffered domestic violence.  With this new business venture she will continue to support them in a very tangible way.  A portion of her profit will be given to Safe Connections and items that don't sell within 60 days or are not claimed by their owner will be available for clients of Safe Connections as they try to give their lives a new start.

Robin also sees resale as a key component of responsible use of natural resources.  By using items to their fullest, we have more left over to share with others. 

AND near and dear to my heart is her belief in locally owned businesses which she demonstrates pretty clearly by all of the energy she is putting into this one.

So what did Alli find while shopping at the Green Goose?

Tablecloths, lots and lots of matching tablecloths.
May there be many happy parties in the future of those cloths.
And may the future of the Green Goose
be just as bright as the first three weeks have been.

Bob's Seafood Inc.

314-993-4844

Isabel is having outpatient therapy sessions at Ranken Jordan, a Pediatric Specialty Hospital.  Occasionally I get to be one of the ones who drive her there. (Perhaps the Ranken Jordan story is one to explore sometime, this hospital has patients from all over the world and it was originated right here in St. Louis in 1941 by Mary Ranken Jordan and her husband. The hospital's tradition of skill and compassion is inspirational.)

The trek from Maplewood to Maryland Heights isn't a common one for me so it provides great research possibilities.

I've been thinking we need to eat more fish.

 

Since Bob's Seafood is on my route (on Olive just east of I-170) this seems the perfect time to begin. 

The folks at Bob's do a great job of de-mystifying seafood to my little mid-western mind.

I know fish should be a regular part of a healthy diet, but I admit I'm confused and overwhelmed by it all.  And many of my efforts have been less than tasty.

On my last visit to Bob's Seafood Alli was making bouillabaisse and I was shopping for her.  I was meticulously following directions for just the right amount of just the right seafood.  The wonderful lady behind the counter encouraged me to relax, have a good time.  She explained it in a way this Missouri farm girl could understand: boil some bones, put in a little meat and some vegetables. The name may be fancy and hard to spell but basically it is just soup!  So I went home with a bunch of fish bones and some random fish, and Alli made some perfectly memorable fish stew.

Truly, it was amazing.  That was my first hint that "fresh" makes all the difference.

We've been eating outside a lot lately, what else can you do on a perfect fall day?  We've done all the traditional mid western grill stuff: brats, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and pork chops. But today I would be driving by Bob's Seafood so why not try fish? They suggested a good and economical fish for cooking over an open fire, not too delicate so it would stay together.  I don't remember the name but they said it tastes like Grouper for less than half the price.

I'm not sure what Grouper tastes like but this couldn't have been more delicious. And everyone loved it! It was quick and easy and yummy. 

With another seafood success I'm thinking Bob's may be the reason. I'm eager to go back  and try again.  

Home Sweet Home Productions

homesweethomeproductions.com

It is time to do some work on our old house. 

Well, it is always time to do work on this house, 

but it takes a while to save the money to do it.

Save we have and the work has begun.

 We take it one side at a time and this time it's the east wall.

When it comes to remodeling there is one extremely significant player: 

the general contractor.

Let me introduce you to Mr. Mark Bisig,

owner of Home Sweet Home Productions, 

our friend and one of the finest men I've ever known.

 Choosing a contractor is not a place to cut corners. 

 With the cost of wood and materials, mistakes are very expensive, so finding someone with experience whom you can trust is essential.

 A few wrong cuts can cost hundreds of dollars.

And if the contractor isn't trustworthy, these errors can easily be hidden to cost you more or create huge problems in the future when the unreliable contractor is long gone.  

Believe me the horror stories are frightening.

Once again we find this truism of shopping locally and small: 

it is about developing relationships,

 knowing each other well enough to trust and respect one another.

A part of this is understanding the need for these folks to make a living wage.

  An independent contractor has no insurance-retirement benefit package, no paid vacation, no paid lunch hour and break. 

They are responsible for the purchase of van, tools, uniform, office equipment and space. They handle all marketing, paper work, customer service issues AND know how to fix or build most anything. 

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned keeping up with the ever changing government regulations that dog their every step. 

A quick example: next week during a contractor's busiest season, it is necessary for Mr. Bisig to take two "vacation" days (unpaid, of course) to drive to Chicago (all expenses are his, of course).  While in Chicago he will attend classes to keep him apprised of the changed government regulations since he attended the class last year.  Things such as: the $700 vacuum we required you to buy last year is no longer safe enough, so you'll need to buy this new $800 machine, or if you would rather not spend every penny you earned this last week,  we will need to fine you $10,000 dollars.

So if their hourly rate seems high, these are good things to remember.

 On the other hand, you are trusting your home to this person, so it is essential to protect yourself by doing your homework and finding someone who is both capable and honorable.  Once you've found this person, appreciate them....for they are rare. 

And don't worry if the bill is a little higher; what you save by avoiding problems later is definitely worth it.

 You might take a few minutes to visit Mark's website posted at the top of this page. 

 There is a great story about him that will introduce him better than I ever could.

Whether you need remodeling work or not, it is just nice to know there are people like 

Mr. Bisig in the world.

Mark offers a fringe benefit that is hard to beat...my personal favorite.

Since our sons have been big enough to hold a plastic hammer they have been along side Mark, learning the many things he has to teach them: 

how to drive a nail, 

how to treat customers fairly,

how to paint a wall, 

how to work long and hard to fulfill a commitment, 

how to hang a ceiling,

 and most of all the knowledge that honesty is a basic human virtue

 and if it is missing not much else matters.