Eli Yawitz Company

elyyawitz.com

It is time to begin planning costumes for Lindi's dance recital which reminds me of an adventurous day we had last year.

We needed thread, lots of thread. Lin, a friend from Texas, told me about a locally owned wholesale place in St. Louis that sells every kind of sewing notion. Ely E. Yawitz Company. We decided to go in search of this place with the memorable name.

.

It was a wintery, cold and snowy day.  We bundled up, got in the car and drove to one of those intriguing old warehouse districts in the city.

After parking in a bank of unshovelled snow, we made our way inside.  It all looked pretty abandoned.  I could almost think we were in one of those surreal scenes from INCEPTION:

 forsaken halls and 

forgotten telephone booths,

 mysterious doors with only a vague suggestion of what might be behind them.

At last, a sign of recognition.  We did ring the bell, Ely's clerks welcomed us, and assured us we were in the right place.

We found:

 

shelf

after shelf,

drawer upon drawer.

                                                                            

In them and on them were thousands of sewing supplies which are normally sold to clothing manufacturers, but they were very happy to sell to us in small quantities.  

Ely E. was a young man in 1924 when he opened his business, so he is no longer with us. However, I understand, a relative of some descent is still operating this very active warehouse, hiring local folks, paying local taxes and maintaining a local historic building.
As personal sewing has become rarer, so have the places selling needed notions, especially rare are local establishments, so I was really happy to find Ely E. Yawitz Company. If you decide to visit the Yawitz Company, try calling first to get directions and best time of the day to come.  Since they are accustomed to filling very large orders, a phone call will help you avoid their "rush times".

We had our rainbow of thread and it was time to return home.  One thing you can be sure of, local shopping is never dull.

Read It and Weep

drumheadquarters.com

Drum Headquarters has been a Maplewood mainstay for 30 years.  Offering a great staff of percussionist professionals who gave private lessons and 4,000 square feet filled with every imaginable type of drum or drum accessory....timpanis, snares, tomtoms, bongos and bass.
A musician's dream world.
Micha became quite a good drummer from the excellent instruction he received there. I loved the place with it's dazzling drum sets and shiny cymbals.

Just walking through Drum Headquarters made me feel it would be worth the effort to learn to beat out a rhythm on the drums.

I talked with the owner, Jim Uding, a few times. He was extremely knowledgeable, always friendly and helpful with whatever I needed. With so many years of experience he was truly a veteran of business and an expert in all things drum related. There were always people in the store and the lesson slots were all filled.  I assumed it was his excellent management and a solid following of loyal music people who made this place so successful. I never considered that Drum Headquarters could be an endangered business.

However, I learned differently while driving home a few days ago.  Trucks backed up to the door were being loaded with all those beautiful drums.  A "For Lease" sign was posted by the sidewalk.

WHAT???!!!  Surely not!  It could not be closing!

But it was.  Why? Must be some family tragedy, serious illness, something other than lack of business.

Their website (click here) with accompanying news story makes it all clear.  Too many of those 'customers' I had seen were using Drum Headquarters as a place of research not commerce. For them it was a showroom where they decided what to buy online. Couple that with the slow economy, it simply was not possible to keep the doors open.

The building that was bustling with people shopping and learning and visiting together while weaving their way amid a maze of drumsticks, books and tamborines, now looks like this:

So what do we do?

Take a while to weep, feel the sadness of a man who worked for 30 years to build and maintain a fine local business and who now must walk away.  Realize the loss to our community both socially and economically.

Then resolve not to so easily shop with a click.  Go out today, before it is too late and buy something from a local vendor and take a minute to thank him.

Webster Record Shop

websterrecords.com

Isabel is still very sick, deep in a coma.  A few days ago one of her many doctors came in while she was listening to "Il Trovatore" with Mary.  He was thrilled to hear the music and started conducting, ya gotta love a doctor like that!

He said yes! Good music...opera is what she should be listening to...."LaBoheme"!

Alli decided to go that very day to get "LaBoheme" for Isabel.

We knew where to go!  Webster Record Shop, another of those feisty little businesses that have been a part of St. Louis culture since the '50s.

They specialize in classical music with a wide variety of new  

and used CDs,

but they also have a great mix of all kinds of music

from rock to ragtime,

on CD or vintage vinyl.

I discovered another reason to shop at Webster Records: Bill Wondracek. Bill is a great guy, one of those people you just like right away! He knows about music and is there to be of service. I appreciated his help deciding which of the 3 or 4 versions of "LaBoheme" to buy.  Bill has been working at Webster Records for 10 years; he started working part time to give the *original* owner a little time off.

There have only been three owners since the beginning of the store 53 years ago.

Jennifer Bellm has owned the store for about 5 years now.

Mia Culpa...it is confession time. I don't remember the last time I bought a CD from a real record shop. When I think of a whole town of people not buying records locally I am amazed we have a music store at all. 

Bill told me a few years ago in Manhattan there were 5 or 6 thriving music stores.  Now, there is only one and when New Yorkers are in St. Louis, many come to Webster Records to shop.

 Here we have at least 3 music stores.  I am so grateful to the resourceful and dedicated business owners of St. Louis and their faithful customers for preserving these treasures until I awoke from my stupor.

I know it is great ordering cds on the internet. But isn't it even greater to be a part of keeping a record shop in downtown Webster Groves for another fifty years?

It really is up to us.

B and B Aquatics

bbaquatics.com

We are back home and back in the non-routine of summer;

for the McDonald family that always includes swim team.

Micha's need of a new suit for swimming provided me another point of research which led to 

B&B Aquatics in Kirkwood.

While shopping I actually met Barbara Archie, founder and owner of this store which has everything any swimmer could need, young or old, competitive or recreational.

This endeavor started in Barbara's home. She was busy raising 5 daughters who loved swimming and saw a need for high quality suits and accessories.  It was a need she decided to address.

In 1980, the business had grown beyond what she could do at home and she opened a store in Kirkwood. Although the store has expanded to include the neighboring area, B&B Aquatics still occupies the original Kirkwood retail space.  There is even a second retail space in Chesterfield.

Goggles and toys,

flip flops or mesh bags,

suits in basic black or vibrant tropicals

are to be found 

in abundance.

And, as I've learned from Micha, there is a very real difference in swimwear and accessory quality.

The goggles from B&B actually work and the jammer (swim suit) lasts and lasts.

So whether you swim or someone you love swims, check out B & B Aquatics 

And feel good knowing you've supported a local St. Louis business!

Hibdon Hardwoods

www.hibdonhardwood.com

Hey, I have a proselyte! Will, my son, is catching the "little guy" fever, too. So when he needed some wood for a very special knife he is making, he wanted to find a locally owned business rather than the franchised store where he usually shops. After a bit of googling he found Hibdon Hardwood. I asked if I could join him to do some blog research....sounded like an adventure I couldn't miss. He welcomed me and we were on our way to 1410 N. Broadway.

A huge sign painted on the side of the building assured us we were in the right vicinity; after only a little looking we found the door to enter the old riverfront warehouse. I knew from the moment we walked in Will was going to love this place.

What fun for me to watch him go from bin to bin,

rack to rack,

shelf to shelf, marveling at the array of more exotic fine wood than he had ever seen in his life. And there was even a scrap bin to rummage through.

He was wonderstruck!

And when Mr. Hibdon offered to show him the 2200 square foot work shop, he could hardly contain his excitement.

There are two Mr. Hibdons, actually. Jerry was working today while his brother is out of town. The brothers, Mr. Hibdon's wife, and Leonard make up the entire staff of this woodsy business. And they do know wood. The Hibdon family has been in lumber for five generations. In fact, Jerry started working with wood when he was 6 years old, sweeping up under his daddy's sawmill. I'm sure no one knows more about wood, but with the true humility of a very knowledgeable person, Jerry hurried to deny my praise.

Jerry's brother started this business in the former Merry Widow Theater on Chouteau in 1978.

They moved to this Broadway location 2o years ago, an old warehouse that used to hold wheat and corn until it was ready to be carted or shipped out to other parts of the country. They do it all right here...

cutting,

planing,

drying in the massive kiln, and selling in the showroom.

The logs come in and they are managed extremely carefully to be sure nothing is lost. (click here to catch a glimpse of what is involved in this very demanding process of turning a log into boards)

Woodworking may not be your hobby but being at Hibdon's you will wish it was!However, if you do make knives, musical instruments, bowls and candle sticks or need some floors or cabinets for your house, or maybe you have always wanted to carve an elephant....this is the place to go!

And whether you want machiche, t'zalam, ziricote, cocobolo, bubinga,

or figured maple (spelted, bird's eye, curly, quilted, flamed, or fiddle back) Jerry will have it or tell you where to find it.

Or if you just want a little adventure head on down to Hibdon Hardwood.

Stand in the midst of this old river city warehouse

and imagine the history all around you...bales of cotton and barrels of grain, bags of corn and boats filled with it all rolling down the ol' Mississippi.

And also, take a moment to marvel at the endless diversity and wonder of wood.