Windy day. Audrey Trussell came shopping anyway; plans to try her hand at making hats thanks to our earlier post about the lack of same at churches these days . . . My latest flea market jigsaw puzzle bargain was a bust; three pieces missing . . . Found a neat new post on the Historical Society of Dauphin County website. Curator Stephen Bachmann plans to post regularly a "photo of the week" showing scenes from the county's past. The link below will take you directly to the photos but you may want to stay and explore; you can see interior pictures of the John Harris Mansion, for instance . . . the picture to the right is something of a sham. The green ash tree on Green Street is always a herald of autumn but this year it failed to produce its usual splendor; turned mostly brown and dropped its leaves much too soon. This is how it looked last year . . . http://www.dauphincountyhistory.org/research/photos/weeklyphoto/

Linda Ries from the Pa. Archives popped in for some cards today. We still have autographed copies of her Harrisburg book. $19.95 . . . Ken Frew's book on Harrisburg architecture is due out soon. Will try to get a better citation for you . . . Placed our fabric order for place mats, tea towels, throws, etc. Shipment comes from Seattle, so it will be a week or so before they arrive . . . A flock of birds fluttered and swooped above the store this afternoon. "Looks just like fireworks," JJ declared . . .

Our History – Part Three

The man had already been in twice that day to look at jewelry and he reappeared at closing. He chose two pairs of earrings. Something in his manner made me suspicious and put me on my guard. I took longer than necessary to package his order, hoping someone else would come in. No luck. When I asked for his money he brandished a knife and emptied the till. He headed for the door and I for the phone . . . No one had come in because he had locked the door, but Tom Leonard was waiting and simply thought I had slipped off to the loo for a moment. Tom heard me calling the police and immediately gave chase . . . fortunately for us, there had been several purse-snatchings recently at that hour and there were plain-clothes officers scattered throughout the area; the fellow was caught just a few moments later with the jewelry still on him. Tom was an acclaimed hero . . . at the trial the man claimed he had never been on Green Street and the prosecution could not mention that he had been caught in the act of raping a woman in the parking lot just across from the store. It would have been once and done had not a pregnant juror decided her time had come (it hadn’t) just as deliberations were beginning. So a mistrial was called and we had to do it over again. He got five years . . . And would you believe that several years later he returned with a girlfriend claiming he had earrings on layaway for her and had come to pick them up . . . I dashed for the phone, but the dispatcher refused to send an officer because she didn’t have a “back-up” for him and there hadn’t been an “incident” YET! Luckily, the fellow and his girl left on their own without further confrontation . . . we have been shop-lifted a lot over the years (and have known some culprits but unable to catch them in the act) but nothing as dramatic as this . . . well, there were a few other events worth mentioning . . .

Peter Bower celebrating an anniversary . . . Lynn Clemons back from Big Sky country; loved it and hopes to go back soon for winter sports . . . Ah, the joys of retirement: Dr. Coldren is cleaning his garage . . . The FTC adopted some new guidelines today for those of us who blog. Please be advised that I haven't received any freebies for saying something nice about someone or something (just in case I really have said something nice about someone or something) . . . Reports that two people died on the Market Street bridge this weekend because the offending driver was busy texting is unsettling; we have already experienced something similar (though thankfully not fatal)--you might remember that Bob was t-boned and his car destroyed at Green and Forster by a lady who was allegedly on her cellphone at the time of impact . . . (and I hope you noticed the 'comment' on yesterday's entry) . . .

More than 20 members of Bob's club descended on Harrisburg this weekend. They were welcomed by Dodge City Restaurant, the Brownstone Lounge and Roxy's Cafe. The Bare Wall also shared in their largess. Our thanks to Tom and Jerry from Long Island, Tommy and David from Brooklyn, Phil and Vince from New Jersey, Joe from York, Dan from Needmore and Jon from West Virginia . . . they also demolished all of Bob's apple bread and everyone wants the recipe . . .

Jere Schrom informs me that the Zephyr Express on North Street has closed its doors. He also reported a mugging at gunpoint at 11 p.m. in front of the Grayco Apartments . . . Happy birthday to Brent Lawson, his 39th . . . It is sobering to realize that the kids who used to play on the floor of The Bare Wall now have children of their own. It has been fun watching them grow up and finding their way in life. I can remember a young Colleen MacNett who loved our videos; she planned to work for us as soon as she was old enough. Of course that whim soon evaporated once she was in her teens . . . Bob whipped up some delicious apple bread. He is entertaining members of his men's club this weekend . . . Thanks to all of you who have e-mailed me your appreciation for the store history which I began a few days ago. The saga will continue soon . . .

Was interviewed today by Eric and Amy from the Central Penn Business Journal. They were seeking businessmen's reactions to proposals being put forth by the two mayoralty candidates. I was of little help since I am unfamiliar with Mindlin and Thompsons's plans to strengthen our neighborhoods, possibly at the expense of center city. Currently I view Thompson in an unfavorable light since she has a record on which to make a judgement. But I know nothing of Mindlin so I am waiting to be persuaded . . . Frankly, I don't think the city will ever be the shopping mecca it once was especially if we continue to use our farmland for commerce . . .



Our History – Part Two

Beyond the crafts (on consignment at first) we purchased party paper goods for $500, never realizing how many closets would be needed to store such an amount. And no one bought them, so they and our funds languished . . . then the miracle (divine intervention): Grace Methodist Church planned a spaghetti supper and forgot to order paper napkins. Could we save the day? We sure could! A deal was struck and we had working capital again . . . Crafts sales went well. It was “the Age of Aquarius” and the Hippies and everyone else were going “back to the earth.” Pottery (especially hanging planters), copper jewelry and woodwork were in demand. (So were tie-dyed t-shirts, but we “quality” snobs didn’t offer those.) . . . We made a major investment in needlework goods and were a major supplier of and instructor in needlepoint, rug hooking and cross stitch for the next 15 years. Customers could spend hours undisturbed among the yarns and several did. We intervened only when asked . . . Early one afternoon a neighbor, Betsy Gohl, burst through our door, agitated. “What’s wrong?” she demanded. Then she looked into the back room and said “Never mind” and left. We confronted her later. “There were State Police on your doorstep. I thought you had been robbed,” Betsy said. “But then I saw why they were here.” We were still puzzled. “Don’t you know who was in the needlepoint room?” Yes, it was a nice older lady who came in often and stayed a long time. “THAT,” we were told, “was Muriel Shapp, the Governor’s wife!” And we hadn’t recognized her . . . and thank heavens we didn’t; her secretary later told us how much Muriel liked the store because she was left alone unlike the store owners back home who fussed over her every minute! . . . But we did get robbed eventually; what a hoot that was . . .

Nice visit with Suzi Marsico today. She had a great weekend in Philly recently and went to an art show on Rittenhouse Square. She planned to surprise hubby Ed with a lovely $90 painting--until she discovered there were several more zeros after the 9, three to be exact! . . . Sorry to hear that Jean Pugh passed away, aged 99. She had been a stalwart at Grace Methodist for many years . . .



Our History - Part One



Ronn moved into the first floor apartment at 712 Green Street in August 1963, bought the building in 1969 and moved to the second floor. He was a terrible landlord (or perhaps it was the tenants who were terrible, but that is another story). Ronn’s hobbies were latch hooking and macramé knotting and on a whim he announced he was no longer a landlord: forthwith the space would be a retail outlet specializing in decorations for The Bare Wall. . . That noble idea was short-lived. Ronn was public relations man for the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and as soon as the store was mentioned craftsmen began offering their wares. Within months the space was a showcase for handicrafts. Wall décor took a back seat. . . Phyllis and Richard Vanier, Robert Rook and the young Pete Wambach and his brother Paul helped get the place up and running. We were to open in June 1972, but Hurricane Agnes quickly put an end to that. So Ronn’s birthday, October 23, was chosen for the official opening. An astrologer friend said it was the period of a “grand trine” which would assure success. I didn’t know what a trine was, but welcomed the ‘success’ part; however, I wasn’t planning to be in the same spot for the next thirty-seven years. . . We launched the place with $2000 borrowed from Commonwealth National Bank and were open four days a week. We used only the front room at the start and added the others as the business expanded. Our first sale was a one dollar bar of soap to the late Ben Benfer who lived across the street. But the $2000 evaporated almost overnight and failure was in sight. It would take a miracle to save us . . .