My big news...

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had some big news about my "dream job."
Drum roll, please....

I am the new manager of La Rosa Vintage on Haight Street in San Francisco.

My friend Oran has vacated the position he held for 10 years, as manager of LaRosa, to open his own shop. I never dreamed I would be hired, or even thought about applying for the position, until a few weeks ago. Let me tell you how it all happened....

During my trip to Southern California, my friend John was selling at the Rosebowl Flea and told me that the owner of La Rosa, Werner had asked him if he could recommend a replacement for Oran. John told me he wanted to recommend me. I was flattered but thought about the commute and the fact that I work very close to the skate park. After some meditation, I left it to "Fate." If it was where I needed to be, it would happen.

When I returned to work on Monday, the computers were down and my boss sent me home. By the end of the day they were not working and she told me not to come in on Tuesday. That is 2 days without being able to work without pay. I decided to email Werner and also gave Oran a quick call about the position. He told me I would be great and gave the company a good recommendation. 

By Friday, the computers were still not working and so I scheduled an interview. Werner and I hit it off. He liked my experience, maturity, and vintage knowledge. This is a full time position, with regular pay, not trade. 

I was so happy when I worked at Time Zone. The opportunity to wake up knowing I will be doing something I love, is my biggest motivator. There is nothing I love more than to help someone find the perfect vintage ensemble, and La Rosa is filled with so many beautiful things. 

Here is an article and a blog written about La Rosa:

MSN article

Retro Madness blog

Here are some pics I found online. I will post my own pics of the shop in the coming weeks:

DeWeese....REALLY?

I gotta throw it out there.

DeWeese cotton sundresses....$100-$250!?!?!?

First of all...the style of sundress I am complaining about was manufactured for at least 20 years, maybe longer. There are a LOT of them out there. They are not rare. I have one that I picked up for about $18 last year in an ebay auction.Now, I suddenly begin to see these dresses sit on ebay buy it now and etsy for months and months because the sellers clearly don't know the market, or their product.  Maybe one of these common dresses sold at an inflated price once upon a time. A perfect vintage DeWeese sundress, with a sought after color pattern, MIGHT be worth $75 at the VERY most. An ordinary one, with ugly colors, should not be sold over $100. That is stupid for the person who buys it and greedy for the seller.

Girls, do your research before you pay too much for an ordinary vintage piece. Don't let greedy sellers get away with it.

This dress is for sale on Etsy for $250. UN-FING BELIEVABLE

 

Familiar faces....

Someone posted this movie trailer on my facebook page the other day. I had to do a double take and watch it a few times because I saw a familiar face!

One of the delinquents in this movie is Morris Everett, aka, Little Mo' from Little Mo and the Dynaflos.

Hello again...

Some of you may have missed me. Some of you may have forgotten I ever existed...regardless, I am still here, although I have not had much time or felt the inclination to blog lately. 


Since the fall, I have spent a majority of my time and energy into my son's skateboarding. I became involved in a parent group that saved our big skate park from city budget cuts. You can read some of our press in the local paper, the bay area news channels and even ESPN. 


ESPN article
TV coverage
Print coverage


I even went and spoke to the city council about how my son's life has improved since he started to skate at Lake Cunningham.

Anywho...we won the battle and a lot of charities have stepped up to help support the skate park. 


Now for some personal details...


I have still been planning Booze Broads and Hotrods with the Bombshells. We have a big announcement to make soon, and it is exciting! I am planning on going to Viva and I went to Long Beach to attend the Inspiration show on the Queen Mary and the Rose Bowl Flea. I forgot that Alameda is better for clothes than Rose Bowl, but I digress. I bought a great Cowichan sweater from my buddy Lloyd and had a good visit with my friend Lucky in Long Beach. I also got to hang out with Dorian and Mike at the Rose Bowl. 


Here's a few photos:

Lucky and I

Mike with his tiger sweater and me with my dog (I tell myself it's a wolf)

Micah, Jim, Me and Dorian

I have some more big news, but I will wait until next week to announce it. A few of my good friends know, but let's say that I have landed my dream job! 

Cheers until next time...I swear I won't stay away so long again.

Selling...not buying for once! Antiques by the Bay in Alameda, 9/4/11

Sunday, I awoke at the ungodly hour of 3:45, so I could take the rollers out of my hair and leave San Jose by 4:30 to sell vintage clothes at Antiques by the Bay in Alameda.

A few months ago, my good friend Dorian married my "vintage cartel" consignor from the vintage shop I worked at. Mike Middleton is a guy I met at an estate sale (the only other person who would beat me to the clothes at 6AM!) and after talking to him for a while, he agreed to consign at the shop. Now the shop is closed, and he is selling at many flea markets and antique fairs. He really does have some of the best stuff around, as you will see from the photos.

Anywho...last month, and this month, I helped transport a fortune worth of vintage, as well as helped sell with them at Antiques by the Bay in Alameda. I cleaned out my closet and sold a couple of items, as well.

Me in front of our stall

Vintage Motorcycle Boots

Lots of vintage western

 

My friend, Tommy from Chicago stopped by to shop

The Newlyweds

More photos of the stall

One of our neighbors...

 

Good Rockin' Tonight...

My friend uploaded this video to youtube today...thought I would share this interesting documentary on the London Rockin' Scene circa mid 1980s.

Another public service announcement...

I have a few followers who I suspect have blogs, but I can not be certain. See, when I click on their profiles, it only tells me their bio and what sites they've started following recently. There is no link to their blog in their profile.

I believe, and I could  be wrong (it happens occasionally) that you must add your blogger web address in a box that says "website", or something like that, in your profile. 

Go figure it out so I can cyberstalk...or at least get to know you and leave pointless comments on your outfit posts.

How I spent my summer...and a gratuitous outfit post

First...the outfit. It seems that a lot of people like to post pics in their fabulous wardrobes, so here is a pic of me in a dress Frank bought me for Christmas last year. Black and white taffeta gingham, with black lucite buttons with rhinestones in them, and a dropped, pleated skirt from the mid-50s. 

I know I have been bad about keeping up with all that I've been doing this summer. The truth is that I have not had much time for blogging. Between work and commitments with the Bombshells and my kids, there has not been much time to blog. 


Aside from my trip to the UK, here is a brief recap of some of what I was doing this summer...

Vending at car shows to raise money for Booze Broads and Hotrods (The Bombshell's website)

Time with Family

 

Time with Friends

 

Went to a few shows...

 

 What I did the most this summer, much to my joy, was watch my son skate at the skate park. 

Mason getting air

 

Sometimes I leave comments...

Just to let you know I read your blog. It can be frustrating when you take the time to write something out and you have no idea if it's being read. 


This was a public service announcement.

Rockin' the 229 by Rollin Records and Bopflix

Rollin Records is probably my favorite modern record label that is putting out records and CDs at the moment. Neil sent me their promo DVD from their show they did in 2010, and I'm hoping someone will send me this one. Oh hell, I think I will just break down and buy it! You can order DVDs, CDs and records directly from the website: Rollin Records

I had the opportunity to meet Chris Magee, the producer, director, and editor of all the Bopflix videos while in the UK. It's amazing so much talent could be had in someone so young. Bopflix is responsible for the Documentary about the Rockabilly Rave, "Havin' a Ball" and also the great videos put out by Jack Rabbit Slim (Kitten with a Whip and Wolf Call). 

This DVD features some of my buddies over in the UK, and I look forward to seeing the interviews, in addition to seeing the performances of these amazing bands.

Don't forget to turn off the music player before you play the video!