The First Month - Something Unexpected.
A broken thumb. A shard of broken mirror in the eye. A few tears, a handful of curse words and a ton of 'WTF am I doing?' moments. Just some of the things that led up to the week before we opened the doors of reFIND's retail shop.
A month in and I've already forgotten about all of this. Well, apart from the thumb part. My banged up nail is just waiting for the right moment to fall off. I'm praying it's not when I'm giving a customer their change.
I couldn't have asked for a smoother grand opening. Supportive friends, family and Facebook followers have all stopped in to see and meet the woman behind reFIND. Curious locals popped in to see what was hiding behind the red door and the papered-up windows. I must admit, it was nice to finally not feel like a zoo animal - people's faces and hands pressed up against the windows to try and get a glimpse of what's inside.
But a very unexpected thing happened the moment I opened the door.
Memories.
Loads and loads of memories.
A man sees an antique Singer sewing machine with a treadle and is reminded of his grandmother altering the hem of his pants as a young boy.
Vintage utensils and housewares remind many of cooking or baking with their mothers when they were young - the only thing missing is the smell of apple pie.
An art deco vanity brings back memories of the first time a young girl puts on make-up and dresses up pretty.
A lady tells me a story of hanging clothes on the line using vintage clothespins similar to ones I have in the shop - as soon as she sees them she can smell the fresh laundered scent of the sheets blowing in the wind.
Memories.
And not just past memories - but future memories are created too.
A lady sees a small white lace handkerchief I have out on a table as display. She asks 'Is this for sale?' I say 'Of course - it's $3'. She holds my arm, smiles and says 'You are God-sent. I have been looking desperately for a vintage lace handkerchief to give to my daughter on her wedding day. This one is absolutely perfect - she will love it'.
Another young lady was spending an abnormal amount of time in the shop, slowly taking everything in, smiling. She tells me she is from Toronto and needed a day to herself, away from the craziness of the city. She is forcing herself to appreciate the little things and not get caught up in the hustle of life. She took her time trying on every single vintage apron, modelling them in an antique vanity mirror. She says that when she starts to feel stressed out again, she is going to remember this moment of happiness and just let it all go.
Memories. I have created a place filled with memories. And I love it.
We live in a society where our most expensive material possessions define us. We are judged based on our appearances. Name brands and expensive items hold great value in the public eye because they expose the size of a person's wallet.
We need to put more value in our memories.
Though cliche, it warms the insides to know that I have created a place where someone else's junk truly does become someone else's treasure. Discarded goods reflect our history and become tangible material memories of times past, love lost or found, disappointments endured or victories won. In a time when we have the technological means to mass-produce patina and factory reproduce 'vintage', we need to recall the stories told and the memories made by the true vintage items.
So as Bon Jovi says - (You Want To) Make a Memory.
Sorry - I had to go there.
Mandy
