Fred's News employees were as diverse as the patrons they served. Early on in our career as small business owners, it was basically family that helped. There were however, some very loyal friends that would step up to the plate whenever uncontrollable chaos would surface. Joe, also fondly known as "Egger" was always willing to assist. An educator by choice, an outgoing and naturally funny personality by birth, Joe, for years, was a regular at Fred's News. Although as a teenage he was not allowed to "hangout" in front of the place, that quickly changed. Joe actually was on our payroll on weekends and whenever his schedule allowed. As we started changing the format inside Fred's News to reflect more of a restaurant atmosphere than an extremely cluttered coffee shop/junk shop/convenience store, Joe was always willing to help go through boxes and boxes of merchandise and whatever else that was found in every nook and cranny. Between our kids and Joe their discoveries were at times, different. In an earlier blog, I mentioned that the place was a precursor to todays' CVS or Walgreens. Visualize what possibly could of been found in those boxes. One of the first discoveries were fifty year old eye-glasses with rims that reminded you of cat eyes. They wore these around the restaurant much to the delight of the customers. Another popular find was old plastic pop bead necklaces, a short-lived Fred's News wardrobe accessory, cases of Witch Hazel and Bromo-seltzer tablets that no longer fizzed. "How do we know they didn't fizz any longer?" you ask. Silly, silly question, "they tried them!" Not literally by drinking them, but by lining up glasses of water and checking them out. They found old boxes upon boxes of "fleet enemas." No, they DID NOT try these! Perhaps the most enlightening piece of old merchandise to be found, at least for our youngest, at age ten, were packets of old condoms. No, they DID NOT try these either! At least not in the way they were meant to be used. Instead they got the brilliant idea, let's blow them up and hang them on door handles for "party decorations". Lovely! Scared the crap out of me as I reached for the back-door to enter the restaurant. Luckily, it was the time of day that only a few of the regulars joined in the festivities. As the days and weeks moved on, they thoroughly enjoyed "their archeological digs" into the long lost inventories of an earlier Fred's News.
Our first holiday party for employees of Fred's News was interesting. Joe got the brilliant idea everyone should have a festive hat. If my memory is correct they were made from cleaned and recycled tub butter containers, all of which were adorned with many other items found in the catacombs of Fred's News. These "new wave chapeaus" made from recycled "finds" were quite the rave! At least within the confines of Fred's News!
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