Thirty years ago my brothers and I sat sprawled across the seats of our brown Buick station wagon as we waited for our mom to finish an errand. This is when shopping centers were 5 stores wide and every parking space was front row parking.
So we sat and waited, kids of the 70s, and honked the horn every few minutes for entertainment. After each blast we slid down the wide seats and laughed with the thrill of getting away with something good. Then we’d poke our heads up and watch shopkeepers walk out with hands on hips and scan the parking lot with an eye for retribution.
After more than many honks we were still on the floor laughing when we heard a sharp rap on the window. It was a police officer and his stick. “You kids need to stop honking the horn, okay? It’s not how good little boys and girls behave.”
I can remember him clearly, his smiling face in profile so that I only saw the right side and one bright blue eye. His sandy blonde hair looked young and healthy, like him. Now, at almost 39 years of age, I realize he was nothing more than a baby himself.
But back then, from my spot at the bottom of a Buick, he looked like a 200 year old devil.
My middle brother started crying and stated the obvious, “We’re going to jail!”
We didn’t say a word when my mom got back in the car. Three kids, normally out of control, sat frozen while she situated her purse and packages. She turned around and looked at us.
“You three were the ones honking the horn, weren’t you?”
We sang like birds!
I remember that day every time I pull into the same shopping center, front row parking, right in front of the shoe repair. That’s where my mom was that day. She was having her pumps reheeled. In 1981 you took in your toaster, you mended your clothing, and when your pumps wore down, you had them reheeled.
Today our goods are more disposable, easy to toss and buy…or just buy. Our tolerance for lower quality merchandise is higher and our willingness to pay top dollar is lower. That’s a shame.
Useful or beautiful. Or, useful and beautiful. How nice that would be, to have in our home a beautiful toaster. The very best iron we could afford, the kind that lasts decades. A fine wool coat.
I knew I was off the mark when Nicholas complimented me on my pink purse. That pink purse is red leather that hasn’t been properly conditioned in years. Okay, ever. I knew what I had to do on Day 9. And, sadly, the first step was to buy leather conditioner. 
The process was easy, not at all exciting enough to recount. You know what I did: I cleaned it, conditioned it, and let it dry. The purse went from pink and cracked to brick red and supple. An improvement, for sure.
What this post is more about, I suppose, is my disillusionment with the way I have been trained to consume. Cheaper, faster, always new. In the last four years I have slowly pulled away from that, but it hasn’t been easy. I still wrestle with the need to fill a blank space and move on, rather than wait until the right table/chair/sofa/thing comes along.
This month is such a godsend for me.
New here? For the next 31 days Im living according to the famous William Morris quote. You can learn more about the project here.
I know exactly the shoe store you mean! My dad’s cousin (which makes him my…what?) owned that shoe store, right up until he passed. I believe his wife still does, actually. :)
Loved this post; keep up the good work! (I mean that in a far less patronizing way than it reads.)
Small world! He died of lung cancer, right? My mom was so upset. She saw him when he first found out he was sick. She had been going to him for ever and in the end he died very young, relatively speaking. She really liked him.
Wow, the purse looks fantastic! I find myself learning this lesson over and over – quality over quantity. One nice piece that lasts for decades v. yearly (or even seasonal) trends. And let’s not even start with how the cheap things we consume in mass are often made under horrible conditions v. how quality goods more often (not always!) are more responsibly made. Oh, lots of good food for thought here. I’m enjoying this series.
My favorite post in your series. Great writing and your purse looks brand new!
I was just adding “find cobbler” to my to-do list and thinking it’s the first time I’ve EVER contemplated taking shoes in for repair. I’ve never owned a pair that were worth it. So many things are so cheaply made you can’t repair them, even if you wanted to, but these are good leather and a style that I’ve loved consistently for the years that I’ve owned them so far. There’s something pleasing about the idea of renewing instead of replacing.
(And yes, I’ve also thought about changing Morris’ conjunction: beautiful AND useful)
Is it wrong that at the end of this all I’m thinking is, “wow, her baseboards are clean”.
I love this series and I love this posting, which captures exactly what I have mourned for years. It is such a challenge to try and teach this lesson to our kids who are buying into the consumerism and throw away attitude that has been preached to them. Jeez I am sounding old, but that is the value of aging. . . .seeing things in perspective. I oil my leather bags and use them forever and appreciate their beautiful patina. Good design and function never goes out of style or needs to be replaced. Just love reading your blog.
Love the bag … and the post, but that pretty much goes without saying …
Great post and the bag looks awesome!!
Today is less allegory, more parable. And for a Sunday, its… Appropriate. The task definitely took a back seat to the lesson. Did you plan it that way?
And now a practical comment: it is so awesome that you can recondition your purse! I hate finding an accessory I love, and finding out its more cheaply made than I thought. I’ve had my purple purse for two years, and its getting a bit shabby…but I don’t think it can be repaired. I’m going to use it as long as I can!
You give me far too much credit, Dorothy. I’m not as smart as the people who read my blog. :)
I would snort, if you could actually hear it. I had to ask my linguistically-minded husband if I was right about the difference between an allegory and a parable, Sooo… I’m not so fancy, myself. As an aside, I really admire you for undertaking this challenge (to both do and blog.)
It is so, SO true! When my car broke down Monday night, Nicolas bemoaned, “Oh, NO, we have to buy a new car!” He knew very well it wasn’t in the budget, so he was genuinely concerned. I was surprised that I had to have a conversation with my eleven-year-old about our disposable culture, and I vowed to show him more reuse and repair.
I do take my shoes to the repair shop, and I’m surprised at how expensive it is to repair them. Then, I remind myself: It’s cheaper than a new pair of shoes, and I’m helping keep a small business up and running. That is so worth it.
That’s why I haven’t taken my clothing to get altered. So silly, really, if you think about it. I would rather look dumpy than put together, just to save $10 and some time.
The zipper on my still serviceable purse is broken. I was all for taking it to the repair shop when I mentioned this to some friends. The responded that I should buy new as a “reward” for having done something difficult. They said I “deserved it.” May be I do, in fact. But is that a reason to spend money we don’t have? (I don’t love the purse by the way, but it is OK. and I only own one.) It was interesting to me how automatic their response was–and how enthusiastic.
I am loving this challenge! So inspiring.
I love getting my shoes reheeled. My cobbler puts them in these lovely little packages so it feels like the shoes are brand new: http://annabelvita.com/shoes-worth-wearing-are-worth-repairing xx
Very cool! (Cool boots, too.)
The bag looks great; who would’ve thought it could be so transformed! This, as someone has already said, is also a lesson in buying quality products that can be restored. You made a great decision when you bought that bag!.
It was a gift from my mom. She’s good at buying quality items, even on a budget.
Love your bag and well done! Exactly what I need to do to my own leather bag and our leather furniture too!
I totally agree with your sentiments and I have found over the years that ‘quality over quantity’ and that ‘less is more’ have served me well. Quality is usually more timeless and stylish reducing the need to replace/update as often.
Note to self: take boots to cobbler for re-heeling :)
Just wanted to say I am enjoying your series! This post struck a chord with me and I think it is not only well said but something we need to be reminded of…..as it’s so easy to follow the crowd and live a “disposable life”!
Just wanted to let you know I am really enjoying this series. I am teetering between “must decorate this new house immediately” and “must only decorate from stuff we already have”, and “purge everything in my closet” to “I don’t need any more new clothes, wear what I have.” I like reading about how you are dealing with the fine balance between keep or discard, spend or save, new or old. Its good stuff.
Thank you, everyone, for your support during this project. It means so much!
I’m really enjoying your series (and was already a reader of your blog). :) As someone who recently lost both of her parents within 3 years (and I’m only 35), I’m dealing with the aftermath of my parents’ things like your friend. My sister and I cleaned out their house but of course took far too much of the contents to our own homes. So now I have a full garage and full laundry room (and more framed pictures/photos than I have walls to hang them). I suppose one of these days I’ll have to get around to paring it all down. On the flip side, how do you take a lifetime of memories and belongings and put it all into one box? If my parents had lived to old age I think there would have been a more natural progression of purging and passing down. It was incredibly difficult to give away most of their belongings when it was all I have left of them (which is what we had to do). The only plus in my current situation is that I don’t feel compelled to purchase anything because I have NO room for anything and I have seen firsthand how easy it is to keep years and years of things that you don’t even use. I just need to find some good leather conditioner for my purse. . . :)
You are a wonderful writer. It was such a pleasure meeting you today. Thank you for coming out and saying hi!
what a perfectly timed post in the middle of the other practical, step-by-step offerings. i made a commitment at the beginning of this year to buy clothes of quality over quantity. less target (!) and forever 21, more … i don’t know, the Gap? (is it wrong that to me, the Gap is quality? i’m still 25 and on a budget, after all.) it’s october now, and i’m still trying to stick to that goal, but i’ve had a hard time. it’s just so much easier to buy cheap. WHY?
when i do buy something of quality, occasionally the pants need to be hemmed or the skirt needs to be taken in, and i put it off. there were jeans sitting in my closet that hadn’t been worn because i’d never taken the time to get them altered. so off to the tailor i went, and you know what? $6 later i have a quality pair of jeans that i will wear again and again and again… but i could have had them months ago if i’d just taken a little extra effort and time. i’m afraid i’m definitely a part of this culture that just buys and throws away, and i’d like to be more purposeful, more intentional with my purchases. do you think it’s because we maybe have “more” than our grandparents did, financially-speaking? and so we’re just more comfortable with throwing out? is it because we’re too busy for our own good?
i don’t know, but your posts are getting me thinking about it all. and that’s a good thing.
I think we are overbooked and by consequence search for instant gratification. Even our methods of communication (email, tweet, Facebook status updates) are cheaper, faster, newer. We are a society who doesn’t want to wait for anything.
Have been sick and busy and just reading your 31 days from the sidelines. Loved the purse after though. Also have to admit I had wondered if the Sunday story had been planned. ;) also have to admit that I love conditioning all of my leather items in spring and fall.. they get all abused after winter.. salt, water, getting damp and drying out indoors so even if I won’t use most of them much during spring/summer it’s nice to have them put away shiny clean.. and give them a quick once over before fall when they go back into heavy rotation.. boots, coats.. Loved seeing your purse get loved and cared for, it really is lovely. Also love taking shoes to the cobbler.. I delayed too long and I guess I wore them down so very much that two people told me they were not repairable. Never, ever again.
Nope, completely unplanned. I decide what I am going to do the night before by going over my Plan of Attack list on Day 1. In this case, I decided that morning because what I planned to do–a closet–seemed completely insurmountable after two soccer games.
shhh i’m still mourning the ruined heeled shoes and oh yeah the boots with the leather crack after reading this post. I want to keep some of my happy illusions. Though two soccer games in one day is leaving me shivering in my remaining boots.
I need to pick up some leather conditioner! My (beloved) brown leather purse is showing its age and I keep putting off taking it to our cobbler (who also does purses). I should just do it myself.
I just polished up my Frye boots this past week with this very intention of keeping those suckers until I die.
Love the thoughts shared here — you’re so right. We never take the time to take care of our stuff any more.
Which reminds me–the coupon I got from our local vacuum shop is like a beacon to take care of that thing!
What kind of leather conditioner did you use? The purse looks great!
I can’t remember if I used my mom’s can of Tannery or not. I do know I used a cleanser + conditioner. You’ll need both, especially if you’ve never cleaned your leather before. Using two separate products for each will work better in the long run, though.
We must be around the same age b/c I remember sitting in the car A LOT! No police, though:) Anyway, I have had shoes recently re-surfaced and it’s not cheap. I think it was like $30 for new soles. Now, I did this for my very favorite shoes that I felt could not be replaced. But I guess I’d rather have a new pair of shoes. I mean, I’d had these shoes (for work) for almost 5 years, so I think I got my value/ wear out of them. I also takes my daughter’s UGGs to the cobbler and they fix them up for the younger one. I’m lucky to have this convenience at my very local dry cleaner where they do a drop-off service. But I think it’s okay to just donate the old ones and buy new ones. I do that too.
this is such a cute, sweet post. i’m now following your blog :)
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