The Story of the Thrift Store Detective

I read an interesting story in yesterday morning's Ottawa Citizen about a woman named Chelsey Brown who is a 'Thrift Store Detective.' As an eBay seller, I often wonder who the people were that appear in the photographs that I find. How old were they when the photograph was taken? What was the occasion of the picture? Where did they live? What path did life take them down? 

Highlights of the items that Brown has found in her adventures include letters, photos, cards and even Second World War ration books. Instead of selling these items, however, she has instead undertaken the difficult job of attempting to return them to their original families. Once she was returned love letters written in the 1960s to the original recipient. Imagine that. I wonder how that woman felt when she received those letters back and what the rest of her love story would tell.

Anyway, Brown starts her process with items that have a clue of some sort like a name, a date, an address or some other helpful hint.  The Citizen says that her success rate is 80 percent. Pretty amazing and definitely very interesting for those items that return home.

I doubt that I would have the skills necessary to tackle such a job so I will stick with reselling the items that I have found that generally have no obvious link to the past. The vintage black and white photographs shown above are all without any identifiers. No names, no dates. 

I think there is a moral here and that is to cherish a few items from your past and to make sure that they are identified as such for the next generations. I do remember one elderly friend who did this and who put little notes on or with things so that in the future family members would know where they had come from and the importance or family connection of each item.

Do you have pieces of treasured ephemera that tell a story from your past? I would love to hear from you.

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

MORE READING:

Discover these and other vintage B&W photographs in my eBay store.

Read the complete Thrift Store Detective story.

Woman returns Holocaust letter to family 75 years later. 

Follow Chelsey Brown on Instagram.

The History of Strawberry Shortcake Doll and Character

"Smile a sunny morning. Sunny is the style. 

Even if you're yawning, you can yawn a smile." 

- Strawberry Shortcake 

Strawberry Shortcake is a female cartoon character who originally appeared in 1977 on American Greetings cards drawn by artist Muriel Fahrion. The character went on to become a beloved doll in 1980 and in that year a whole line of Strawberry Shortcake items were made that included scented dolls and so much more. She proved to be extremely popular and more than 1,200 related items were released with sales of more than 500 million dollars in the first year alone.  She went on to appear in television commercials, on fundraising programs, on television specials and in her own shows.

Here's a  Strawberry Shortcake video that shares her complete history. It was released when she celebrated her 40th birthday in 2020.

I love the striking image and the red, pink and mint green colors on the Strawberry Shortcake themed baby coverlet shown at the top of the page.  You will find it and a few other vintage Strawberry Shortcake items in my eBay store by following this link.

It will come as no surprise to fans that there was a 40th Anniversary doll (shown above) issued in 2020 to celebrate Strawberry Shortcake's birthday. It's a reproduction of the first doll that was released in 1980.  You can find the reproduction Strawberry Shortcake doll on Amazon by clicking right here.

Do you remember Strawberry Shortcake? How about her cat Custard and her friends, Blueberry Muffin, Apple Dumpling and Huckleberry Pie?

See you

in Strawberryland!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Find my Strawberry Shortcake listings on eBay.

See all of the Strawberry Shortcake listings on eBay.

The Historic Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building in Ottawa

 

Our travels during this past year have looked significantly different because of the pandemic. We travelled nowhere, as was necessary, and even our local outings changed. While we went for walks in different parts of the city and the surrounding areas through our weekly Breakfast in the Park outings, we were not able to personally visit any of Ottawa’s amazing museums, galleries and buildings nor to participate in any of the city’s usual offerings, which were cancelled.

Last night we joined Heritage Ottawa and Conservator Kelly Caldwell for a lecture on Zoom. Normally, Heritage Ottawa provides walking tours but things have changed for them, too, and they have pivoted to providing lectures about Ottawa’s history. 

Last night’s lecture was called Gold, Snakes and Mother Insurance: Preservation of the 180 Wellington Building Mosaic. We learned about a building that we previously knew nothing about. That is, the 1920s era Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building as shown above on a postcard from eBay.

Located downtown, the building was built in 1927 and is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture that was designed by architects D. Everett Waid of New York and J.A. Ewart of Ottawa for the Canadian headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company that some call ‘Met Life.’ 

What you cannot see or even guess at from looking at the outside of the building is that the interior contains an amazing vestibule with an elaborate Byzantine-style mosaic ceiling. The mosaic, created in the United States by American muralist Barry Faulkner, has nearly one million pieces of coloured glass tile. It was designed as an elaborate advertisement of sorts to promote Metropolitan Life and their products and depicts “The Great Metropolitan Mother” protecting her policy holders.

Since then the building has evolved and changed hands. In the 1950s, two levels and a wing on the east were added. By 1970, Metropolitan Life was finished with the building and had moved out and, in 1973, the building was purchased by the federal government for offices and to house the Canadian Postal Museum. In 1984, some Members of Parliament (MP) had their offices moved to the building.

The building was closed in 2010 for a 425 million dollar renovation that saw the interior pretty much demolished and the foundation rebuilt with important historical details preserved. The work included asbestos abatement and seismic reinforcement and in 2016 reopened as a modern, safe office space, which now houses MP Offices, committee rooms and a library.

The following is a three-minute video about the building, the restoration and the mosaic. It will make you want to see the inside of the building, too.

Considered a hidden jewel, you need to walk through the brass doors at 180 Wellington Street and look up. My husband and I would love to see the interior of the building, but do not know if the public is welcome since it is now a secure government building. 

Have you been inside the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building or the Wellington Building, as it is now called? Do you know if it is open to the public?

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

Quick Links:

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building postcards & collectibles on eBay.

Doctor Who Target Books

I've been busy listing the first of a number of Doctor Who book sets in my eBay store. It is going to be a long process and I am trying to commit to listing six books a day. Wish me luck!

UPDATED TO SAY: ALL OF THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES HAVE BEEN SOLD.

This huge collection belonged in a sense to my son because they were purchased for him.  However, he never had the opportunity to read them and now he is moving to Seattle and leaving them behind to be sold on eBay...

The first set that I am listing is the Target Books paperback series, which was published between the years of 1973 and 1991. I read that Target started with new releases of the books by Frederick Muller and that the last three books were released by Virgin books after they took over Target.  Those last three titles were The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks by John Peel and The Paradise of Death by Barry Letts.

I'm learning a bit as I work my way through these books.  If you have already read them, you no doubt know more about the history of them than I do and probably remember them fondly from years gone by.

I had the opportunity to meet a customer who purchased three books from me shortly after I started on this Doctor Who adventure. He was thrilled to find the titles that he needed to complete his collection.  He purchased The Rescue by Ian Marter and The Planet of Giants and The Wheel in Space by Terrance Dicks, his collection is now complete and my collection no longer has those titles available. It was really rewarding to see his appreciation for the books.

All of the books that I have listed so far have been in pretty good condition with yellowing as befits older paperback books and a small irregularity at the top of the spine, which was caused by the removal of a small sticker. I expect the rest of the books in this collection to be in the same condition. 

If you are missing a title or two, be sure to visit eBay to complete your collection. See all of the vintage Doctor Who books on eBay by clicking right here.

You never know what I might
have in store for you!
Brenda


Image Credit:

By chance, I stumbled across The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books by David J. Howe on Amazon.  I would love to have a chance to look at it but it appears to be a very hard-to-find book, which translates directly into it being very expensive on Amazon.  

A Bloom Of Friendship by Anne Renaud

A non-fiction, children's picture book written by Anne Renaud and illustrated by Ashley Spires, A Bloom Of Friendship: The Story Of The Canadian Tulip Festival tells the story of the history behind the world's largest tulip festival held every spring in Ottawa. It is thus far the only book about the Canadian Tulip Festival that I have been able to find. Therefore, we are extremely lucky that it is such a great book!

Let me start by saying that I am not a history expert and this is in large part a history book. It is perfect for children aged eight- to ten-years old, but it is also great for adults who want to learn a bit about the history of the relationship between Holland and Canada and the tulip festival. It is beautifully illustrated with pictures that have been painted and with both historical and modern day photographs, newspaper articles created to tell the story and lots of historical tidbits woven in and around the main text.

This page can serve as an introduction to the history of the Canadian Tulip Festival (which is sometimes incorrectly called the Ottawa Tulip Festival) as well as a review of this book. I am actually giving more of the history of the tulip festival than is normal in a book review because I think that this page will also be good for people who are looking for this background information who are planning to attend the festival. I would, however, encourage you to check out the book whether or not you have children. It is really very beautiful; I think the artwork would be lovely framed. It also tells a beautiful story ~~ the history of the Canadian and Dutch friendship.

This book was republished in 2014, hence the two images to the right. The top picture is the new cover. The second picture, the original cover from 2005. You can find A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival on Amazon by clicking right here. The more recent book is only available in paperback. If you want a hardcover copy, you will have to buy the original book.

"The Canadian Tulip Festival is a celebration of the friendship between two countries more than 50 years ago."

The Canadian Tulip Festival and Barbara and Malak Karsh

A Bloom of Friendship opens with a letter from Malak Karsh's wife, Barbara Karsh who tells of their discovery of the thousands of tulips in Ottawa in 1946. The pictures that Mr. Karsh took that day have since travelled the world telling Princess Juliane's Canadian story. Eventually, in 1953, his interest in the tulips would cause him to be instrumental in the creation of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

The Second World War, The Dutch and The Canadians

A LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP IS FORMED OUT OF THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES...

On May 10, 1940, the Dutch people were awakened by the sounds of airplanes and the sight of hundreds of soldiers parachuting to the ground as Hitler invaded Holland. This was the beginning of a horrible five-year period for the Dutch people.

The Little Princesses: The Story Of The Queen's Childhood By Her Nanny Crawfie by Crawford, Marion (2003)

 Buy Now

Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family Escape

Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family escaped to England but even England was not a safe place to be. The Queen's daughter, Crown Princess Juliana, nine-month old Irene and a two-year old Beatrix found a safe place to escape too and that was Canada. They arrived in Halifax via the dutch ship Sumatra in Halifax in June 11, 1940 and from their proceeded to the home they would live in, which was located in Ottawa.

Perhaps the most notable event while they lived in Canada, was the birth in the spring of 1942, of Princess Margriet Francisca who was born a Dutch citizen because Canada named the place of her birth extraterritorial -- meaning outside of Canadian territory.

At Home, The Dutch People Struggled

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, life was very tough and the Dutch struggled to survive under the Nazis. Living conditions were terrible; supplies scarce. Eventually over 100,000 Dutch Jews were sent to Nazi death camps.

The Battle of the Scheldt, The Battle of the Rhineland and Freedom

In support of the final phase of the war in Europe, the allies needed to get supplies to their advancing troups in Belgium and The First Canadian Army was tasked with clearing the banks of the Scheldt of Nazis so that supplies could arrive through the Scheldt Estuary. For two months, the Canadians fought the German army along the Scheldt. In the end, more than 6,000 Canadian soliders were killed or wounded but, thanks to their sacrifices, the port of Antwerp was opened successfully. These Canadian soldiers rested in December and January; many of them in the homes of the Dutch where they made friends that would be remembered forever.

Rhineland, however, was one of the places that remained in German control. On February 8, 1945, the First Canadian Army once again was tasked. This time with clearing a passage for allied troups. At the end of this campaign, more than 5,000 Canadians were dead or wounded but at becauase of their efforts, the Allies were able to defeat Hitler.

In March of the same year, the First Canadian Army freed the remaining parts of Holland and, when it was clear that the war was nearing an end, a truce was made allowing for the dropping of much needed food and supplies to the Dutch. This time it was the Royal Canadian Air Force 405 Squadron that helped out by dropping 12,000 tons of needed items.

Tulips in Ottawa. Image available from Allposters.com.

The Gift of Tulips

Finally on May 8, 1945, the war in Europe was over. Princess Juliana's family returned home and discovered a people who were extremely thankful to the Canadians. In 1945, the Dutch Royal Family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada by way of thanks. Every year since then, they have sent 20,000 additional tulip bulbs. I am sure that I will remember this story whenever I see tulips in the future. Will you?

Buy A Bloom Of Friendship on Amazon

Amazon has both the newer paperback edition (shown on top) and the older hardcover edition available. If you are in the U.S., follow the large links below. Canadians can buy this book from Amazon.ca by clicking here.

A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival

 Buy Now

A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival (My Canada)

 Buy Now  

I am especially interested in this story because I reside in Ottawa and am able to see the tulips every year. Have you ever visited the tulip festival?  What did you think of it? Are you interested in the history behind the tulips and this book, A Bloom of Friendship?

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What 
I Might Have in Store For You!

More Reading:

Anne Renaud's Official Site 

FIND INFORMATION ON THE AUTHOR AND HER OTHER BOOKS

• Anne Renaud's Home Page
  I am a life-long Quebecker, currently living in Montreal. I first came to Montreal to study translation at Concordia University. I liked the city so much that I decided to make my home here. I like writing both fiction and non-fiction books...

More About the Canadian Tulips

• The Canadian Tulip Festival
  The Canadian Tulip Festival (sometimes called the Ottawa Tulip Festival) has become the world's largest tulip festival and takes place in May each year with more than three million tulips in bloom. It runs for three weeks every spring and this...