31 May News from Experienced Goods June 2022
By Jennie Reichman
“Home sings me of sweet things, life there has its own wings
to fly over the mountains, though I’m standing still.” Karla Bonoff, “Home”
After a whirlwind week of sales and, at the end, a day of “Everything is FREE!,” on Saturday, May 21, we locked the doors of Experienced Goods at 77 Flat Street for the last time. The racks were almost empty, the shelves looked like grocery store aisles do before a big snowstorm. The place actually echoed a little bit. It had been an amazing day of fun and goodwill: Customers were thrilled that they could take whatever they wanted, and almost without exception opened their hearts and wallets to give us generous monetary donations. The atmosphere was like a circus or a really good party: laughter, conversations, even a little bit of dancing to the 70s rock playing on Spotify. We went out with a celebration, closing the doors on this chapter of Experienced Goods’ story and continuing the work of creating the next at our new location.
Mixed with the elation is a bit of sadness, though. We are leaving our home of 15 years, and as we take down mirrors and artwork and signs, remove shelving and racks, we tap into the weirdness and discombobulation of it all. Even though we have been working toward this move for months, planning, designing and remodeling the new space (Thank you, Gemma) and making it our own, emptying the old store makes it starkly real. Every day for 15 years we have walked into 77 Flat Street and felt like we were coming home. Everything was familiar and where it should be and there was comfort in knowing what to expect. More than that, it was a home we created with our distinct senses of taste and creativity, a workplace where we wanted to be and enjoyed spending 8 hours a day. Now, the more we disassemble it, the more it feels like a generic shell, the soul of Experienced Goods gone and following us to our new home.
What must it feel like for refugees who are forced to leave their homes and who must try to assimilate into a new place, even if that place is welcoming? Brattleboro is the new home for several Afghan families, many of whom have been shopping at Experienced Goods for household items and clothing. It has felt like a privilege to help them find what they need and to interact with them. Like us, they long to bring their creativity and a sense of the personal to their surroundings. At the new store we are very excited to feature the work of some young Afghan artists who are painting a beautiful mural of angel wings in the kids’ room, perfect for taking heavenly selfies and inspiring all of us to reach for our best and highest selves. These newest citizens of the Brattleboro area are fitting in perfectly with our artistic, expressive community.
And then there is the gorgeous new front desk our talented carpenter friend Peter built for us. Classy but with a slightly rustic Vermont vibe, we are thinking we may have to install an espresso machine and start selling lattes and scones in addition to clothing and housewares. Peter also constructed sturdy new shelves for the book room and refurbished the clothing sorting table in our processing area. Seeing all these improvements set up and ready to go in the new space was a watershed moment for all of us, making this endeavor real, making us feel that when we open the store again sometime in June, this new location can and will become home.