28 Dec News from Experienced Goods January 2022

Most of you who have been reading this column for any amount of time know I am a foodie and love to cook. I subscribe to both The New York Times cooking website and the print and online versions of Fine Cooking. A new recipe in my virtual or physical mailbox gives me a little thrill of anticipation, auguring something delicious to eat and the pleasure of the magic that is cooking.  In the most recent issue of Fine Cooking, the editor wrote an essay that spoke about the lead up to the holidays and their aftermath, all the festive baking and braising and roasting and cocktail-ing that inevitably end after New Year’s Day, leaving us with … at least 4 more months of winter. It’s a relief to be done with the glitz and glam, the frantic preparations and (often) overblown expectations and to settle into the cozy, comforting cooking that makes winter bearable.

The same can be said of shopping, in a way. We had a delightfully busy holiday season at Experienced Goods, the store filled with (usually) merry people almost every day, buying gifts and stocking up on books, cookware, dishes and festive décor; buying something fancy to wear; splurging on a cashmere sweater ($10!) or a new warm coat. The month following Thanksgiving felt like non-stop bustle, but in that good way that makes you look up at the clock and wonder how 5 hours have slipped by.  On the day before we closed for the holiday break, we made all holiday items and all 25-cent shelf items free, a gift to our many loyal customers that was initially met with disbelief (Free? Really?) and then wholeheartedly embraced, creating a kind of self-cleaning store.  We treated ourselves to a takeout lunch from The Vermont Country Deli and took the time to appreciate each other as co-workers and friends, and when we finally locked the door and turned out the lights that night, it was with mixed feelings of satisfaction and exhaustion, all of us ready for a well-deserved week off.

Now it is January, that month so emblematic of winter and going inward. Like cooking simple, hearty, comforting food, the post-holiday months offer a respite from frantic planning and doing; suggest slowing and considering. Small accomplishments take the place of grand deeds; an easy pace with an achievable agenda restores the equilibrium.  This is the month when we organize and rethink store layouts, brainstorm ways to make the shop more appealing and user-friendly, look for ways to streamline tasks and share responsibilities. We will take stock of the year: What was different from last year? How are we weathering the ongoing pandemic? What worked? What didn’t? What have we learned and how are we changing and adjusting?

There may be a small lesson in the surprise we saw on customers’ faces when we offered merchandise for free. Not in the “for free” things per se, but in the surprise. I always feel proud to remind people that our shop raises funds for Brattleboro Area Hospice, and that the money they spend there supports such an important cause. But when was the last time you walked into a store and someone said, “All of that stuff over there is free”? We live our adult lives bearing the weight of expense: bills, groceries, repairs and other necessities. The delight of “Free” lifts the burden for a moment, makes our eyes go wide and our hearts leap. The best part of that last day at the shop (besides the delicious lunch and Joan’s amazing cookies) was the happiness on people’s faces as they walked out with free holiday décor and bags of 25-cent shelf loot. Brattleboro Area Hospice is in the business of supporting and counseling the dying and their loved ones, but Experienced Goods is definitely in the business of making people happy. Holiday joy AND a great community service. Beat that, Santa!