By Jennie Reichman A couple of weeks ago I asked Karen if there was anything she wanted me to write about in the newsletter article for May.  She said, “Something positive! Something happy!” It’s true that Brattleboro, and the world in general, has had its share...

The month of March felt a little like the title of the Oscar winning movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. Although T.S. Eliot called April the cruelest month, I hope it doesn’t take its cue from March.  Of course, there was the snow storm to...

I know there’s a significant divide between people who like daylight savings time (DST) and those who don’t. Anti-DST folks argue that it's an antiquated system that was originally meant to give farmers and others who work in agriculture more daylight hours in the summer to plant, tend...

Sometimes I am at a loss trying to explain my job to other people.  “I work in a thrift store” sounds straightforward enough, but does not come close to what we actually do at Experienced Goods. To work in the clothing department, I have to...

When I moved to the Brattleboro area in 1994, I did what I always do when getting to know a new place: I sought out the best grocery stores, bookstores and, most importantly, thrift stores.  Experienced Goods was a cute little shop off the Harmony...

I am going to let my politics show a little bit this month.  Nothing too partisan, but with enough passion behind it to take a clear stand.  This month I want to talk about books.  I never imagined in our modern age that books would...

Serendipity.  Kismet.  Destiny.  Coincidence.  A moment in time that stops you in your tracks and takes your breath away with the wonder of it.  If you believe in deities, you might see the hand of a god or goddess at work in your life. If...

It happens every year.  The light shifts in the evening and suddenly it’s too dark to use the grill for supper.  The sun rises too late for me to safely go for my morning run (at least not for my comfort level), so I have...

Since the advent of social media, many of us have reconnected with people from our pasts: childhood friends, old flames, mentors and teachers we may not have properly thanked when we went charging off to slay the dragons of our youth.  It’s a wonderous thing...

I confess, I am a creature of habit and routine.  While some people feel most alive in an atmosphere of chaos and instability, stimulated by uncertainty, I thrive when I know what’s coming.  I like to plan and organize.  I am the person who, when...