29 Apr May at Experienced Goods

by Jennie Reichman

There are so many reasons I love living in Vermont, but the month of May is definitely near the top of the list. There are bright, blooming colors everywhere: daffodils, tulips, forsythia, azalea, tiny electric green leaves emerging on the trees. The sun is actually warm, there are peepers making a ruckus in ponds, the garlic is coming up in my garden. It's actual spring as opposed to calendar spring. May is my birthday month, which adds another layer of delight. As a child growing up in Oregon, I could look forward to a bouquet of lilacs, a new dress made for me by my mother, and a tray of cupcakes or other treats she would
bake and bring to my grade school class. These days I make my own new dress and I’m guessing there will be a wonderful baked confection from my co-workers. There will be candles and a rousing version of “Happy Birthday”; and much indulging in sugar. No matter how old I get, I still love feeling special and celebrated on my birthday.

May also seems to be the month when donations accelerate at Experienced Goods. What were modest, unintimidating housewares and clothing piles in the sorting room have morphed into towering mountains that feel like they might grow personalities and make demands. People are spring cleaning in earnest, and we are the lucky recipients of the results of those processes. After so many years of working at the shop, you would think there would be no donation so unusual that it would surprise me, but last month we were given something truly unique: a set of high school lockers. Where they came from and how they ended up with us is mostly unknown, but they inspired some great memories and stories from staff and customers, everything from the panic of forgetting one’s locker combination, slamming a finger in the door, or being physically stuffed into one’s locker by bullies. I remember personalizing my locker with artwork, a mirror (for quick makeup repairs) and occasionally losing homework assignments in the mess that piled up on the bottom. The same donors also gave us a set of post office mailboxes, complete with keys. What fun that could be, especially for a big family that likes to leave each other notes.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge and offer condolences to our dear manager Karen and her sister Joan (who is our fearless housewares maven), whose father passed away in early April. Karen comes from a large, close-knit family that has lived in the Turners Falls, MA, area for generations, and some of us from the shop attended the wake and memorial service there for Robert Zamojski. I have not been to many wakes, but his was definitely the most joyful, noisy, laughter-filled such event I’ve ever attended. Of course there were tears, and of course the reality of losing a beloved father, husband and friend is harsh and layered with grief, but the abundance of love and support in that room was a wonder. There were reunions of old friends, stories of youthful escapades, even a surprise wedding announcement. I hope Robert’s spirit was sitting in the middle of it all, smiling, absorbing the love and resilient relationships he nurtured over a long, good life. And here’s hoping that all who read this have bonds as strong and enduring as the Zamojski family, whether blood relations or family of choice, and that we remember to appreciate those ties every day.