Editor, Times-Union: One of the questions asked of the candidates for mayor of Warsaw during the debates in the last primary election was, do you shop uptown? If so where, and can you name three stores next to them? I answered Tarkio road on Washington Street, where I have purchased four bicycles.
That took me to my past and how much I do shop. When I went to Los Angeles to attend acting classes and try to find work in the film business. I did, like so many actors, find work in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. One of my customers was a property manager in national commercials. He approached me to work for him the next day at Zuma Beach at a home next to Johnny Carson’s home. The job was Crystal Light drink. Priscilla Presley was the spokesperson. Boy it was a hard day but a great experience and it lead me into a new career.
I got called by that property manager many times in the next few years and he gave my contact info to his friends in the art department. That is where I learned to shop. I was given an envelope with sometimes as much as $3,000 cash and a list of things to look for. I would spend anywhere from a day to a week collecting supplies to decorate sets. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t fun but I learned to remember where I saw things and how much they were, not that it mattered to my boss, but me being a guy that never had a silver spoon, it was important.
After those years in the late ‘80s our home burned down here in Warsaw. I decided to rebuild it myself with a crew of people. My shopping experience came to be invaluable. We were not as fortunate as we are today with all the choices of where to get supplies. I did buy all my lumber from two different local lumber yards but many things were not in stock here so I drove to Fort Wayne or Goshen.
Today our choices are many but we still have local companies with the best products and best prices. No matter how big some of the new guys are, the quality of some of their goods is not as good as the smaller companies that have been here all my life. I know my prices from a loaf of bread to a 2”X12”X12’ treated beam. Some of the local companies don’t charge for delivery and they have the knowledge that I sometimes need to call on to complete a project. I want to encourage all of you to check the prices of the locals before you buy and you may be surprised. I also know we have many great local shops that stand behind their sales. Shop local and you help more than the shops you get the attention you deserve and need.
