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THE BUBBIE WAY: THOUGHTS BY A GRANDMOTHER ABOUT BEING ON TELEVISON AND ON LIFE…
Excerpts from Marion Schwarz's new book about her experiences on television. THE BUBBIE WAY: THOUGHTS BY A GRANDMOTHER ABOUT BEING ON TELEVISON AND ON LIFE… is available exclusively via this website. Contact Alan Schwarz for more information.
"IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING GO FOR IT! OTHERWISE LIFE WILL PASS YOU BY."
I love collecting antiques; I guess I've always had a great deal of respect for the past. I would go to visit farmers with my husband Joe (who is in the cattle business) and buy antique dishes or figurines directly from the farmers or their wives. It was always interesting to share a cup of tea with a farm wife, and talk about the history of a particular item. I usually did this while Joe was busy checking out Holstein Cows or Heifers.
I enjoyed visiting small country antique stores and I frequented as many antique auctions as possible. I found the action of bidding and buying exhilarating.
When Alan, my youngest son went off to University, it meant that none of my children were living at home. The house seemed very empty.
I would run everyday to the Oshawa Shopping Centre, where I would have lunch with my friend, Roz Nichols, and then I would go home. I would phone my children, and then wonder what I should do besides watching "As The World Turns," or "Guiding Light."
I would drive to the farm on Wednesdays so I could join my husband for lunch. One day as we were heading for the Chinese restaurant where we ate almost everyday, I noticed the Barber Shop on the corner had closed its doors. I thought it would be an excellent location for me to open an antique store. I wasn't thinking about opening an antique store, but it just seemed like a logical thing to do.
I had no previous experience in retail except for buying, but my instincts told me that if I opened an antique shop in downtown Bowmanville, it could be very successful. The property belonged to the Bank Of Commerce and the Manager explained that the Barber Shop was going to be demolished to make room for a new bank building. He would however, lease me the space on a month-to-month basis until they were ready to build.
I accepted the terms of the lease and THE HOUSE OF YESTERDAY was born. The sales were brisk from the minute I opened the door. I never realized how much I enjoyed dealing with the public. Women would come in and with their children to browse, and I would give the kids lollipops. It didn't take long for me to get a reputation as "The Candy Lady."
Everyone thinks that I loved my business because of the success I seemed to have from day one. That isn't exactly the truth. I loved my business because there were huge windows and I could see my husband come into town for lunch and I could put a closed sign on the door and join him.
The House of Yesterday will always be one of my fondest memories. The people I dealt with were class acts. I had fun until my husband had a heart attack, after that I lost all interest in retail. My family was and still is my priority so I had no trouble closing the doors to a very successful Antique store. I had proven to myself that I could take an idea and turn it into a successful reality.
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