One of the things that struck my sister when she visited me for the summer many years ago was how small Boston is. Boston is the kind of place where, after a week, you'll start recognizing people in the subway. A woman with a fancy top may catch your eye while you're heading out, and somehow on the way home you'll see her again. While this has happened to me before, it didn't really strike me in anyway. But little things like this may stand out more to the tourist.
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I was a regular at this little Korean eating place in Allston...well, not quite a regular regular, but a once-a-month type of regular. Since it's been quite a few years, at least one of the waitresses recognize me. One of them is chatty and makes an effort to make small talk when she sees me. The other one is quiet, so I never chat with her. Because I tend to visit on the same day, at the same time, whenever I go, I see the same waitresses, and in my mind they belong there.
One day, I decided to eat at the Korean place in Porter Square, just out of the blue. We sat down and the waitress comes over. She is the quiet waitress from the other place I frequent. I feel uncomfortable -- what is she doing here? Is she just a lookalike? Does she recognize me? Is she wondering why I'm not at the other restaurant?
Upon further reflection, I realized that I had an unreasonable view of things. Of course she has a second job. Waitressing doesn't pay that much. Because she is young, I had assumed that she was a student with a part-time job. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she needs that second shift to make ends meet.
A few weeks later when I was in Allston, I took a detour and walked past a row of shops. Through one of the windows, I saw the guy from the falafel place in Harvard Square, except he was no longer just the guy from the falafel place in Harvard Square anymore. He's the middle-aged guy who works at two food places, trying to make ends meet.
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Something else happened to me today. I ran into Harry from the Dudley House sandwich bar (a Harvard dining facility), except I wasn't at Dudley House. I was at a beauty salon in Coolidge Corner, and he was the receptionist. I thought he looked vaguely familiar as I informed him that I was there to do my eyebrows. He thought I looked familiar too, and asked me if we know each other from somewhere.
"Do you work at Harvard?" I asked. He said yes.
"Oh my goodness." I exclaimed. "How did you remember me?" A man was waiting for his wife in the front area, and he witnessed our exchange. I proceeded to explain that I ate at Dudley House for a year when I first started graduate school at Harvard.
"That was seven years ago. He remembered a face out of the thousands of people he has seen since." Harry confirmed that about 300-400 people pass through the dining hall each day.
He explained that he's helping out at his wife's store. Ah. So he's the man mentioned in the Yelp reviews (how I found this place). It felt strange to connect the dots. He said that the store is relatively new, that they opened in June 2011 (less than a year ago). He would have introduced me to his wife, but it was a different lady working today.
I had a fantasy about Harry many years ago. His sandwich bar is the brightest spot in my memory of the Dudley House dining hall. The other dining staff were not impolite, but you never felt the warmth in their service. Harry on the other hand takes his time to serve each student, and piles it up on your sandwich when he does. He is happy to be feeding you.
From what I saw, Harry made sandwiches to order during lunch, and helped out with food prep at other times. In other words, he could probably run an independent sandwich place on his own. While the pay as a dining staff is probably decent, I've always thought he could do better as a small business owner running his own little sandwich place. The loyalty he's earned from the students is loyalty that he can earn as a proud small business owner.
The eyebrow threading went quickly, and relatively painlessly and I liked what the lady did for me. On my way out, Harry asked if I wanted to take a few business cards for friends, and if I could write a review on Yelp. "Not because of me, but for the eyebrow threading." I took a few cards, and mentally decided that I'm not creating a Yelp account to give his wife's business a review. A one-review Yelp account would probably look fishy. Besides, I really wanted to write about Harry.
Assuming his wife is as sweet and conscientious as Harry (which seems likely, judging from the Yelp reviews. Harry is probably in his 50's, so they've been married a long time), I'm sure her business will do well. Me, I'm writing this because my fantasy of Harry being a small business owner is partially fulfilled by his wife opening her little beauty salon, and it makes my day a little brighter.
PS. To readers who know/like Harry, you can support his wife at the Heritage Threading Salon
Showing posts with label boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boston. Show all posts
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Another 2 ways of getting rid of change (if you didn't already know)
It's a little specific to Boston but here we go:
1. The MBTA ticket machine.
There are 2 types: the card only machine, and the one that accepts cash as well. If you don't commute often -- meaning you usually add money to your Charlie card -- this might be a good way of getting rid of pocket change. The machine will accept up to 20 coins at a time. For me, it's perfect for emptying my wallet when it starts to weigh on me. I mainly use it for nickels and dimes since my quarters go to laundry.
2. TD North Bank
Now that they are opening branches all over Boston, this has become feasible. If you sign up for an account with them, you can use their Coinstar-like machine. It sits in their lobby, and looks and works like a Coinstar machine, except the money goes into your bank account. And you don't lose a cent.
Let me know if you have other ways of avoiding Coinstar.
1. The MBTA ticket machine.
There are 2 types: the card only machine, and the one that accepts cash as well. If you don't commute often -- meaning you usually add money to your Charlie card -- this might be a good way of getting rid of pocket change. The machine will accept up to 20 coins at a time. For me, it's perfect for emptying my wallet when it starts to weigh on me. I mainly use it for nickels and dimes since my quarters go to laundry.
2. TD North Bank
Now that they are opening branches all over Boston, this has become feasible. If you sign up for an account with them, you can use their Coinstar-like machine. It sits in their lobby, and looks and works like a Coinstar machine, except the money goes into your bank account. And you don't lose a cent.
Let me know if you have other ways of avoiding Coinstar.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Independent Designer's Market
It was back in the summer that I first came across a poster for the Boston Independent Designer's Market. I was really excited and could hardly wait for September to come.
I got interested in fashion and making clothes last year around March, when I first saw Paradise Kiss. It was then I realized that fashion was something to seriously think about. Making clothes is not that easy, and textile production was a part of the First Industrial Revolution that changed everyone's lives. Before that, 90% of a woman's day was knitting socks. But Paradise Kiss was not the reason I started making clothes.
The prelude to Paradise Kiss is a lesser known manga called Gokinjo Mono Ga Tari. It's the story of Miwako's sister and how she became a designer. Mikako got her start in a flea market, and learned from scratch -- like you have to make clothes in S, M and L, not just your own size. The first thing she sold was a Happy Berry bag.
(Borrowed picture of a homemade Happy Berry Bag from some girl called redsky1978.)
Earlier this year, I attended Anime Boston, and I was awed by the little tables of people selling handmade jewelery, hats and scarves etc. Cosplayers are probably a big part of the sewing community these days. Replicating elaborate costumes from anime is no joke. With the weekly Independent Designer Market, I would have a chance to experience the vibrancy every weekend.
Not really. I was probably one of ten people who showed up to the IDM that day. It was housed in the lobby of some school, located in the South End, which really doesn't have much traffic. There were maybe 8 - 10 vendors -- a couple of stands selling designed t-shirts, one offering tailor-made wedding dresses, and some other posh looking thing. I pretended that I walked in by mistake, and left. I was disappointed.
To be disappointed means I had expectations. I was imagining something like the Harvard Square fairs, which attracted a good number of craft people selling handmade jewelery and random clothes (like tie dyes and such). Maybe throw in a fashion student eager to kick start his/her own designer line (something like the lady offering to tailor wedding dresses).
I hope the IDM improves. I really think the location sucks. I guess the price attempts to be reasonable ($100, compared to $300 for a Harvard Square table), but there is no traffic. I'm looking forward to Anime Boston 2011 for my dose of independent anime-inspired craftsters.
I got interested in fashion and making clothes last year around March, when I first saw Paradise Kiss. It was then I realized that fashion was something to seriously think about. Making clothes is not that easy, and textile production was a part of the First Industrial Revolution that changed everyone's lives. Before that, 90% of a woman's day was knitting socks. But Paradise Kiss was not the reason I started making clothes.
The prelude to Paradise Kiss is a lesser known manga called Gokinjo Mono Ga Tari. It's the story of Miwako's sister and how she became a designer. Mikako got her start in a flea market, and learned from scratch -- like you have to make clothes in S, M and L, not just your own size. The first thing she sold was a Happy Berry bag.
(Borrowed picture of a homemade Happy Berry Bag from some girl called redsky1978.)
Earlier this year, I attended Anime Boston, and I was awed by the little tables of people selling handmade jewelery, hats and scarves etc. Cosplayers are probably a big part of the sewing community these days. Replicating elaborate costumes from anime is no joke. With the weekly Independent Designer Market, I would have a chance to experience the vibrancy every weekend.
Not really. I was probably one of ten people who showed up to the IDM that day. It was housed in the lobby of some school, located in the South End, which really doesn't have much traffic. There were maybe 8 - 10 vendors -- a couple of stands selling designed t-shirts, one offering tailor-made wedding dresses, and some other posh looking thing. I pretended that I walked in by mistake, and left. I was disappointed.
To be disappointed means I had expectations. I was imagining something like the Harvard Square fairs, which attracted a good number of craft people selling handmade jewelery and random clothes (like tie dyes and such). Maybe throw in a fashion student eager to kick start his/her own designer line (something like the lady offering to tailor wedding dresses).
I hope the IDM improves. I really think the location sucks. I guess the price attempts to be reasonable ($100, compared to $300 for a Harvard Square table), but there is no traffic. I'm looking forward to Anime Boston 2011 for my dose of independent anime-inspired craftsters.
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