Whatever Wireless

I take my dry cleaning up the hill to Merit Dry Cleaners in Altadena. I'm sure there are good dry cleaners in Pasadena, but I've been a Merit customer for a long time and they've always done everything perfectly, so why change? (Actually, I did try two other cleaners, long ago. That resulted in one ruined garment per cleaner, so I went back to Merit and lived happily ever after.)

The savvy among you are well aware that the photo above is not a picture of Merit Cleaners. It's a picture of Whatever Wireless, a new business at 843 Mariposa Avenue in Altadena. Whatever Wireless is sandwiched between Merit and Altadena Hardware. But it's part of Merit, a new venture for a long-time Altadena business.

Some people have been wailing for new businesses to come to Altadena. Here's a shiny new business, owned by a loved and respected Altadena family. And the grand opening is tomorrow! (Tell Seiko I sent you.)

Think you don't need a cell phone in Altadena? Maybe not. But you go other places, don't you? And how am I going to reach you there?

Tool Talk

I have a red wheelbarrow. I like it a lot. I don't need a blue wheelbarrow but if I did I'd go to Altadena Hardware, because last time I was there they had a pile of wheelbarrows.

I love hardware stores and we have many excellent ones in the Dena. Besides Altadena Hardware there's Crown City Hardware (specializing in antique and Craftsman stuff), the highly recommended Berg Hardware and Eagle Rock's beloved Tritch Hardware. You probably know of more you can tell me about. I'll be honest, Pasadena's OSH isn't bad, either--the staff there is knowledgeable.

But I like the small stores. I like aisles not quite wide enough to walk two abreast. I like shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with things I want but don't recognize. Shiny!

The best, though, is the language and the experts who speak it. "What you need, ma'am, is a consarn two. They used to come in two sizes but they don't make the three anymore, the two's standard now. How's your wingbrack? Threads still tight? Huh? Oh. Lemme show you. Here's a wingbrack. It's got this here hinge, and you just flip the spring--no? Okay, so you take the consarn two like this, and you jam it into the wingbrack until the flip nozzle opens..."

I will arrive home with a bag fully of shiny wingbracks, flip nozzles and consarn twos. I will love them and perhaps not remember what I learned about how to use them. I might regret not having bought the blue wheelbarrow, but I've still got my red one and that is one tool I know how to use.

Small Business

Ben Wideman of Pasadena--that's THE Ben Wideman, y'all--is the winner of Friday's PDP/PPM book giveaway! Ben was one of several people to guess correctly that the President of the 2004 Tournament of Roses was Michael K. Riffey. John and I recently enjoyed meeting Mr. Riffey on a plane. It takes a nice guy and a dedicated one, too, to put in all those volunteer hours to make the Tournament of Roses the special event that it is. In fact, it takes a lot of nice people to make it happen.

Ben wins a copy of Helen of Pasadena, the new comedy romance novel by Lian Dolan. Lian visits Minnesota, Portland and Seattle next week, so if you're in the neighborhood stop and say hello! And check back here Friday when I have more books to give away, thanks to Prospect Park Media.

Since yesterday was Small Business Saturday I put all the contest entry names in a (clean) poo bag (fits in my pocket better than a hat) and headed up to Altadena. I had small business to do at Altadena Hardware and Webster's Fine Stationers.

At Altadena Hardware they're rearranging the shelves and I still found everything I needed.

At Webster's I bought birthday gifts, Christmas gifts and stuff for myself. In the photo, Scott Webster shows off free trade scarves. (If you're thinking of getting me something, I like them all.) Before I left the store I asked Lori Webster to help me take care of one last small bit of business: she drew the winning name from the poo bag and the rest is history.