September 2026 at Experienced Goods
By Jennie Reichman ~ I’d like to lodge a complaint. I feel it’s unacceptable for time to go faster in the summer than it does in the winter. I also feel that weekends should proceed at the same slow pace as weekdays; ditto for vacations. Whatever deity they hired to fill in for the time goddess in the summer must consume way too much caffeine and have some serious ADHD issues. Case in point: We have started opening boxes of warehoused fall clothes at Experienced Goods, and are even putting out some light fall jackets and sweaters. The words “snow boots” and “winter coats” have been bandied about, as well as “Halloween costumes.” Shorts and swimwear are long gone, and soon summer dresses will be filling the half-price racks. So sad to say goodbye to the colorful, light-as-air clothes of summer, but also enticing to see the rich hues and touch the cozy textures of fall and winter. But gee willikers, wasn’t it just June?
It's been an eventful season at The Goods, all positive. If you see our hard-working assistant manager Emma when you’re at the shop, remember to congratulate her on her marriage! Emma and her now husband Cote (or her “first husband” as she likes to call him) got married on the first day of summer in an intimate garden wedding filled with flowers, good friends and family and much love. Emma and Cote are one of those couples who restore my faith in finding the right person to spend one’s life with, deeply in love but best friends, too, and always able to make each other laugh.
Next up on the summer excitement roster: Our most recently hired employee, Ruth Shafer and her husband Ian are expecting their first child in October! Ruth will work at Experienced Goods until mid-September and then leave to begin this next momentous phase in her and Ian’s lives. It has been such a privilege to work with Ruth, who is smart, funny and a very talented artist, and has been a tremendous asset to the shop. We will miss her and all she brought to our days, but golly that’s going to be one well-cared-for and beloved baby. We’re hoping she begins training the little one to be a thrifter from the get-go, and brings them to Experienced Goods often so we can all get a baby fix.
Remember those dance parties Center For Solace keeps hosting? The disco-themed one and then the beach-themed one? Really fun, right? You have another opportunity to shake your body parts (and eat donuts) on September 10 at Saxton’s Distillery, 155 Chickering Drive in Brattleboro, from 6-8 pm. Admission is $15-$40 in advance or at the door, all proceeds to benefit Center For Solace. The theme this time is 80s Dance Party, so Experienced Goods is putting together a rack of vintage (wait, what?) clothes from that era, featuring shoulder pads, jewel tones, dropped waistlines, shiny, slinky fabrics and baggy sweaters. You bring the lurid makeup and big hair.
But really, there’s still lots of summer left, isn’t there? Soon it will be the season for small-town fairs, there are still tomatoes, basil and zucchini in the garden and I refuse to stop grilling until I absolutely have to. Eat all the corn and watermelon you can, and tell that speedy time goddess to slow down so we can squeeze every last minute out of summer before we have to start drinking pumpkin spice lattes.