If you would like to receive this newsletter SIGN UP AT http://jubon.biz/notices.php.

Volume 5 Issue 5
5/24/2013

Tulip Festival a Great Success
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

We almost had three beautiful days for the Tulip Festival. It rained Thursday evening and the parade was canceled, but otherwise it was very nice. Most of the tulips were just beginning, but that is better than last year when they had all bloomed already and were gone. The biggest sellers for Jubon were wooden shoes, Dutch hats and Dutch slippers along with Delft and Dutch souvenirs. We also sold quite a few antiques and a few safety pins and notions. It is always a fun time to meet old friends, classmates and relatives, however, this year we were so busy that we hardly had time to spend with them.

When people enter the store we encourage them to sign our guest book which is located on a podium at the front of the store. Looking over the guest book entries from just last week we saw people from South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota, Alaska, Wisconsin, California, New Mexico, Mississippi, Texas. Wyoming, Washington, Kansas, Arizona, Canada, and several families from the Netherlands.

Hr

Promotions & sales

By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

We have several sales going on right now. All Dutch candy will be 20% until the end of the May. We have licorice, chocolates, stroopwafels, and more. Another promotion going on until the end of the month is on beautiful beaded key chains. If you purchase $20 worth of jewelry by Juliana (rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets) you receive a free beaded key chain of your choice. The key chains usually sell for $5.49 so that is a good savings. Next month we will feature a table of gifts for Father’s Day. Many people find fathers hard to buy for. We’ll help you with some ideas.

Hr

Interesting People

By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

The most interesting part of this business is the people you meet. Last week we visited a long time with a man from Katchican, Alaska who makes sails for vintage ships. His real profession was in the engineering field, but his passion was sailing ships. This week we met a young man who needed a needle, thread and buttons. He was a bull rider and has ridden all over the country in rodeos. The reason he needed the buttons was that he had been riding a bull a day after he had broken some ribs. He wasn’t breathing well and the medics tore his shirt open and ribbed several buttons off. He was real upset because it was his lucky shirt. It was pink because his Grandmother had survived breast cancer and he liked to ride in that shirt.

This week we met a young man who needed a needle, thread and buttons. He was a bull rider and has ridden all over the country in rodeos. The reason he needed the buttons was that he had been riding a bull a day after he had broken some ribs. He wasn’t breathing well and the medics tore his shirt open and ripped several buttons off. He was real upset because it was his lucky shirt. It was pink because his Grandmother had survived breast cancer and he liked to ride in that shirt

Another interesting couple came from Semmelweislaan 1 in The Netherlands. The lady had been in the store some time ago with her daughter. Her daughter lived in Sioux City. The husband and wife were here together to clean out their daughter’s things because the daughter had passed away. They had several beautiful antiques and many Dutch books that they did not want to take back to The Netherlands on the plane. One of the most interesting items was a stoof. It had belonged to the lady’s grandmother around the turn of the century. Dutch homes did not have central heating then. The stoof is a little oak box with holes in the top in which you would put a container with hot coals and then put your feet on top and that would keep them warm. You could see that it was well used and had been repaired. In our local Sioux County Museum we have a replica of a Dutch home from earlier times. When a member of the museum’s board saw that stoof, he got very excited and that is where it’s next home will be – in the replica Dutch room in our local museum.

Every person has a story to tell. Real life is often more interesting than books can even imagine. What fun to meet people and hear about their real life stories every day in our little store.


Hr 

Featured Personnel: Louise trei

By Consignee, Louise Trei

I was told that it was my month to write something about myself. It was 38 years since Andy, my son and I came to live in Orange City from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was so excited about living in a Dutch town as I had talked about Holland, Michigan and their Tulip Festival when I worked for the Duluth Chamber of Commerce.

I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota after being born in the New York area. I graduated from the University with a BS in teaching and minor in sociology. I taught for 7 years in Duluth and Anoka, Minnesota before I came to Orange City. One evening I was sitting talking to my wonderful neighbor, Clarence Visser, as I could not get my teaching certificate up dated in the area at any of the colleges because they told me I had more classes that I had taken than they had to offer and Clarence suggested that I trim dogs. The Orange Poodle was born and I trimmed dogs till the doctor said, “Quit!” People had said that they wanted a craft shop, so the The Dutch Touch was born. It was fun. I traveled to Utah, Texas, Nebraska and Illinois learning the most up to date things for my customers. When Ben Franklin came, I had to change and add things such as lace curtains, decorating and antiques. I was able to say I had curtains and decorating things form one end of the country to the other. Even in Bahrain. I was born into the antique business as a young child. My favorite things were the auctions at Solons in Washington, DC. When the Dutch Touch lost their building in Orange City, I expanded to Sioux City and I went to work for Ben Franklin. I found that I could not physically be in Orange City and Sioux City so I rented spots to put my antiques and decorate. I went to work for Village Northwest in Sheldon and I loved it, but I retired after 13 years. People would say, do you live in Orange City and I would say, when I am in the area I do sleep there. I spent years traveling to Florida, Washington, DC and Minneapolis as a support caregiver to the family. I was always looking for Dutch things and decorating goodies.

When I retired Bob (husband) and I decided that we would like to move near Andy and his family (Andy has twin grandsons). We would like to go the boy’s games and programs. Just be closer to our family in Illinois. It is such a drive from Orange City, but we have found it hard to do this, but we are working on it.

Rich (former owner of Ben Franklin) worked for Bonnie and I had him introduce me and I am one of many people who bring Bonnie consignment items. I love Jubon and the people that work there. You will see me coming and going often. You will see the Blue Tulip Antiques advertising about Jubon, which is the offshoot of The Dutch Touch, and we are working to tie the products in Sioux City and Orange City together. My hope is that you can look on your computer, pick out what you want and pick it up at Jubon if it is not on display. Yes, we will clean out Louise’s house someday.

Hr