IWIAYQ: Part III + Shop Preview

Pictured Above: vintage 1940s/1950s black suede bombshell pin-up heels, size 7 (thought seriously about keeping these for myself, but started feeling greedy); vintage 1960s aggressively mod needlepoint clutch

From Sarah Louise:

How did you find yourself in Oakland?

Like most, I found myself in Oakland after checking my bank account and near-future earning potential against the exorbitant rents in Berkeley and San Francisco. It was a quick commute to UC Berkeley, where I was studying, and it gave me extra fodder for the romantic working class origin myth that I began constructing for myself upon moving to the Bay Area for college at the turn of the century. We decided to live in Oakland again when we returned this summer from Iowa, both because we're still poor (d'oh!) and because we actually grew to like the city...parts of it.

How did you meet your guy & how long have you been together?

I met The Boy at the UC Berkeley radio station where we both volunteered during and after college, and when I had braces! We don't celebrate or acknowledge any sort of anniversary, but I believe this was back in 2002-ish.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

I'd wake up next to The Boy, rested and not at all arthritic, at around 9:00 a.m. in our modest summer house in the heart of Amsterdam, perhaps along one of the city's winding canals. We'd load Sassy Mae into a messenger bag and leisurely bike to breakfast before doing some casual thrifting, french-pressed coffee in hand. With our bags swelling from so much vintage goodness (and Sassy!), we'd perambulate to one the many art house theaters and catch a matinee before hitting up our neighborhood Farmer's Market to pick up fresh ingredients for a dinner party with friends whose jobs have dispersed them across the country but who converge in Amsterdam for one week each summer to unwind like they used to before they started popping out babies. We'd end the night with an impromptu dance contest in the living room, probably to "Umbrella". I would win, if only because I elected not to ironically mime my performance.

What would you name your first child (or next pet if you poo-poo the idea of wee ones)?

This is a fantastic question, mostly because it gives me the opportunity to reiterate that The Boy and I DID NOT choose Sassy's name. We thought about re-naming her, but decided it would just be too confusing for a dog just shy of two years to be in a new environment with a new name that sounded nothing like her old one ('Lassie' was just about the only thing that rhymed, and we thought that joke would wear thin quick). If we were to name a dog--and, yes, it would be a dog and not a baby as we have no intentions of spreading our seeds in time and space in a vain effort to project ourselves into the future so as to theoretically defy the cold, dark hand of death--I would lobby for a name that couldn't be infantalized (e.g., John --> Johnny), like 'Heather', 'Jill' or 'Adam'. I also like the name 'E40' for a dog.