Monday, September 29, 2014

Field Trip: Kathleen's Klozet

Time for the very first Sanford-Centric Field Trip! To get started, my cronies and I journeyed to a place we were all very curious about, Kathleen's Klozet.

Kathleen's Klozet


Number of Visits: 3
(me and Jeremy, a group of Sanford-Centric friends, and me and Rachel)

Distance from Chez Sanford-Centric: down the stairs, hang a right

Best Described As: a quirky tea room with a lovely selection of vintage clothing
 
Expectations
None of us were exactly sure what to expect. We knew there were vintage clothes and antiques, but that's about it. Jeremy and I pass by the shop multiple times a day, but I was the only person who had been in, and that was just once to try a dress on. I got a great response from my friends when I asked if anyone wanted to join me, and we were all very excited to drink tea. (I don't know about you, but when I drink tea, it's usually rather sloppily out of a huge mug at home, rather than daintily out of a cup and saucer. Novelty!)
Impressions
The biggest favor you can do yourself is just go inside! Look past the overcrowded front window, don't worry about the lack of signage, and just GO IN. We all agreed that the exterior of the store does not give an accurate impression of the treasure inside. Once you step in, you'll see what we did: the decor is adorable, the clothing selection is kick-ass, and there's a puppy!
But what is really impressive about Kathleen's Klozet is the tea service. Kathleen helped us all pick out a blend of tea from her cabinet, then presented it to us alongside pretty china and a plate of homemade scones. Jeremy and I could not stop loading each scone with lemon curd, and we ate the entire plate of eight. (Whoops.) My friends also got to tuck into pumpkin bread and what they described as "to die for" buttercream cupcakes. Later on in the meal, Kathleen served finger sandwiches, including chicken salad, cucumber with cream cheese, and turkey with avocado. I was very satisfied after tea and sandwiches and would consider it a full meal for myself.



I found the vintage clothing delightfully distracting while we were having tea, and knew I had to have a dress up session. Of course, I went for the silk teal dot number first (too small for my ribcage!!), and Kathleen pointed out a sharp black taffeta dress with plaid accents that I ended up loving. My friends actually got dressed up before tea time to get in the mood, which I now regret not doing. We were all very impressed by the selection.

For such a singular experience, everything is very well priced. The tea and food came out to about $12 a person, which is an excellent value considering the unique offerings and generous portions. This is the perfect venue for bridal or baby showers.
Kathleen herself is very knowledgeable about the tea and clothing, and of course makes all of the food herself. While she isn't especially forthcoming at first, she quickly turns into Chatty Kathleen when you express interest in the shop or compliment her offerings. She takes pride in the shop and I am happy she has joined the neighborhood.

Bottom Line
We all had a great time! Go have lunch and a cuppa at Kathleen's. You will not be sorry! (Also, invite me!)

Here is Kathleen's Facebook Page.

If you visit Kathleen, feel free to tell me about your experience at sumaphelia@gmail.com.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Introducing Sanford-Centric Tours: the Way Cool Kids Get to Know Sanford

Between three different jobs on 1st street, living upstairs, and regularly darkening the door of every downtown business, I'm in the unique position of meeting pretty much every single person who visits Sanford. This affords me the opportunity of introducing all kinds of people to all of the great things about Downtown Sanford, from drinking around the world with the Small World passport to my perfected Monday routine of grabbing custom deli sandwiches at the Magnolia Square Market and spending an afternoon listening to records at Rabbitfoot.

The downside is that I can talk to everyone about the cool things to do in Sanford all day long, and even if they're super enthusiastic, I never get to follow up on their experiences. That's why I've decided to offer Sanford-Centric Tours, personal concierge service to help people explore Downtown Sanford. The idea is to design an agenda in Sanford based on a visitor's interests (whether they're foodies, people watchers, alcoholics, etc) and then take them out on the town!

I'll guide you to my favorite Sanford spots, introduce you to the business owners, and give you an insider's taste of the Sanford-Centric life. I want this to be a flexible, accessible resource for casual visitors, so the only fee I ask is to be a guest in your fun (meaning I will totally work for free food and drinks).

So if you know anyone near or far looking to get to know Sanford, send them my way!

I can always be reached on the Sanford-Centric Facebook page, or at sumaphelia@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Marina Island Explained in Mad Men GIFs

I know a lot of you didn't make it to the commission meeting on Monday night. I'm not judging or anything.
And we all know how the decision went at this point.
 
But to really give you the full experience, I'm going to give you a quick account of the meeting using visual aids.
 
The evening started off with some great music.
But things quickly turned ugly.
To be fair, I'm sure when Cerasoli listens to us talk about our pride in our city and how we think citizens should have a voice in the direction our government takes this town, he just hears this.
Hoover, uh, I mean Coover, did an awful lot of this for an hour.
But I think we all know what's really going on here.
Every time I saw Cerasoli and his cronies in the hall, I wanted to be like
I realize it's the city attorney's job to tell us not to make emotional appeals but honestly?
When I finally got up to speak, I was hoping it would be pretty cute.
But I was so pissed, I'm sure it was more like this.

I've gathered that Randy is clueless about what's happening 87% of the time, and has to rely on a script.
Mccarty seems to have landed on the correct side of this issue by accident, but by god, he'll say anything to stay in our good graces.
I think we all know how we feel when Velma gets to talking in circles.
Every time Triplett spoke...

Eventually Patty was like...
After five hours of discussion, with no chair, no dinner, and no alcohol, I was in a bad place too.
And when she finally asked, "Are we ready to make a motion????"
And I think we were all impressed with Velma's hard hitting questions. Until she went along with the motion to approve.
Standing in city hall after the approval was pretty disheartening.


And the next morning, I know I sure as hell felt like this.
 
And I know for some of you, it was more like this.
And I'm sure some of you want to distance yourself from Sanford.
But we can't give up, guys. This is an opportunity for us to be innovative.
 
And remember, if it all gets to be too much, you know what to do.
 
 

Cheers, everyone!
 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

About Last Night: A Letter to My Fellow Sanfordites

Dear Fellow Sanfordites,

After bingeing on so much hope and naïveté last night, I suffered from a serious hangover. Obviously, I am disappointed with the proceedings and results of night's commission meeting. I spent the remainder of the night somewhere between laughter and tears and woke up completely emotionally exhausted. How could our leaders be so out of touch? While I fully acknowledge that the issue is complex, ultimately, the developer's proposal does not meet the city's comprehensive plan. The fact that certain commissioners were unable to rise above their outside pressures was truly disheartening, especially as a young person just beginning to become involved in city politics.

However, the reaction to this meeting has truly been my hair of the dog. Rather than being steeped in bitterness about the outcome, the residents of Sanford have truly harnessed their energy and frustration into productive discussion about our future as a town. I am so happy to see that more than 24 hours after the meeting began that social media is still abuzz.

I really just have one thing to say about all of this. Let's keep going. Let's channel all of this steam into being the change we want to see in Sanford. I meant it when I said that we, the citizens, are already forging Sanford's future, and whether the leaders will lead that change or be ousted is up to them.

See you at the polls in November. Thank you all for trying harder.

Much Sanford-Love,
Sumalee

P.S. Stay informed via Facebook here.

Have a good laugh about this whole thing here.

Watch me speak at the meeting here.

And join us at the Imperial on Friday for a toast to our efforts! You deserve it!


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Martini Monday: Back to the Beverlys'!

Had an awesome time working at Washburn's yesterday. I got a ton of organization done in my personal life (always a good thing) and even made my first big sale! The piece was a beautiful monkey pod wood console that the clients just fell in love with. They're going to use it as a coffee table by putting a piece of glass on top. Love it when people walk in and get creative!

The only caveat was that Crazy Jim came in and heckled me for not having money. That's cool, bro. If having money means I'm gonna grow up to be like you, I'm good.

After work, I met up some other townies at the Imperial. I was really disappointed to hear that select guests at the Pingathon event decided to bully people I know over the Marina Island issue. How tactless and rude to turn a benefit for a friend who suffered a stroke into a platform for you to showcase your fat cat politics and assert dominance over your neighbors. Shame on you, Tom Ball.

Tammy and I left for Martini Monday at the Beverlys' house at the same time. We walked outside, said goodbye, and I was about halfway back to my apartment before I realized Jeremy had my car! It's so funny, I hardly ever drive anywhere anymore that it didn't even occur to me that I would need a ride uptown. Tammy graciously turned around to give me a ride!

It was great to be back at the Beverly household, sipping ice cold martinis and sharing the food we all brought. The Jahelkas made vegetarian pizza and I had a cheese and meat platter made at Magnolia Square Market (love those guys!). This is what Martini Monday is all about, tapping into all those fuzzy community feelings. Or maybe it's just the alcohol that makes those feelings fuzzy. Either way, I love spending time with these people!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Thirsty Thursday: Workin' It at Washburn's

I've worked a few shift now at Washburn Imports and it's been great! It's so lovely to be surrounded by beautiful furniture all day...I like to pretend it's my house. I've been meeting interesting people every week, many of whom take the Sunrail or drive into town specifically to visit Sanford for the day. It's been a great opportunity to talk about downtown Sanford and guide people to a fun day in town.

(In case you didn't know, I've been filling in shifts at the store because Mark, the general manager, has been stricken with a condition that leaves him unable to walk. We are holding a benefit for Mark on September 17th at the Imperial, so please stop by if you have time! There's more info here.)


On Thursday, we got a new shipment of gorgeous pieces from India and a couple came in and fell in love with a monkey pod wood console, which is always exciting. Toward the end, some people came in on their way to the bar and gave me a cupcake! They let me pick from three, so I went for the one with the banana chip, and it tasted just like banana pudding. Then! I sighted crazy Jim walking outside managed to take a picture. Then! Kendra came in during her picture taking marathon with Rob's portrait and barely missed him!

Afterwards, I went over to the bar side and Keith made me an Aviator. I really enjoy watching the Imperial bartenders do their thing, and I feel privileged to have worked there and be on personal terms with them.

After my two drinks, I braved the Alive After 5 street party and saw Mike and Don outside. It makes me happy to see the same people everywhere, whether at a commission meeting or out having a drink.

Across the street, I ran into Arnaud and Cecile, the French couple who were staying in my apartment while they shopped around for tracts of land on which to build a sustainable bed and breakfast. We had some drinks and appetizers at Willow Tree while we caught up and talked about Sanford.

Back at Bishop Block, Kendra told me how upset she was that Dunkin' Donuts had a booth at Alive After 5 and how the event fails to promote the downtown businesses. This got me thinking about
ways to improve the event and how the businesses could work with the Welcome Center to have a more copacetic relationship. More to come on that, I'm sure!