There is a feeling I get when I have a moment of acute awareness. My breath catches, I tingle, and sometimes I even giggle. Well that is exactly how I felt as I got in my car to leave Vida E Cafe 157 W. Ceder Street, Globe, Az. I had just attended their First Friday Open Mic, and I was a bit jittery from my triple shot latte, which might account for the catchy breath, tingling, and even the giggling. Yet, I knew I was on to a dawning realization of why I so enjoy the open mic events in our community. It is not just those individuals who fearlessly go forward to perform, it not just the delicious coffee and food that I crave, no, it is the fellowship, the camaraderie, it is the love that keeps me coming back. The erasing of imaginary boundaries between young and old, genres, styles, words spoken or sang. On this First Friday, I watched as musicians exchanged ideas, equipment, stories, and a deep appreciation for each others musical endeavors. I watched as family and friends, and musicians and poets not performing came to support the evening’s performers in a delightful attitude of fun. A sense of joy swirled around the room, intermingling with music and the warm reassuring scent of coffee.

Sleep did not come to me easily that night, thanks to my lack of restraint concerning my penchant for lattes, dark and strong, and my usual racing mind. So with sleep eluding me, my thoughts went back to my lingering impressions of the evening. I thought of Mitchell Brown singing and playing harmonica and guitar to the great folk songs of the 1960s. He played Creedance Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain, then Jackson Browne’s After The Deluge, and finally People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield. I enjoyed Mitchell’s commentary between songs. He was from that time, singing songs from that time and that experience was evident. He had a wealth of information, and I watched, as young and older musicians came to him after he played to talk to him. There were some technical difficulties in the middle of Mitchell’s first song, a loud pop came from the speaker, and it seemed to be broken. But this did not seem to hinder his playing at all. Jared Spencer, the ever diligent and delightful MC raced home to get his equipment, as did the masterful Jim Vandine. Soon the equipment was switched over and the show went on.

This camaraderie, continued on beyond our local community, to people like, Linda Watson, a poet who resides in Fort Thomas, who came all the way to Globe with a friend to enjoy Vida E’s First Friday. Linda read two poems, A Single Rose, and Darkness. A Single Rose was a beautiful metaphor for the cycle of life. Darkness, was filled with vivid imagery. I so appreciate fellow poets. It is a perk for me to attend these events where poets read. I recalled being impressed by a young man offering his chair to a lady. The place was packed, truly, standing room only. I was struck with just how caring our community is, how eager to help, and appreciative of all the good our community has to offer.

I reflected, as my mind was still reeling, on the other musicians like Chris Mathews, a young musician playing the guitar and harmonica, with a nice wavering voice, reminiscent of the lead singer of the Desaparecidos, Conner Oberst. Chris played two original songs, which were nicely fleshed out. His words held intense imagery, poetry with music. He finished his set with the classic Resolution Road by Bob Dylan. His youthful exuberance made me think of how important it is that our local schools teach music and art. Our community needs to stand behind our schools in finding ways to have music and art education for all grade levels. We need more hot shot music educators like Mr. Franco at Globe High School. So, mindful folks in our community, jump on the bandwagon for music and art education, and let’s give our would be musicians and artists opportunities to develop their talent and skill. And speaking of educators, this leads right to Mr. Adam Creary, a Globe High science teacher, who is also a musician.

I had to chuckle as I thought of Adam. I thoroughly enjoy exchanging ideas with Adam. He makes me laugh, smile, and think. I always felt we held similar philosophies in education. Adam definitely wants to be approachable by his students, knowing that fostering community in the classroom, gives a beneficial boost to what students learn. And here he was at Vida playing with Josh Dobbs, a Globe High School student. I chuckled more as I thought of all the fun Adam and Josh seemed to be having. They power played Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door, and Eric Clampton’s, I Feel Wonderful Tonight. I was thrilled to watch Josh and Adam and I hope to see them play again in the future.

As I continued to reflect of the events of the evening, I remembered how the place was filled with old friends, and potential new friends. I did take time from my note taking to talk to people. I had the pleasure to meet a very astute eleven year old, Sarah. She certainly had the vocabulary and soul of a poet. We conversed on a variety of subjects. She wanted to read a poem she had written, but it was getting late and she needed to leave. Perhaps she will read to a packed room in a future First Friday.

A young woman, Candice Hainey, accompanied by guitarist Ken Nandez, sang three moving hymns; Revelation Song, You’ll Come, and Hosanna. Her clear voice sang praises that received praise as well. And if my rewind is accurate, Amy Schugar played next. Amy has great stage presence. She involves the audience. Her strong bluesy voice and guitar, lifts everyone around her. She is a professional, and a pleasure to watch. I must of gotten lost in the moment, because my notes are a bit fuzzy as to who she was covering. I do know she sang the beautiful song by Susan Tadishy, Little by Little. I remembered feeling a sense of urgency building around this time. It was drawing near closing, but patrons and performers were holding tight after almost two hours of performances. There was still an eager expectation for more.

And more is what we got! Jim Vandine played next. Wow! Now there is someone who keeps the fellowship and camaraderie alive and well in our communities’ open mics and musical events. Jim attends most all the events. He speaks with everyone. He encourages musicians young and old. His lovely wife Gloria, photographs the performers then shares her pictures with them. They are a tireless dynamic duo for our community. I mused at how long I have listened and watched Jim with a great appreciation for his talent, and I really think it has been at least five years. Jim and Gloria, thank you! Jim sang the blues that night. A departure from his usual classic guitar. He played Albert King, and a great tune by ZZ Tops, Blue Jean Blues. Jim’s fingers worked hard with great effect. I like this new musical diversion.

Well I sucked it up and read next. I have to giggle when I think about reading my poetry. I have a greater empathy for all those that let their feelings of embarrassment go, and get up there and perform. I had fun, and I was glad Jared urged me to read. John Shultz was next. John doesn’t need any urging. It is obvious by listening to him sing his original songs that he is inspired to share his thoughts and talent. John sang, Great Creator, Grandma, and I Didn’t Know You. I was glad to see that John was still in town. He is looking for a home to rent, for himself and family. It is good to have new families moving here that support the fine life experiences that our community offers.

It must be winter, because Earl Knoob is back in town with our very own Copper Spike train. He dropped in to sing Anna on a Memory, All Time Woman, and Moon Glow Highway. Welcome back Earl. It is good to have you in town again. The evening had turned into night, and Jared took the mic as the dedicated Vida workers waited for the finale. Jared has been the perfect host, from rescuing the equipment to keeping the show going seamlessly. Jared has had a busy evening running First Friday, but as usual, he did it with a joke and a smile. Jared closed the evening recounting his 27th birthday experience. It is good to be alive. It was way past closing, so we only got a bit of Jared’s impromptu art of words and music. I was happy as I began to feel sleep encroaching upon me. I was honored to take part in an experience of town fellowship. Our town’s fellowship. A group of people who believe in and support the arts knowing that art is what elevates a town. Positive communal experiences that enrich, making life joyous and fun. Kudos to all those in our community who support the arts and our artists. We are a community that develops many varied artists. I know. I see it in all our schools, around our town, and events like this. The talent and future talent of our communities is something to be noticed. Our future is in our artists and thinkers. Somehow our area has been blessed with an abundance of talented individuals encompassing all means of art and thought. We should recognize this and promote these talents with opportunities for more cottage industries in our towns. Or, industry that need employees who are artists. It is time to think out of the box for our town. Time to recognize that our greatest financial reward for this town is in its people. Oh no! I almost started to get jazzed up again! I took a few meditative breaths reminding myself to never drink more than my share of espresso, ever. But I went to sleep with a smile on my face filled with the joyous togetherness of musicians, poets, and those that came to experience them. As I drifted off to sleep, my heart sang.

Kudos to those who are gutsy enough to get out there and share a bit of their soul. And kudos to all those that come out to support them. Great coffee, company, and fun.
Thanks to the Bakers and the friendly efficient staff of Vida E Cafe for creating a warm environment for these happenings.

Vida E Cafe First Friday Open Mic February Fourth
Jim Coates Picture Mine Cafe Second Friday Open Mic February Eleventh
Vida E Cafe Second Saturday February Twelfth
Does anyone know if the Second Saturday will have a love theme in honor of Valentine’s Day? Leave a comment. Help me promote community events by dishing on what is up and coming.

Hope to see you there!

By: Linda Gross

The name, Good Junk Bakery ,stems from all the other “good junk” businesses Sam Palmer has owned , including a recycling business in Miami and a used furniture store in Globe. He has always been able to turn a profit on offering “Good Junk” for sale. So, he kept the name when he decided to open the Bakery. Nothing pretentious or oversold here. He simply wants to ‘make a living’ as he says, and produce fresh, baked goods to go with his freshly ground coffees. He starts his days at 4:30 am now when the skies are pitch black and not a soul is stirring on Broad Street. By 6:45 am Sam is pulling out piping hot cinnamon buns, and 20minutes later, he is pulling out hot loaves of bread.

Good Junk Bakery on Broad Street starts baking when most of us are still sleeping!

Cinnamon, walnuts and raisins go into Sams rolls.

He usually sells out of the cinnamon buns by 10am, and the best time to get yours is, of course, right around 7am when the heat is still rising from them.

There is a choice of those with cream cheese frosting, and those without. The Cinnamon Buns sell for $2.00 each. And if you want to pick up a dozen for the office, it’s a good idea to put in an order the night before.

Phone #   928-812-2953

The Bakery is also beginning to supply the Copper Spike with fresh baked breads for their meal service and will be offering mini-loaves of rosemary/basil bread for Joe Wilson’s new restaurant venture next door.

Baker, Sam Palmer, produces cinnamon rolls and fresh bread daily

Sam’s Good Junk Bakery is an old storefront on Broad Street, right across from McSpadden Ford and next to the Copper Parrot on the south end of the Historic District. Tables and Chairs are scattered and mismatched, but make a welcome place to visit with friends.

Sam Palmer considers himself his own apprentice baker because he is learning as he goes. The large commercial oven he bought on E-bay and the exact mix of ingredients for his various breads and cinnamon rolls are one part science and one part inspiration.  To be a baker whether you are born into it or come to it through a more circuitous route like Sam, is a process you learn by doing. Sure you have to have the equipment and the basic ingredients, and a rudimentary understanding of your craft. But it is only in the hands of a baker that those things come together for an “Aha” experience.

Sam prepares his first batch of cinnamon rolls

To get your “aha” experience of the day – stop in early and get your fresh baked goods piping hot from the ovens of Good Junk Bakery – on Broad Street in Globe.

The Bakery is open 4:30 am – 4:00pm 6 days a week.

The morning begins when Sam brews up freshly roasted coffee from his own stock (which he also sells by the lb). In fact, this is the only place you can get great coffee at 5 in the morning! And, while the latest batch of rolls aren’t due out of the ovens until about 7, he always has a nice selection of day-old breads at half price for the really early birds who come in for coffee on their way to work.

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Have you ever stood in line at a store, patiently waiting for the geezer in the ‘I WANT MY SENIOR DISCOUNT!’ ball cap to pay up and get out? You know the guy I’m talking about- he’ll try to negotiate the price of a package of Tic-Tacs just for sport. Somewhere along the way he’s assumed that because he’s reached a certain age the world should shift on its axis and eagerly entertain his wildest demands. A septuagenarian on a mission is a man sometimes to be avoided.

As the great Grouch Marx once said, “Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”

Don’t get me wrong- I love senior citizens. Especially now that I’m considered one of them. While I’m still ten or so years away from retirement age, I qualify for the ten percent cut on merchandise which many businesses offer. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I love it. When I found out that Fry’s Market offers a discount to senior citizens on the first Wednesday of the month- child, I was there on my fifty-fifth birthday. I fought the lurching crowds and threw anything edible into my cart, then rolled up to the checkout lane and loudly, proudly announced, Hi! I’m a senior citizen! Do you need to see my Social Security card, driver’s license or passport? The cashier looked at me as though my nose was running. ‘No sir,’ she said. ‘We’ll just scan your Fry’s card.’ I handed her my Safeway card, and when she glared at me I hurriedly produced my Ace Hardware card. She smiled patiently and said, ‘The Fry’s card, sir.’ Mumbling incoherently- a cute thing us old folks do- I handed it to her and exclaimed, Sorry, Honey! Just testing you hahaha!

I saved sixty-four dollars and twenty-three cents that day, and I now make it a point to do my bulk shopping on the first Wednesday of every month. This discount thing is a perk, you see, and not an entitlement. Sort of like being rewarded for getting wrinkles. Sure, we all love to save a few bucks, and everyone’s chasing a dollar nowadays. I shop locally, and I’m proud of it. If Fry’s can make it up in volume- God love the seniors- then I say, go for it.

Here’s a little secret, and perhaps this would embarrass someone else, but I’m shameless. The only things I buy new are groceries. Well, let’s add undies, tees and socks to the list, too. The rest of it- flannel shirts, kitchen tables, dog bowls, station wagons- I buy secondhand. It’s my nature to recycle, and I enjoy the low carbon footprint which remains after I’ve spent a day junking. In fact, I take the opportunity to brag about it every chance I get because it makes me feel better about myself, especially when a buddy buys a 147” plasma thin screen whatever. I like to think I’m principled and thrifty. Perhaps I’m simply delusional and cheap.

Time for a trip to the store- I’m out of Tic-Tacs.

Gila County property owners received a bit of shock this last week when their property tax bills came in the mail. Due to an error in calculation,  the Globe Unified School District portion of the bill was calculated at $4.88 per $100 of assessed value, or almost double the $2.80%  that it was expected to be.

The Property Tax grew to a monstrous size and caused questions - which led to the discovery of an error

Upset by the large increase, Globe resident Tom Conto called the Globe School District, who was unaware of the error.  “We thank those in the community for alerting us to this problem,” said Globe School District Superintendent Dr. Ron Nelson.

After consulting with the Gila County School Superintendent’s office and the Gila County Treasurer’s office, an emergency meeting was called at the Mofford Center by Globe School Board this morning   to quickly fix the problem. Board members signed a resolution (see below) to request that the Gila County Board of Supervisors recalculate and revise the rate.

Today’s Globe School Board meeting began with a “Truth in Taxation” hearing, where School Superintendent Dr. Ron Nelson explained to the public what had happened.

Globe resident Caryl Fuller asked if they did not need to have a 48 hour notice before this meeting, to which Board Clerk Frankie Dalmolin replied that there only needed to be 24 hour’s notice, which was met.

Board member Jacquie Cline Griffin thanked the public for pointing out the error. “It’s easy to call the media before us, so I thank Tom Conto for coming to us first,” she said.

The normal procedure for calculating the school district’s tax rate starts with the school district, which sends information based on the annual budget as okayed by the Governing Board to the County School Superintendent’s office. The County School Superintendent’s office then passes the information to the County Assessor’s office, and a tax rate is set. After okayed by the County Board of Supervisors, the County Treasurer’s office sends out the bills.

Where things went terribly wrong was when the State of Arizona skipped their payments to school districts this last year, due to their own shortfalls in this economy. By law, the year’s tax rate must be set on the third Monday in August (August 16 this year). When the State skipped six payments this last year, which was expected to be $750,000 each, the shortfall caused the school district rate to come to 4.88%.  On August 16th the County Board of Supervisors approved the rate, and the County Treasurer’s office sent the bills to the printer. Then on August 27th,  payment from the State in the amount of $1.4-million to the Globe School District,  was received at the County Treasurer’s office!  So now the whole process, beginning with the Globe Unified School District, will have to start over to revise the tax rate. All parties hope to present the Board of Supervisors with a new rate to approve at their next meeting, and revised property tax bills can be sent out.

Dr. Nelson points out that there is really nowhere to “put blame” in this error. “Everybody did what they had to do with the information they had at the time,” he said. He also said he was pleased that all entities involved quickly gathered  and worked together to fix the problem, from the public to the school district, County Schools office and Treasurer’s office.

According to Debi Savage, Gila County Treasurer, revised bills  for those in the Globe School District only, will be mailed out  2-4 weeks after the Board of Supervisors okays revision.  Those who have already paid the first half of their bill will have their second payment reduced from the revised amount. Those who paid their bill in full will be issued a refund. Anyone with questions about their bill can call the Gila County Treasurer’s office at 402-8702.

Gila County property owners will still see an increase in their tax bills, as many portions were raised. The largest of these is for Gila County itself, as their tax rate rose from 3.75% last year to 4.19% this year.

By:  Linda Gross

Many of you will remember the cool restored Fire Engine which participated in many Globe events over the last several years. It led the parade when Channel 3 came to Globe several years ago. It has been in Homecoming Parades, Light Parades & the Gila County Rodeo Parade. What many don’t know is that it started it’s illustrious career right here in Globe in 1953.  Built in 1952, the American LeFrance Engine was used by the Globe Fire Department fro 1953 to 1991 before being retired.

Vernon Perry, representing Gila County Historical Museum, and Globe Fire Chief Al Gameros and Doug Brannan pose with the 1952 Fire Truck

At that time it was purchased by the Biosphere so they could officially have an on-site fire engine, although it was never used. There it sat for 10 years soaking up the desert heat of Tucson, when it was rescued by Doug, and restored to it’s current (pristine) condition.

The ’52 American LaFrance Engine comes from a long line of emergency vehicles built by American LeFrance. The company has been making Emergency Vehicles for 175 years and if you want to see a cool time line of all the styles from then to now, check out the museums’  Historical Time Line.

Doug says it was in researching the Engine’s history that first pulled him to Globe to check out the community and talk to people who could give him any information on the Engine’s history. Turns out, Fire Chief Al Gameros served on this engine in his early days as a fire fighter. The Brannans ended up moving to Globe in 2006 and opening a business on Broad Street; The Rusty Buffalo Traders, and volunteering hundreds of hours for Main Street projects headed up by Kip Culver. Last year, when Doug’s brother got sick, they made the difficult decision to move out of the area. Doug always wanted the Fire Engine to remain with the community, and although he had offers on it from outside parties, and had put over $20,000 into its restoration, he offered it to the Globe Fire Department for $10,000.  With the help of the Gila County Historical Museum who contributed half, the Globe Fire Department was able to raise the other half and and today they proudly handed over a check to Doug.

Doug, airing up the tires last December for the Light Parade

Thanks to Doug and Cynthia who rescued it from obscurity, and to the Historical Museum and the Globe Fire Department, THIS old Engine – which is in pristine condition – has come home to stay.

Members of the Globe Fire Department arrived just in time for a photo op. They had been on a call, so we gave them a pass on being alittle late for the photo op!

The 1952 American LaFrance

A local group intent on developing an on-line community of growers, gardeners in the Globe-Miami region will be launching a facebook page called,”Homegrown-A Farmers Market” this month.  The only restriction is that it will be limited to only those products which come from the ground. This is a food-only Farmers Market. There will be a planning meeting for all interested parties on Saturday, May 22, at 9am at Vida E Cafe. see HOMEGROWN.

For local gardeners, who grow more than they can eat or give away to friends, this will be a site you can find outlets for your produce, or simply let people know what you have, and what you’d be willing to sell, trade or give-away.

For local growers, we invite you to let us know what you grow and where you are selling your produce. Can we come to your farm to pick apricots? Or drive out to snag a bushel of tomatoes from your place? Or do you offer your product at certain stores etc in the area?

We will discuss the logistics of networking our produce, resources and needs. And we want to hear from you. So please come on Saturday to ‘plan and plot’ a local – but virtual – Farmers Market for our region. If you can’t make it though, there will be minutes from this meeting posted on the site.

By: LCGross

This is an excerpt from a 2006 story we did on the Berstein Family who recently celebrated 65 years in business.

In 1908 the future looked bright indeed for the Globe-Miami area. There were nearly 35 mines operating in the area and the “Queen of the Western Mining States” was attracting business near and far. But it was neither the mines nor the business in the area which brought Abe Bernstein out west in the spring of 1910. It was baseball.

Around the turn-of-the Century there were two primary forms of entertainment:
Theater (of which there were five in the area) and baseball. Both packed the house. The mines themselves often sponsored amateur and semi-pro teams. The Globe-Miami Browns were a major contender then in the world of semi-pro teams and games drew large crowds every Sunday as fields filled with spectators and players.

It was here that Abe first met Kathryn Federick who gave him a reason to stay in Globe. He initially opened Bernstein’s Jewelry at 266 Broad and continued to play some ball in the area, but in 1925, when another young jeweler, Ray Bedillion, approached him about combining stores, Abe accepted. At the time, Bedillion had United Jewelry and Loan Company and together Abe and Ray expanded their business to include fine watches, clocks, radios, sporting goods and more.

When the Great Depression hit, the mines virtually shut down. Miami Copper drastically curtailed operations and the Inspiration Copper Company and Old D shut down completely. The Old Dominion never re-opened. It was a bleak time for businesses in the area and over at United Jewelry, there was not enough business to support two families.
Abe, along with hundreds of others were forced to leave the area to look for work. He took Katie and their son to California, where he found work in another jewelers shop for the next 15 years. There, they raised a family of 4 boys.  In 1945, Ray died and his widow called Abe in California and offered him the store. He accepted.

Abe and Katie returned to the area in ’45 to take over the store and Jim, the oldest son, returned from WWII in the summer of ’46 to join his father in the jewelry business.
(Brothers Bob and Kenneth were both killed in unrelated, tragic plane crashes in the ensuing years and youngest son, Mickey settled in Phoenix and became an attorney)

In 1947 Jim met Mary Karoglan, a Miami native, when she walked in to pay for a lay-a-way. It took only two dates for Jim to be convinced that Mary was the girl for him and they married in 1948. Mary helped Jim and his father in the store from day one. As she explained, “I’ve always liked serving people.  I started out working for Woolworth, and later I was at the Miami Commercial Company. I just loved being behind a counter.”

It was a good time to be in business. The war had just ended and the entire country felt optimistic about the future. Jim and Mary invested $7500 to remodel the interior of the United Jewelry and started a family which would come to include 2 sons; Jim and Kenneth and a daughter, Kathy.

United Jewelry in 1925

At the time, the store was officially called the United Sporting Goods and Jewelry Store. Jim expanded the business into sporting goods, athletic shoes, and team uniforms, in addition to the full line of electronics, musical instruments and jewelry which his father had always carried. In 1979, after nearly 3 decades of running one store together, Mary talked Jim into letting her open a second store on the highway in the newly developed Cobre Valley Shopping Center.

It was in a good location on the highway and, as Mary says, “I was tired selling rifles, TVs and music I knew nothing about. Plus they were heavy,” Mary said. “I liked the jewelry.”

A few years later, when Wal Mart moved into the area, the Miami store dropped their line of sporting goods and athletic shoes and began to concentrate more on those items which Wal Mart did not handle: i.e.: collectible guns and musical instruments, while Mary operated her jewelry store with the help of daughter Kathy.  “I carried the same quality pieces, just less of it. And I would try to carry what people wanted.”

Jim Jr, who ran the store with his father, and now handles the collectible gun sales and musical instruments for the business, says  “…it used to be that the average person might have one shotgun and maybe a rifle in the house. Now, that same person may have 7-8 shotguns or rifles and 15 handguns.”  It seems gun sales have had their ups and downs, at one point surpassing sales of jewelry in the store, and at other times taking a back seat. And despite Wal Mart cornering the market on the rifles for the hunter, Jim’s business is now strongly entrenched in collectible guns and hard to find ammunition.

In 1998 the family, decided to combine both stores into one location and settled on the old Woolworth building on Broad in downtown Globe. It was the last of the Woolworth stores to close in the Southwest and had been on the market for a few years. Mary knew the brothers who owned it and had been in the same sorority with their mother.

The imprint of United Jewelry in Miami still remains

“So, I got a good deal on the building,” she says with a smile. It was also in ‘98 that Jim Bernstein retired altogether, and Mary, along with her daughter, Kathy and eldest son Jim, took over the reins of the business. Once again the gun business, musical instruments and jewelry were all under one roof. Granted, it is an unusual combination of merchandise for most visitors to grasp: mixing Remington rifles, fine diamonds and Gibson Guitars. But for the unique variation of merchandise found in the store, one thing remains uniform. And that is service. Ever since Abe Berstein first went into the jewelry business, the family has been taking care of each customer as if they were going to know them for a lifetime. And in Globe-Miami that makes for quite a few generations of customers.

By: Holly Brantley

This is an excerpt from GlobeMiamiTimes Spring 2009. Holly’s aaprons have become so popular that The White Porch now structures a social event around her aprons!  This Friday from 5-6pm, everyone is invited to the Porch to discover the new ‘Valentine’s Aprons’ and sample some goodies.

In Search Of Comfort

Times are a tad bit tougher these days than most young people have ever seen. But many generations before have seen such hardships. The lesson learned from those times gone by is that with hope and sacrifice the tough times will pass and we will be better for the strength we gained going through the process.
O.K. with that great piece of wisdom out of the way, a question popped into my mind.  What will bring us comfort in this uncomfortable time? I searched the place that brings me most comfort, my childhood. There in that world existed the memory of my Grandmother. She was the matriarch of our family. She is who cared for us when our Mother was working. She is who watched over us, fed us, refereed us and comforted us when we needed it most. There’s that word, comfort. You ask how? When we got hurt she wiped our tears and our booboo’s with that wonderful tool that she always wore, her apron.
Memory serves up Grandmas apron collection. There was the every day cotton, the clever dish towel design, the for special occasion only chiffon, the Christmas apron with poinsettias and of course the cute cocktail ones with the martini glasses. Grandma was quite stylish in her aprons and always ready to take care of someone’s needs.
This thought brought me comfort in a time of craziness. I decided to give birth to my idea of comfort, I decided to create and make aprons. Now aprons have gotten a bad rap in the past as a representative of nothing more than a sign of servitude. Well I wanted to put that horrible picture out of every ones mind and stress the memories of comfort an apron can bring to us from our childhood. I thought of a logo and decided that my aprons would celebrate the one who would proudly wear an apron. The ones that will wear my aprons will be forever remembered as wearing a “Home Hero Cape”. On February 5, 2009 the apron business was born in my craft room in Ice House Canyon, Globe, Az.
The first apron I made was an original design. I wanted it to be girly so it’s red and white, just perfect for Valentines Day. But it didn’t come out so well. I keep it to keep me humble. The 2 aprons after that were made from a pattern and they were shapely and colorful. When I walked into The White Porch, the shop located at 101 N. Broad Street in Globe were I work on Fridays, I never even got to put a price tag on them before they were both bought right off of their hangers. I was comforted in knowing I had finally found my nitch.
I love the thrill of finding the fabrics for my creations. Some I buy and some has been given to me by some really great Ladies who have no idea what to do with their fabric stash. I take great care in finding and developing new apron patterns. Coordinating the fabrics so that the apron sings is sometimes easy and sometimes it takes a while. I do know that with every apron I make it is designed for that one special person who will love it always even if I have never or will never meet them.
You ask if I have a collection of aprons of my own? YES I do. Sometimes I find it hard to let a certain apron go and it gets added to my personal collection. I have holiday aprons and fashion aprons and even my shop apron. I own books on aprons and people e-mail me facts about aprons. Aprons are fun and every one of my daughters will have one before the year is out. I believe in sharing the love.
I did my research before starting on this path. I googled aprons and do so regularly to keep on top of the fresh and the new. At the time of this article there are roughly 4,500,000 sights listed for aprons. I guess there are a lot of people looking to find the childhood comfort zone in these crazy times.” Thank you Grandma for the special memories and the strength to go forward.”
Holly Brantley

“Home Hero Capes” can be found at The White Porch” located in the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts at 101 N. Broad in Globe, Az. Holly is there on Fridays and she takes special orders. Molly is there every other day except Tuesday and Wednesday. She can take your orders too.