Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

My favorite celebrity gossip blog, dlisted, pointed out that today is a very important day.



Raspberries! It's Carol Channing's 88th birthday today!

From Zola Jones to Carol Channing - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

My friend Emily at OrangeBeautiful, purveyor of fine paper goods, has given herself a new challenge when it comes to buying local and handmade. She's calling it her Indie Clothing Pledge and I applaud her for doing it.

Since starting Zola Jones I have become increasingly aware of where products are made. Not surprisingly, most of what you find in larger stores is made overseas. I'm aware now more than ever the impact of supporting a smaller and local business. Let me give you an example. Say you walk into my store and spend $100 on a bag. That $100 is almost immediately put back into my local economy - I use it to purchase more materials (always sourced locally - or at least domestically), to pay rent to my landlord, to buy lunch at one of my local restaurants and so on. Now, say you walk into a big chain store and spend $100 on a bag. Where does that money go? Some of it goes overseas to pay for products. But of course very little of it goes to those developing countries - I mean, the whole reason to have things made there is because it's so cheap! The rest of it goes to the CEO's bonuses and to pay rent on a huge warehouse-type space, etc.

As these difficult economic times continue, I think it's becoming increasingly important to spend locally and buy directly from artists. So, as I was saying, Emily should be applauded. Which I'm doing right now, but, of course, you can't hear me so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I'm So Pretty & Witty & Gay

I was just reading that Jason Wu, the designer Michelle Obama wore for the inauguration, is disappointed that The New York Times 'outed' him. According to Jezebel, The New York Times included a mention of Wu's boyfriend, Gustavo Rangel and that Wu is upset that he was outed to his extended family.

I think Dan Savage, my favorite relationship advice columnist, sums it up pretty fairly.

Introduce your boyfriend to a reporter from the New York Times as your boyfriend and the fact that you have a boyfriend could wind up in the profile of you that the New York Times reporter was sent to write about you. Reporters these days operate under the assumption that men with boyfriends—particularly men in New York City, particularly male fashion designers—are out of the closet.

So the New York Times really shouldn't be faulted for "outing" designer Jason Wu to his extended family, Jezebel. Wu outed himself to and through the New York Times. The lesson here: If you're making a secret of your homosexuality it's your responsibility to keep it secret. It's not the New York Times' responsibility.

Back when I first opened Zola Jones, I was being interviewed by a writer for The Sun Times. In discussing the Bumpy Ride Bag and how I get the seat belts from the junk yard, I casually said to the writer, "yeah, well I'm the only skinny gay guy at the junk yard hunting for seat belts." It was an off-the-cuff remark, the kind of thing I say in conversation all the time. It was also among many, many things I said in that interview. And wouldn't you know it? It was the part of the interview that the writer decided to use.

When I first saw it in print, Jason Loper, the skinny gay guy, I was taken aback. But then I knew I had said it to the reporter so I was the one who had outed myself to the readers of the Sun Times. Which, really, is cool with me. I mean, I am a handbag designer married to a man ... I don't think it's a far leap to guess which way I swing my bat!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Mr. Yuck stickers - remember those? I vaguely remembering gettting them in school some time in the early 80s and bringing them home ... where I proceeded to put them on EVERYTHING! I mean, it's stickers for Pete's sake! How could they not expect a kid to want to put them on everything they see?

Anyway, I just ran across this old PSA for Mr. Yuck stickers. Love it!



Remember: When you see it, you'll know quick. Things marked yuck, make you sick!

If only they put these stickers on big bottles of vodka!

Little Bird

I don't know what to think of this man . . .



Governor Blagojevich actually lives in a neighborhood near Zola Jones. I've witnessed him jogging around the neighborhood many times. And you know what - I can tell you something about the governor based on the way he jogs. Rod Blagojevich was picked last in gym class. Doesn't that explain why he's this insane, power hungry man now!

How do I know he was picked last? Oh, it's in his lumbering gait as he jogs - his head down, his feat kind of pigeon-toed, his sweaty hair puffier than usual. The fact that there's a physically fit man on a bicycle struggling to ride as slowly as the governor is jogging makes it an even funnier scenario.

Which makes me wonder, if I'm ever famous, will I still ride my bike? Or will I worry about my photo being taken? Nah, screw that, I'm handsome no matter what I do.

You Are So Beautiful to Me

This photo is one of the reasons I'm so excited about our new President and First Lady . . .



Love. You can totally see it in this photo. The Obamas love one another. I mean, can you imagaine Bill & Hillary in this scene? I imagine they'd probably recoil from one another. George and Laura? Maybe, but he doesn't seem like he would be that demonstrative. From the fact the he loaned her his jacket to the way he's leaning in to touch foreheads, this photo demonstrates a warm moment between the Obamas. And I find that ... comforting. Yeah, I think that's the best word for it. Comforting.

(The photo is from the LA Times.)

Just Like the River, I've Been Running Ever Since

You will forgive me if I am political for a minute. Of all times, though, I think this is very appropriate.



As you know, I've been supporting Barack Obama all along. In fact, when he first came into my consciousness, when he was running for Sanate, I said to The Mister, "I can't wait for him to run for President." So, naturally, I am excited and releived that he is indeed the new President.

To me, though, the outpouring of emotions and the unprecedented crowds and excitement we experienced on election day said more about the state of our country than anything else. I think at this point, the state of the country seems so dire and depressing that we are more receptive to the idea of change than ever. Over the past eight years we were, more often than not, reminded that we needed to live in fear and we were told to pit the 'good' against the 'bad' and the 'right' against 'wrong'. This new era offers more positivity and hope than we have seen in some time.



As I got on the train yesterday morning, half of the people were talking about the inauguration. The lady behind me on the train was telling her traveling companion that she is full of hope and excitement for the first time in her life. And then she said something that made so much sense to me. She suggested to her friend that perhaps everyone would be more positive and helpful under this new presidency. He asked what she meant. She went on to compare it to working for a bad boss. If you have a boss who is always negative, it reflects on the workers, who become disgruntled and frustated to the point of it reflecting on their performance. On the other hand, if you have a boss who inspires you, one who praises you and asks you to set the bar higher and who you respect so much that you don't want to disappoint them, you will work harder than you ever have before. And you know, I think she's right.

The Lady in Red

While I listened to the inauguration coverage today, I excitedly worked with some new leatherette I picked up yesterday. The first sample is a red and tan clutch.





As you may have noticed, I'm moving away from fabric a bit and really getting into these leatherette bags. Coming soon in the red & tan combination will be a batch of Square Peg bags.

I also worked in a custom pillow project today. The result is some pretty fab pillows, if I do say so myself.



These pillows are for Ms. K, who you may remember from the bedroom decor project a couple months ago. The pillows for her living room, where they will rest comfortably on a mocha colored sofa. My desire to branch out Zola Jones to include home decor items is coming to life, it seems. It will be a great way for me to continue working with fabrics as I think I'll be abandoning fabric bags with the upcoming spring line.

Ssssteam Heat

One of the things I love about our condo is the radiator heat. I grew up in houses with forced air or electric baseboard heat - it wasn't until our last apartment that we had radiator heat. And since then I've been hooked. So hooked, in fact, that when we were looking for a condo to purchase, radiator heat was a must-have.



Among the reasons I love radiators is the way it heats a home. Unlike forced air, which blows out hot air that quickly dissipates, radiators are like a big metal heat block sitting in a room. To me, this seems to be a more efficient and longer lasting way to heat a home. Which brings me to another reason I love radiators - their use as a dryer. As you see in the photo above, I often use the radiators around our home to dry items which shouldn't be placed in a dryer. My shopping tote, which had gotten quite dirty in the muck of a Chicago winter, dried quickly on top of the radiator - and looks fabuluos once again.

My one complaint about radiators is the space they take up in a room. And in a small home, space is at a premium. Still, given all the pluses of radiator heat, I'll gladly sacrifice space over warmth. Especially during this incredibly brutal winter.

Kim & Jessie

Seventeen degrees below zero! That's the temperature this morning. Ugh!
But I just came across this video and it has me thinnking of warmer weather and roller skates - two of my favorite things.



Our "free" movie last night turned into a $45 event! Fifteen dollars for concessions - including beer! yes, they sell beer at the concession stand at The Siskel - plus twenty-nine dollars for parking. That's right, $29 to park for three hours! Ouch! Still, it was a nice evening and the documentary about Johnny Cash was quite entertaining.

As I mentioned yesterday, tonight is our anniversary so we have dinner reservations followed by a drink at the place where it all began. That is, if I make it through another cold-as-hell day!

Folsom Prison Blues

The thermometer on my desktop reads -8 degrees right now. Eight degrees BELOW ZERO! Naturally, learning that makes me want to crawl right back under the covers and stay there all day. Alas, life goes on and in an hour and a half I'll have to put on my layers and go catch the train down to the store.



But at least at the end of the day, I have something to look forward to. The Mister and I are trying to curb our recreational spending - especially since I'm saving for new cell phones - so luckily I won tickets to a movie tonight. Listening to 88.7 WLUW the other night, I called in to a contest and won two tickets to a screening of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison at The Gene Siskel Film Center. Now, I'm a big Johnny Cash fan so naturally I'm excited about the movie - especially since it's free. And I've never been to the Gene Siskel Film Center so I'm jazzed about checking it out. But the reason I'm most excited about ending my day with a movie is that I'll be able to get a ride home with The Mister at the end of it!

Tomorrow marks the 10 year anniversary of the night The Mister and I met. Spending cap or no, we're going out for a romantic dinner, followed by drinks at the bar where we first met. All together now: awwww!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Retail in January is a sad, lonely time. This is especially true when it's 0 degrees and snow is falling. Oh, and did I mention there's a recession going on? So factor all of that together and you get a very quiet and cold store.

But then the wonderful thing about having a retail space is that I've been befriended by a number of people who periodically call or drop by. Yesterday I had two such visits and each was greatly appreciated. The first was a phone call from Mrs. Ortega, an 80+-year-old lady from the neighborhood. Now, I should tell you right now, I love Mrs. Ortega. Full of stories from Chicago's past (she's a native), I can talk to Mrs. O for hours on end. Our telephone conversation yesterday was 30 minutes of pure joy.

I also got a surprise visit from Monica yesterday. I don't remember the first time Monica came into the store but since then she has periodically stopped by when she's in the neighborhood and provided a few minutes of light conversation and laughter.

After a week or two of walking around in a recession induced daze, I'm finally snapping out of it and making plans for Zola Jones '09. Coming soon; changes to the layout of the store, expansion of Zola Jones products, redesign of website and posssibly even a new blog.

... life goes on without me

I think I've been having an It's a Wonderful Life experience. Which is funny because that was the last movie we watched at the store before closing up for Christmas. (Thank you Google video!)

Since coming back from my little Christmas vacation, my first two-week stretch away from the business since last Christmas, I've had some difficulty getting my groove back. To confound matters, my holiday sales, and my year in general, were less than anticipated. I've been very hesitant to admit that here at the blog. Frankly, I feel like I should put my best face forward here since it's kind of a reflection of my business. And then I called bullshit on myself and here I am writing about it.

Besides, it's really no surprise that my sales were down last year. Holiday sales across retail were down this year. If the big retailers can admit it, so can I!

So, as I was saying, since coming back from my little hiatus, I've been in a total funk. Which means that I have been so unproductive that I'm just a waste of space. Oh, well, I have started a bunch of projects but then I usually abandon them thinking oh what's the use? And that's because over the past few days, I've started preparing myself to close Zola Jones. It had started to occur to me that if the big retailers are struggling, what chance do I have?

It doesn't help that I'm a total news junky. I love NPR and I read RedEye on my commute and I usually visit cnn.com and other newsy sites several times each day. But the news is pretty gruesome these days. Sales are down, people are losing their jobs, big companies are closing, and the real estate market is basically frozen. What a time to try to earn a living making bags! And I ask again, how can I possibly make this little business work?



Then, of course, customers started coming in again, including a vegan who was very excited about the new leatherette bags and a custom order upcycling an old leather coat. And once again I've been swept away in the wonder of Zola Jones. For without me, these ladies would not have gotten their wonderful bags! What would this world be without me, Clarence?!

That's when I realized I can't imagine NOT making bags! In fact, today I finally got back to work and put together some new totes that I started Monday. Oh, it felt so wonderful to be sitting at the sewing machine once again! A sewing machine that I love so much ... I've named her. OK, don't laugh now. I also name cars and other machines I rely on. Anyway, Betty White is like my friend at this point. I've spent so much time at that sewing machine over the past few years, she's practically a part of me!

Now, I ask you, how can a man who names a cat Zola Jones and a sewing machine Betty White do anything but make bags?

Revolution #9

It's a new year! 2009 is officially here and that means my little vacation has drawn to a close. When I closed the store on December 23rd, I posted a sign on the door that said I'd return on January 5th. And here I am, sitting in what looks like a very bare store after stripping it of all it's holiday cheer.

I was away from the store and blogging such a long time that I hope I wasn't forgotten completely. The long holiday break was just what I needed though. It started off rocky - I found it very difficult to slow myself down and enjoy the time break away from the store. Letting go of the business was very hard at first. Then The Mister took me to IKEA a few days after Christmas - he always knows how to cheer me up and keep me distracted. And it worked. I spent a few days redecorating around the condo.



And then I had a surprise visit from a dear, old friend who dropped in en route to Ohio from Minneapolis. Amy's visit was a delightful holiday treat and was another great distraction from life.



The Mister and I also took a trip on board an Amtrak train to Springfield, IL for a little Abraham Lincoln history lesson. We had planned it as a quick daytrip and thank God. We were bored after two hours in the little town. Unfortunately, that left us with another six hours to kill.





By New Year's, I had almost completely forgotten all about the store and the growth of my business and all the other stresses of my day to day life and settled into a routine of leisure. So we spent a quite New Year's Eve in, drinking champage and making a huge mural on our chalkborad well.



After New Year's I took a little trip to Ohio and Indiana to visit family. Much of that time was spent eating and playing cards and enjoying my neices and nephews.



Which brings me back to today, a sunny January Monday. I couldn't convince myself to go to the gym this morning so instead I rode my bike to the store. It's cold in Chicago today but it wasn't bad really. Someone made a comment once that made me look at winter biking differently. You're really only cold for the first few minutes - which is the same time it would take me to walk to/wait for public transit. So why not ride? And the cold wasn't the problem as much as being out of shape. I've been fairly sedentary the past few months so today's ride was a work out!

Another One Bites the Dust

new year, originally uploaded by zola_jones.

Happy New Year!