Tuesday Tip

Take inventory and take advantage of the white sales!

January is always the perfect time to take inventory and assess what you may have noticed lacking over the holidays. An extra set of towels, the perfect platter, etc... And sometimes the beginning of a new year acts as a reminder to re-stock so to speak. And, in my case it allowed me to take control of my seemingly uncontrolable landslide of breakdowns and breakage.

Aplico lions head tureen

I am not exaggerating when I tell you something(s) has broken down, or accidentally been broken every week for the past 2 months. It's almost laughable. Almost.

The series of mechanical failures started with the new lawn mower. Last week it was the dishwasher. The next 10 items ranged from toilets to my mixer. You get the picture, homeowner hell- we've all been there in varying degrees depending on the age of your house. This week, the coffee maker and washing machine are vying for the honor of number 13 with their noisy antics. Mr. A&A was traveling during most of the issues, naturally. Coincidentally, many of my standard white dishes and serving pieces met their demise over the holidays.

John Wanamaker

In case you ever wondered how the white sale got it's name, the credit goes to John Wanamaker. Wanamaker's is the famed Philadelphia department store. In 1878, to boost slow sales in the month of January, Mr. Wanamaker put all his linens on sale. Naturally, they only came in white. It's interesting that over 130 years later, most people still think of linens and towels when they hear the term white sale. These days most retailers include small household appliances (that are not necessarily white) and in more recent years white dishes and a host of other random items can be among the sale offerings. One other little tid-bit for those who love design/literature/history, Edith Wharton's book The Reef could be purchased at Wanamaker's in 1913 for $1.17 according to wcpubliclibrary.org.

Inside the famed department store.

Over the years I've been partial to Apilco French Porcelain,  but I'm certainly open to a change and would love to hear your tips on your favorite white dishware?