We'll start the new collection of dandy reader feedback with "Mark Felt," our Stealth Research Assistant and Executive Vice President in Charge of Ephemera Reunions, commenting on "Mystery bookstore in Lancaster: Greg's Book Mart":
"I checked the most recent Lancaster microfiche which the Company still makes available to me (1989, two decades after the date shown in the book).To which I replied: Wait. Did you actually CREATE a blogspot site for Greg's Book Mart to share your findings?? Now it will become both a One Post Wonder — http://1post1der.blogspot.com/ — and a Lost Corner of the Internet. Future cybersleuths will be SO confused. I love it.
"By that time, Greg's Book Mart had moved to 1831 Columbia Avenue. See: http://GregsBookMart.blogspot.com
"Around 1998, that location had become Sloppy Janes, which closed earlier this year, due to Jane's passing. See: http://sloppyjanes.com
"I tried calling the phone number at the Leola location — disconnected. See: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gregs-book-mart-leola
"The plot thickens."
To which Mark Felt replied: "What I know, you'll have to find out on your own."
Touché.
Christmas remembrances card featuring Strasbourg Cathedral: Jenna Moore Fuller writes: "The original has a yellow satin ribbon bow, not orange yarn. I have a set of ten, all by different location cathedrals, by same artist, with different colors of ribbon bows. Would like to discover more about the artist; these are lovely!"
Jenna is the author of Writing — by Coincidence: Flowing with Signs & Synchronicity to Write with Passion and The Secret Language of Synchronicity: Deciphering the Words & Wisdom of Meaningful Coincidence. She followed up her comment on the blog with a very nice email, in which she writes:
"I am in awe over your fantastic Papergreat site! My passions are old books, ephemera, and the workings of synchronicity, and your site is an obvious treasure trove of someone who loves this stuff. My books are on the same, and current WIP focuses on found paper. A picture entitled 'Christmas Remembrances' from your site popped up when searching for info on some cards of which you had one. ... I've had my set of cards for at least twenty years, and never have found out much about them. Would like to find more on the artist for sure. ... I plan to delve into your site, a bit at a time, and am very excited to do so. And perhaps share some of my o-d-d finds as well. They are always a mystery, and like you say, always hold a story."Thank you for the kind words, Jenna. I will try to delve into the mystery surrounding those Christmas Remembrance cards and the artist "Rosenberg," though I fear it might be difficult hunting. But maybe I'll turn up something as a Christmas Miracle.
We might need these sweaters for the bomb cyclone and polar vortex: Stacia, the granddaughter of Knit-O-Graf founder Della Fitch, writes: "Hi there! Knit-O-Graf enthusiasts will be happy to know that Knit-O-Graf Pattern Company is back in business and exploring modern platforms to let folks know! We have an Etsy store and an eBay store, both of which stock the above pattern, #215 Scandinavian 'Skier/Skater' sweater. Just FYI! Cheers."
December 1981 boarding pass for Nigeria Airways: Anonymous writes: "I grew up in Lagos before the current airport opened and remember the old Ikeja airport. It later became the domestic terminal."
Summer plans tucked away inside "Claire Ambler": Jane Hoke Lindhorn, commenting on Facebook, wrote: "She forgot her underwear lol."
Montoursville 2018: Photos from elsewhere around town: Regarding the TWA Flight 800 Memorial, Wendyvee of the awesome Roadside Wonders writes: "That's a beautiful monument. It's been on my 'to do' list for some time."
Montoursville 2018: Our third house: Joan writes: "I liked looking at the Zillow listing for the house ... but I especially liked photo 4/5, which had a cat. You didn't mention what pets you had at each house!"
Alas, the Montoursville animal roundup is fairly boring...
- Mulberry Street: No pets. Just a stuffed alligator.
- Spruce Street: No pets. But a turtle or tortoise took a shortcut through our backyard once.
- Willow Street: The cats Buddy & Cyrano, who we acquired while living in Clayton, New Jersey.
Selections from the 1967 Top Value Stamps catalog: Anonymous writes: "My mother always shopped at Star Market in the Boston area and they had those yellow-colored 'Top Value' stamps. My sister was way older than me and had her first child in 1967. My mother used the books of stamps to buy a high chair for her. I'm not sure if she had enough stamps to buy the whole item or if she supplemented it with cash. We went to a catalog store over in Cambridge to get the high chair."
Old photo postcard of Brackenhurst Hall in Southwell: Christopher Black writes: "Hi there, I currently work at Brackenhurst Hall (NTU Brackenhurst Campus) and would be extremely interested in any and all photographs or history connected with it. Many thanks for posting this. christopher.black@ntu.ac.uk"
50-year-old advertisement for Haggar slacks: Joan writes, snarkily, "You have to own a pair of these ... right?"
Two mostly mystery photos: Tom from Garage Sale Finds writes: "That's the January 1942 issue of Mademoiselle."
I replied: "Holy Schnizzle, Tom! Great job on that! You get the Mademoiselle Merit Badge. (Or, as the kids these days would say, 'You have unlocked the Mademoiselle Achievement.')"
To which Tom replied: "The truth is out. I spend way too much time staring at old magazines."
Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em ... and when to call Sal: Tom writes: "Five-digit phone numbers were used into the '60's, particularly in rural areas."
Cheerful Card Company can help you earn extra money for the holidays: Anonymous writes: "I am 61 years old and I also have wonderful memories of selling Cheerful Christmas cards to friends and family in the Bronx, NY in the late 1960s. I also recall the cardboard box that folded into a carrying case, and the beautiful catalogue with sample cards. I think I was young, maybe 10 or 11 years old, the first year and continued for several years after that. The experience gave me a real sense of pride and independence. Of course the extra money was fantastic too."
Note: If you're scoring at home, we're now up to 24 comments on the Cheerful Cards post.
I want to ride my tricycle, I want to ride it where I like: Tom, tearing himself away from the magazines, writes: "I did a little color correction on your photo (yeah, I'm one of those people)."
That's the original on the left and Tom's stellar correction on the right. As soon as Papergreat becomes a million-dollar media enterprise, I'm hiring Tom to handle all color correction.
“There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”: Mark Felt writes: "Thank you, Chris, for your kind anecdotes about whatever light we can find in this world, against the backdrop of so much darkness, even in your home state of Pennsylvania. To amplify on Tolkien's words, 'Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.'"
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