Something old is new in Natick
Two Natick women with a passion for the past have followed their dreams and opened shops to sell their vintage finds.
Jodie Garodel had always considered herself a modern woman, until she bought a Victorian home in Natick 12 years ago. Then she found herself gravitating toward antiques to furnish her place in the style to which it was once accustomed, and soon Garodel was buying vintage clothing for herself as well. With years of experience in retail and dreams of one day opening her own store, Garodel realized the time had come, and Vintage Diva debuted in downtown Natick on Nov. 1.
Vintage Diva carries upscale, classic clothing from the 1940s through the '60s, such as fur-trimmed jackets and beaded lambswool sweaters, costume jewelry, and antique furniture that usually has a French twist.
Garodel says many of today's actresses have set a trend for wearing vintage clothing, in particular Sarah Jessica Parker on "Sex and the City."
"She's definitely done wonders for vintage," said Garodel.
On the other side of Natick, just north of Route 9, Amy Walton opened Just Because in September. The self-described "owner, dreamer, and selector" of the tiny shop, located on Route 27, sells "tattered treasures," rustic and weathered home decor such as painted doors and chairs, colorful vintage linens, wooden finials, and metal boxes.
"Every piece has a story. Somebody loved it once before," she said.
A lifelong Natick resident, Walton said as long as she can remember she has hunted through antique shops, flea markets, and yard sales for vintage treasures and longed to someday open "a shop where the average person could come in and buy something." When she saw the space, a longtime barbershop, advertised for rent, she took it as a sign that "someday" had arrived.
"We're only here one time. It's just a dream come true and I'm having a blast," she said.
For hours and more information, call Vintage Diva, 508-647-9800; Just Because, 508-650-3939.
TOASTY TOOTSIES -- Three Upton students want to help homeless people stay warm and comfortable this winter by providing them with socks and shoes.
Jessica Tardif, Emily Lowell, and Jessie Bibeau, students at Nipmuc Regional High School, started Warm Hearts for Warm Toes, a nonprofit organization, as part of DECA, a national marketing organization for students.
Tardif said she and her partners wanted to do something for homeless people, and their research showed that shelters constantly need new socks and new or slightly used shoes. The girls started a sock and shoe drive at their school and have expanded it to locations throughout Upton and Mendon as well as other schools in Central Massachusetts.
Clean, dry socks and shoes not only keep feet warm, they help prevent health problems such as fungi and scales, Tardif said.
New socks and gently worn shoes and boots for men and women may be donated at all locations. Collection boxes can be found in the lobby of Nipmuc High School, Miscoe Elementary School, the Upton Post Office, and the Upton Town Hall until Feb. 20.
For information, contact Tardif at 508-529-6481 or e-mail warmhearts4warmtoes@hotmail.com.
FORMER SLAVE TO SPEAK -- Antislavery activist Francis Bok will share the story of his 10 years in captivity in Sudan, his escape from slavery, and his journey to freedom in America with students at Perkins School for the Blind and the general public tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in Watertown.
Perkins president Steven Rothstein invited Bok to speak in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day after hearing Bok speak and meeting his brother on a trip to Sudan.
Bok, who works for the Boston-based American Anti-Slavery Group, became the first escaped slave to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearings on Sudan in 2000, and speaks throughout the United States on modern-day slavery. According to the American Anti-Slavery Group's website, www.iAbolish.com, about 27 million people are living in slavery around the world.
The presentation is free and open to the public at Dwight Hall in the Howe Building on the Perkins campus, 175 North Beacon St. For information, visit www.perkins.org or call 617-972-7335.
LESS IS MORE -- Offering a twist on the standard American business philosophy that bigger is better, Babson College professor Joel Shulman of Weston has coauthored "Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller," which was recently named a best business book of 2003 by SmartPros, a continuing education company for businesspeople.
Shulman wrote the book with fellow entrepreneurship professor Thomas T. Stallkamp, former vice chairman of DaimlerChrysler and former president of Chrysler Corp.
Shulman, a leading researcher on entrepreneurship, and Stallkamp spent four years at Babson and Harvard University developing the new business growth model they call the Strategic Entrepreneurial Unit, or SEU.
The book shows how large corporations can stimulate growth by encouraging employees to create small entrepreneurial start-ups within the organization. These SEUs cost less because they use existing resources yet are unencumbered by the parent company's cost structure, culture, or politics, the authors say.
Shulman is Robert Weissman Term Chair of Entrepreneurship at Babson College. He directs the Shulman CFA Review Program, which provides training for investment professionals throughout the world and is a consultant.
Stallkamp is CEO of MSX International, which provides technical business services.
WARM WORDS -- Local residents will be sharing their words and wisdom with Southborough residents at the library this month.
Southborough dermatologist Dr. Louis Kuchnir, a library trustee, will talk about the sun's effect on skin at the Friends of the Library meeting Jan. 21 at 10:30 a.m. And on Jan. 27, Southborough middle-schoolers will share creative thoughts with seniors and other residents at a fireside poetry reading from 7 to 8 p.m.
"We're trying to create more opportunities for interaction between the generations, but anyone is welcome to attend," said library director Clare Curran.
For information, call the library at 508-485-5031.
Know people who are interesting or doing interesting things? E-mail prato@globe.com.
