Sunday, October 10, 2010

a small town girl

maxi dress
song of the day: 'don't stop believing' by journey
i took pictures in a lot of different places today, but these were my favorite. i love the faded yellow boards and the blue in the shipping pallet. works so well with my black and silvery gray dress and the blue of my shoes. i bought this dress on my birthday and thought it was so cool that i couldn't pass it up. no matter that i had no idea how i'd wear it! but it's super comfortable and kinda fun in its sheerness.
so i'm actually behind the old post office down the street from my house. it's such a neat building. the inside is so awesome with old wood floors and stained glass windows. i wish that it would be turned into a lounge/music space for the college students. it would take a lot of work and money to get it up to code but it would be so fun to put this place to good use. the previous owners couldn't keep up with it so the bank repossessed it and now the building stands empty. i've thought about having a fashion show with my vintage clothes in there. it would be the perfect space for it. its big and open and worn and cool. i think a lot of people around here are afraid to put effort into these old buildings. it takes a lot of money and work and faith in the community. i mean, years ago our downtown thrived. and then something shifted. it was before i moved here so i don't know what caused it. probably the addition of a huge highway on the other side of town. but something in our downtown died. when i was in school, there was nothing to do here. main street was dead and no one came here. then there was a change. people started buying old buildings and making them into coffee shops and flea markets. it's taken a long time but now we have a downtown to be proud of. a vintage shop (mine!) and an art gallery, brick oven pizza, mediterranean restaurant, book store, scrap booking shop, and on and on. around here, those of us who have chosen to open a store downtown, we're very proud of what we've accomplished. there's still A LOT to be done. all the time, people come into my shop and say 'wow, i had no idea this was here!' and they've lived here all their lives. we have to change the way they see their small town and the way they shop. some times it's frustrating. sales are down, traffic is down, and the city won't put forth the effort or the funds to help us. but then, someone will come in the shop and say how much they love it and that siloam needs it and it's really cute. that makes me feel so good. like i'm in some small way helping my town succeed. i'm not out to make a ton of money or become famous. i just want to make a difference in one small town in northwest arkansas.
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
details:
dress-vintage, thrifted
shoes-target