My 'Accidental' Favorite Job ...

I fell into it, slid into it, or maybe I was actually pushed

My favorite job came about completely by accident … I’d like to tell you about it, but first, a little backstory:

In the 80s, we lived in a suburb of Boston for several years. My friend, Brendar, and I had many of the same artistic interests: woodworking, handmade dolls and teddy bears, and we both loved sewing.

We built up an inventory and then traveled to art and craft fairs where we rented a double table for selling our creations. We usually sold out and once home, we went back to work planning for the next one.

A friend of ours, Elaine, had an older sister, Eleanor (Ellie), who bought a rundown circa 1661 mansion called the Baldwin House. It was the oldest home in town and the family was credited with giving its name to the Baldwin apple.

Eleanor’s plan was to refurbish the building and each individual room and turn it into a high-quality dining establishment called The Baldwin Landing Restaurant.

Ellie’s dream was to have her entire staff —-hostesses, waiters, waitresses, cashiers, bartenders, and parking valets, dressed in circa 1600 period costumes. Ellie soon found there was nothing available that coincided with the costumes she had in mind.

For her staff, she wanted elegance and charm with a colonial touch. She was sharing her ideas with Elaine and Elaine told her to talk to Brendar and me. She knew we spent a lot of time creating and sewing. It might be possible for us to come up with some design ideas for her.

When Brendar called and informed me she offered our help, I was shocked. What do you mean, we have to design costumes for a restaurant from the 1600s? What with? I’m sure there are no patterns available for what Eleanor wants. We’d have to design everything ourselves and make our own patterns and … “Brendar, you’re crazy you know … (sigh).” But I was even crazier for agreeing to do it ...

First, we went to the library to search books with pictures and drawings from that time period. Then with our ideas in mind, we robbed our linen closets of old sheets, barnstormed more ideas, and finally, created patterns, (lots of patterns) on white butcher’s paper on the kitchen table.

The next day, using our invented patterns, we cut and sewed our prototypes for each staff position out of old worn-out striped, floral, and colored sheets for Eleanor’s eventual decision.

What we came up with were ballroom gowns for Ellie as manager and the cashiers. For the wait staff: simple-cut long dresses (light gray) and one-piece long white aprons for the waitresses, knicker-length pants (medium gray), long matching vests, worn with white knee socks, white puffy long sleeve shirts with wide cuffs and lacy tiered white ascots at the neck for the waiters and bartenders.

Elinor was thrilled! She told us there would also be parking valets so Brendar and I designed long black capes with red satin linings and a hook closure at the neck. We showed our prototypes from sheets to Ellie and again, she was excited. She approved everything, then looked us straight in the eye:

“The job is yours, if you girls want it. Go to the garment district to buy whatever materials you will need for a total staff of approximately 200. I will give you a credit card. You would need to be available to sew more costumes as new staff members are hired and make any necessary repairs going forward.”

We assured her for Brendar and me, it was a no-brainer. We loved a good challenge and this was about the biggest and best challenge we would ever see in our lifetime.

Over the next four weeks, Brendar and I spent most of our days and nights at one or the other of our kitchen tables, she with her sewing machine at one end, me with mine on the other. We worked together sewing the articles of clothing in a mini assembly line to get them ready to show Eleanor.

It was enjoyable work, talking, laughing, and sharing. Okay … now that being said, between us, we had seven children. Thank God, they all got along well together, playing in the backyard, board games on the porch, and working two 500 piece jigsaw puzzles on the dining room table.

Lunches were kept simple: grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, or PB&J sandwiches and applesauce. Suppers were mostly casseroles and salad to feed a crowd. On weekends, the daddies entertained the kids at parks and playgrounds, or the zoo.

When the job was finished, we were paid handsomely. Elinor told us she wanted one of the rooms to be a gift shop. It would have to sell the pewter serving ware and salt and pepper grinders, but everything else would be up to the shopkeepers –-if that was something we would like to do, it was ours. We would have no rent to pay.

No more traveling to art and craft fairs? We jumped at the idea. We found a local pottery barn for lamps, dishware, and decorative collectibles; a local winery, and we attended outdoor auctions for a few antiques to decorate our shop, and of course, the inventory we used to take to art fairs. Our kids especially loved going to auctions with us.

That’s how I blindly backed into my favorite job ever. After two years with the shop, my husband made another major career move, so I had to give it up, but it was my favorite job while it lasted.

After we moved to Indiana, I lost touch with the restaurant and staff. I tried to look up The Baldwin Landing Restaurant this morning, but all I could find were more recent restaurants. The above picture is the actual mansion though.

CJ’s World is reader supported.
If you enjoy my writing, it’s time
to consider a paid subscription so
all my posts are available to you.
Thank you.