There followed that beautiful season…
Summer…
Filled was the air with a dreamy
and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created
in all the freshness of childhood.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

GOODBYE TO THE WATER BOTTLE


Worldwide sales of plastic water bottles are $60 Billion a year.

That's a lot of money for an essential resource that you can
get for free from any faucet in most, not necessarily all,
countries.

And once that water is consumed, those plastic bottles --
70 billion bottles a year in the U.S. alone - end up in
landfills or perhaps bobbing along bodies of water and
ultimately, the sea.

But there is a movement afoot in the U.S. to get rid of plastic
water bottles and it is called the Unbottle Water Campaign.
And big cities are getting into the act.

On March 4, San Francisco "became the first major city in
the U.S. to ban the sale of plastic water bottles on public
property, building on a nationwide effort to curb waste from
the billion-dollar industry," reported The Examiner.

Sales of bottles holding 21 ounces or less of water will be phased
out over the next four years. Violators risk fines of up to $1,000.

Reacting to the ban, the America Beverage Association called
the action a "misguided attempt by city supervisors to decrease
waste in a city of avid recyclers."

More such "misguided attempts" are needed in the U.S. to break
the habit of the plastic water bottle. With potable water available
nationwide, there is no reason to be buying this product which
in addition to filling up landfills poses a health hazard to people.

The polycarbonate plastic of water bottles is made using an
industrial chemical known as BPA or bisphenol A. Some research
studies have found that BPA can leach into beverages and food
(BPA is also used to coat metal cans) with potentially adverse
effects on the brain, behavior, and the prostate gland of fetuses,
infants and children.

It's time to move away from plastic to glass:  the water bottle is
a good starting point.

newdream.org/unbottlewater

Photography by Denise Blasor

Wake up today, 
and look into the heart of the universe,
at this very moment you are here,
and you are alive.

Martin Suarez

THE ELECTROSHOCK OF VINTAGE

All pictures taken at Electroshock on Loiza Street

San Juan -- Feeling the jolt of the past is as easy and immediate
as entering a vintage/thrift store and on Loiza street, that corridor
of commerce with so much going on these days, there's two of
them right across from the other, each beckoning with unique
delights.

Much of the charm of both Len.t.juela and Electroshock is in the
contrast between the cache on shelves and racks that speaks so
vividly and colorfully of past decades and the modern, edgy
look of these two stores, a contrast that reiterates how well the past
and present can coexist in mutual appreciation.

Also, they are so bright and neat, unlike so many thrift stores
one finds even in New York that are dingy, grimy and messy.
The emphasis here is on neatness and making it easy for
people to appreciate the variety of objects carefully curated
by their owners.

Electroshock's owner Monica Oquendo says it took a while for
San Juan consumers to warm up to vintage. "There was a mysticism
about it," she said. "It's been a learning process."Today she runs two
vintage stores: the one on Loiza street, which she opened earlier this
year, and another one in Rio Piedras, near the University of Puerto Rico.

















The large clothing selection, for  men and women, hangs
neatly from racks that occupy much of the store. There are
dresses, skirts, blouses, tops, t-shirts, jeans, and shirts galore,
plenty to choose from if you have the patience and time to
look around.

Additionally, Oquendo has contemporary and vintage jewelry
on display in a glass case, plus assorted items like records,
luggage, artist comic books, totes and bags. Most things in
the store are under $30.

Styles have certainly taken all kinds of twists and turns in past
decades and one of the delights of looking through racks of old
dresses is to spot those that in addition to recalling a way of
dressing also bring back a moment in history like the chic orange
frock with black lace seen during a recent visit that instantly
flashbacked to the Valentino dress that Jackie Kennedy wore
to marry shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis back in 1968.

Jackie's dress, a tunic ending in a pleated skirt, was beige and
had a high neck but it too featured bands of lace across the bodice
and the long sleeves, much as in the above dress.

The joy of vintage is all about making such finds or in the best of
cases, uncovering surprising aspects of the past one had completely
forgotten or was not even aware of.

Len.t.juela   #1852 Calle Loiza  787.408.7111

Electroshock  #1811 Calle Loiza 787.727.5428

Photography by Denise Blasor

I don't want a future, I want a present.
To me this appears of greater value.
You have a future only when you have no present,
and when you have a present, 
you forget to even think about the future.

Robert Walser

ⓒ  2014 Lorraine Blasor all rights reserved❥

I want to taste and glory in each day,
and never be afraid to experience pain.

Sylvia Plath

Photography by Denise Blasor

LEN.T.JUELA GOES LOIZA STREET

With its grey facade and lively window
displays, Len.t.juela carves out a
beguiling presence on Loiza Street.

San Juan -- "Fabulous." "Welcoming."  "I 
love the sparkle and the exclusivity of each
piece.""It's Not a store It's more than that. 
It's culture, family, good taste, love. Good
stuff!!!!!!!"

That's the sort of enthused comments
you'll find posted on the Facebook page
of vintage boutique Len.t.juela in response 
to the store's new location on Loiza St.  

All deserving plaudits.

The new store is a winner. It sports a hip,
industrial look (notice the black cement floor),
lots of colorful details and an eclectic mix of
glass cases to enshrine all the lovely objects 
of bygone decades that store owner Valeria Bosch
and her partner in vintage Bryant Huffman have 
culled for their clients' consideration.

The new locale gives Len.t.juela the kind of 
visibility missing from its former location,
which was just around the corner but off the 
main drag. 

It is sure to translate into more traffic and
consequently more business for this special 
store that proves yet again the value of 
recycling. Well-made products can live if not
forever,at least a very long time, and each
user contributes a story to each object as
it passes from one person to another in a
continuing chain of ownership.

Here you will find clothing (on its official opening day, frocks were flying off the racks),costume 
jewelry aplenty, accessories
like bags and hats,plus
items for home or hobby 
(from pretty china cups 
to old cameras and movie 
cameras).

The store is accommodating: its hours run from 11 am to 7 pm so people can stop by after work, a
perfect detour to make after a long day and a way to while away a little time while the customary 
late afternoon traffic eases up. 

len.t.juela, 1852 Calle Loiza
next to Oro Centro 787.408.7111
Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm

Photography by Denise Blasor

All that lives must die eventually,
passing through nature to eternity.

Shakespeare, "HAMLET"

OF RAGS &  RICHES

It turns out that donating used clothing may not be such a
helpful thing after all.

True, it may fill a donor's heart with satisfaction but based
on recent online reports, only a small portion of the
clothes that people donate is actually kept by charities
to either donate or resell in their stores. The rest is sold off
in third world areas where these goods compete with the
textile industries in some of these countries, to the
disadvantage of these industries and the vital jobs they
represent.

So next time you want to head over to the Salvation
Army or some other charity organization, donate only
the best clothing and the rest, well, you're better off cutting
up the material into pieces of different sizes and keeping it
handy around the house to mop off spills, use as dust cloths
and for other home cleaning duties that would otherwise require
paper towels.

Photography by Ulrike Blasor

Where is it, this present?
It has melted in our grasp,
fled ere we could touch it,
gone in the instant of becoming.

William James

☛  A SIMPLE TIP: Those plastic pouches (with or without
zipper locks) so commonly used for packaging these days
are not usually recyclable; it would be great if companies
would find an alternative that is environmentally-friendly.

In the interim, use these bags to fill with water and place
in the icebox for a convenient ice pack to soothe a sprain,
aching joints, or arthritis flare.

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

Today you are you, 

that is truer than true.

There is no one alive

who is youer

that you.

Dr. Seuss

Cupcake Madness

New York has Magnolia Bakery, tucked away on a corner
of Bleeker street and made famous by the ladies of Sex &
the City. San Juan has its own heaven for cupcake madness
and it too is tucked in a corner on the ground floor of Casa
Bella in touristy Condado.

The cupcakes at Vanilla Bean Cupcakery are truly scrumptuous.
Nanette Cordóva, the woman behind these delights, makes them
in nearly two dozen flavors but no matter which one you choose,
you can't go wrong. At $2 a pop, these small, delicious confections
reward the palate without ruining your diet or your figure.

True to her beginnings as an interior designer, Cordóva turned
the Condado store into the visual equivalent of her baked
goods: luscious pink walls, white glass display cases to show off
the wide selection of cupcakes all neatly lined up like precious
jewels in their white trays, and a wall chockful of motivational and
life-affirming sentiments set off by decorative frames suggestive
of flowery cake ornaments.

Vanilla Bean combines the joy of baking with the joy of design:
Cordóva's twin loves, a double treat for the price of one.


Vanilla Bean Cupcakery
1400 Magdalena Ave. Condado
787.283.8989/6868
Tue through Sat. 9 am - 8 pm
Sunday 11 am - 8 pm
(Other locations: Torrimar Shopping Center &
Galeria Paseos)


ⓒ 2014 Lorraine Blasor, All Rights REserved☂

         
                           VINTAGE LEN.T.JUELA

Courtesy of  Len.t.juela

 Len.t.juela is a new vintage store in San Juan and it's as delightful as its quirky name, a small cozy space filled with the old but also the new on the theory that mixing both can, according to its owner Valeria Bosch, "create a unique outfit."

There is something magical about the word vintage: after all, much like alchemy, an artifact or piece of clothing branded vintage is suddenly transformed from unimportant old object into desirable and sought out consumer good. The old, in other words, needs not die. Label it vintage and it acquires a new lease on life.

And so it is at Len.t.juela, which is nicely organized around a small, carefully edited selection of vintage clothes spanning the 50s through the 80s and early 90s. There are blouses, skirts and dresses, all of which Bosch picks with care while on trips to New York, Miami and Arizona. The clothes are pretty and well cared for. There are even some items for men and for children, but most of the stock here is strictly for the ladies.

Newer items include selections from stores Len.t.juela has forged a business collaboration with as well as creations from young local designers. One stand out is Crystal Torres, a jewelry designer of skill and whimsy who creates ingenious necklaces sporting a bicycle motif. Delicate and smart,

"Corre Lola" necklaces by Crystal

these well crafted pieces are so affordably priced that you might even decide to buy more than one. (They sell for $20 apiece)

Len.t.juela's distinctive flair is a reflection of Bosch' love of design. In fact, she is studying interior design but has yet to complete her courses.

The store is rich in details: Like the working gramophone that decorates the short hallway leading inside and the shelf hanging above the check-out counter lined up with small collectibles: an old clock, a tiny robot figure, decorative dishes, metal ducks, a small lamp, an old polaroid camera, the iconic Kubrick cube. None of which are for sale but contribute to giving the store a fun, homey ambience. "They give the store a vintage look," says Bosch.

A white shelf unit with a grid design showcases a collection of vintage bags, each piece accorded its own square as if it were a work of art. On the walls, photography-based artwork by local artist Abey Charron.

In the airy main room, bathed in strong daylight streaming in from a large window,a lamp sits above a display case. Its shade brims with costume jewelry, a novel way of showing off brooches and rings. The stenciled black motif on a white wall,courtesy of a previous tenant, anchors the store in the modern age even as all around the past holds court.

By the way, the name of the store is a quirky spelling of lentejuela, Spanish for sequins, those sparkly disc-shaped beads used to light up clothing and bags.

Len.t.juela which Bosch runs with the help of her boyfriend Bryant Huffman, is clearly a labor of love. "When you are passionate about something," she says, "you do it with love." 

Len.t.juela #1820 Loiza St. Entrance on Jefferson St.

WED through FRIDAY: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.;SAT 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.

787.408.7111

I LAUGH WITH THE EYES THAT HAVE KNOWN TEARS
Roque Dalton

Pit stop on Loiza St.: Café Tresbé

So you dropped by Len.t.juela and worked up a healthy appetite.

Then head over to Tresbé,  the open air eatery that recently opened on Loiza St. (just one block down the street from Len.t.juela)  Operating out of a reconfigured shipping container painted a cheerful canary yellow, this fun food spot offers appetizing selections which you can enjoy while sitting al fresco at tables set out on a wood deck under the shade of a beach umbrella and the foliage of nearby trees. The menu includes hamburgers, artisanal empanadillas (stuffed with goodies like eggplant /cod, cheese/onions, meat, chicken or shrimp), tacos, ceviche ,and grilled churrasco. Owner Mario Ormaza takes pride in serving good, fresh food at affordable prices. As an environmentally aware entrepreneur, Ormaza collects rainwater to use in cleaning up and serves take out food in biodegradable containers made out of plant fibers.

Tresbé: #1765 Loiza St., between Diez de Andino and Palmas Streets. (next door to Goyco Public School)
787-294-9604

Photography by Denise Blasor

My hands are a city, a lyre
And my hands are afire
And my mother plays Corelli
while my hands burn.
Gregory Corso

© 2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved☺

                    LONDON REFLECTION

Photography by
 Jack Bierschenk

                                         
 THERE IS a big wide world out there: all it takes to discover it is simply to hop on a plane and fly across the sea.  If the sea happens to be the Atlantic Ocean,
then London is a perfect place to disembark. This

St. Paul's Cathedral

vast metropolis is a cornucopia of sights, sounds and colors. So many attractions: Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, Camden Town, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's Cathedral, Covent Garden, the Tower of London.

 SO MUCH ART: at the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, a former power station transformed into stunning showcase of contemporary art. Inside, a five story high turbine hall of gigantic proportions (3,400 square meters of floorspace) is the perfect site for larger-than-life installations.

Turbine Hall at Tate Modern

                                         

Inside the Tate Modern

ON SUNNY DAYS, London parks fill up with picnickers and day trippers; after work, quaffing a beer at the local pub, or a stroll along the banks of the Thames is a good way to kick off the evening; theater is a strong lure and so are the many bookstores packed with titles new and old. Sandwiches are the preferred lunch choice and it wouldn't be England without a steaming cuppa at the slightest excuse.

IN LONDON, the past collides with the present to achieve a sometimes discordant yet never boring skyline. Buckingham Palace and  the   Houses of Parliament, overshadowed by Big Ben, embody the grandeur of a nation that took pride in the conceit that "the sun never set on the British empire." Muscling in next to the old, modern buildings and structures show off a jumble of styles. Some hark to the future, like the trio of edgy additions that Londoners have tagged with clever soubriquets: The Eye, a giant Ferris Wheel; The Shard, a glitzy glass pyramid Telegraph reporter Ed West glibly described as "a giant middle finger directed by the super rich at the rest of London"; The Gherkin, a commercial building that looks like a bullet smashed into the ground... or one hell of a funny egg.

Quo Vadis?

AS A WORLD capital, London is an amazing
marketplace of goods and the sight of huge
throngs, locals and tourists from abroad,
rushing along such main thoroughfares of
commerce as Regent and Oxford Streets
makes quite a vivid impression. Wading
through the chaotic crowds that wend in
and out of countless stores on these two
bustling avenues is to witness the stark
reality of human need and its flip side,
human excess. It is the kind of spectacle
that brings into sharp relief the power of
consumerism and the voraciousness of
economies. It makes one ponder the
perennial quandary that has yet to be
answered in any appreciable manner:
how do we reconcile economic growth
with rampant consumerism while minimizing
the inevitable effect of both on the environment?

COMMERCE on such a vast scale as we are seeing these days also implies waste. The seemingly infinite array of goods available in London, and for that matter in most parts of the world, surely reflects abundance but cannot hide the fact that a great many things for sale are, in truth, quite useless and unnecessary. Waste is inbuilt in economic production and the price of such excess can be found in landfills that are quickly running out of space and third world countries fast becoming the preferred dumping ground for the rubbish of industrialized nations.

ONE USED to travel to experience the new and marvel at the extraordinary world around us. These days, that feeling of wonder is tempered by an enhanced awareness of the dangers of our profligate ways and a realization of how important it is for human beings to start getting serious about the state of the world and to seriously commit to doing something about it. Consumption is inevitable and even necessary; clearly though, there needs to be a more ecological approach to it, both on the part of people and business (This approach must take into account such aspects as what to produce as well as packaging materials). Everyone is a part of the problem but can also be part of the solution. Are we willing to take on the challenge? Do we care enough? Do we care enough to change our ways? Can we? Will we?

Photo BY DENISE BLASOR
PEOPLE ARE TRANSFIGURED BY LOVE,
THEY'RE ELEVATED, MADE DIFFERENT,
LIFTED OUT OF THEIR ORDINARINESS.
ANATOLE BROYARD
"KAFKA WAS THE RAGE"

A SIMPLE TIP: Plastic container tops make practical and colorful coasters. Or being that it's summer, use tops as drinking glass covers to protect liquids from pesky insects or intrusive dust particles.

Photo by JULIETTE BLASOR

"IT'S IMPORTANT TO TURN OFF OUR COMPUTERS
AND DO THINGS IN THE REAL WORLD."
ANDY BOROWITZ

A BEACON IN THE CLOSET:  If you are looking for vintage, or want to snap up some funky second hand fashions at affordable prices, then head to one of beacon's closet three New York locations: Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Greenwich Village. The West Village store, located at 10 West 13th and Fifth Avenue is quite a showpiece: stop by if only to admire the stunning chandeliers made out of steel and white buttons hovering above the racks of men's and women's clothes neatly sectioned off by colors. This is strictly used clothing but much to the management's credit, the inventory is in good condition. You might even consider bringing in some of your old clothes and opt for either a 35% cash payment, based on the resale value of each item, or 55% in store credit. Open 7 days; beacons closet.com

IN OMNIBUS REQUIEM QUAESIVI
ET NUSQUAM INVENI NISI IN ANGULO
CUM LIBRO
(EVERYWHERE I HAVE SOUGHT PEACE
AND NOT FOUND IT, EXCEPT IN A
CORNER WITH A BOOK)
Thomas à Kempis

© 2012 by Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved

Green entrepreneurs add vibe to Old San Juan

YOUNG, GREEN AND ENTREPRENEURIAL: A new generation of young entrepreneurs is bringing a fresh vibe to old San Juan's evolving commercial scene. Their businesses espouse a green sensibility, but also are rooted in the dream of success that lays at the heart of any entrepreneurial venture, however modest it may be. Here's a look at two recent additions.


A PASSION FOR VINTAGE

Courtesy of
fashionpictures.com

Ruedo spins clothes recycling into one of its most attractive and practical manifestations: vintage, a fashion style popular among Hollywood stars and now increasingly embraced by young people, even in Puerto Rico where the
cult of the new tends to displace anything a few years old.
THIS charming store, which would have no trouble fitting in among the shops on Manhattan's trendy Bleeker Street, is the brainchild of Dácil Morales for whom "recycled pieces are cool." Her passion for clothes was inspired by her mother Evelyn Medina, whose high-end Boutique La Concha was for 20 years a staple at the eponymous hotel in Condado. The store supplied the fashionable women of San Juan in the 1980s with unique dresses that Medina purchased on buying trips to Italy and Brazil."She was always dressing people," said Morales."I am the same."
TURNS out Dácil almost was born in her mom's boutique. The pregnant Medina was at work when her water broke: unfazed, she closed up the store, tallied the books, and then headed for the hospital. Morales spent a lot of time at the boutique as a kid, and now it's her turn to string along her daughter of 11 months, Fayna. Ruedo 
(Hem, in English) is certainly a very pleasant place to be in, small but impeccably decorated with mostly refurbished cast offs, every detail contributing to a cheerful atmosphere in which to appreciate frocks and attire from decades past: the span is 50s to the early 90s. Prices fluctuate between $29 and $77, accessible enough to entice cost-conscious buyers.
HER clients, young professionals riding the latest trends, are on the lookout this season for clothes from the 80s and 90s, also favoring the 70s for its colors and prints, Morales said. She carefully handpicks every item of clothing during monthly shopping sprees to the states. "You have to look through a lot of ugly pieces," she admitted. Each item is washed, steamed and, if necessary, "altered to make it look a little more current." As an example, Morales said she might shorten a dress that appears too long or maybe fix the sleeves but in general, she added, each garment is left "as is" unless the client requests specific alterations.
CLOTHING from other eras, especially the 50s, win her admiration for their "incredible details" and the care with which they were made, one reason they hold up so well over time given appropriate storage and absence of excess humidity. "What's so cool about vintage is that it is really well made," she said, later adding that "not everything was made in China." 
RUEDO initially started out with Morales selling by appointment out of her home. The popularity of her in-house venture, propped entirely by word-of-mouth publicity, encouraged her to take the jump and set up a real base. The old San Juan store opened for business on Nov. 11, 2010.
AT an investment of some $15,000 in personal savings, Ruedo is carving a niche in a market that for the moment has few competitors (the only other vintage store Morales knows of is Ouna's Closet in Guaynabo). She is optimistic about her chances of success. The Christmas season was "super good" and the concept of vintage is catching on. Her main selling point: a vintage item is one that "nobody else is going to have."


RUEDO 201 Sol Street, corner of Cruz. Telephone: 787.466.3068
Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.


THE CLAQUE WAY TO DRESS

Claque one shoulder
blouse & skirt ensemble

Monica Cerame's ensembles, which she sells under the Claque label out of a space in a restored building, are unlike the traditional clothing you are used to seeing in most women's stores. And since some of the items are versatile enough to have more than one function, you could buy her collection of 5 items and conceivably have a full wardrobe light enough to fit neatly inside a handbag, should you decide on the spur of the moment to take off on a trip and skip the baggage fee.
The clothing is as minimal as you can get. No buttons, no zippers, no sizes, no precious add ons. Each item is unique, made from a single swatch of fabric. No two items are the same fabric design; instead, a farrago of stripes, flowers, prints, or just plain colors. Fabrics are primarily light or medium-weight cottons, sometimes spandex, cool alternatives for a hot climate. Depending on the weight of the fabric, the material may either fall fluidly over the body or hold its shape on the wearer.
"I want people to explore and dare to do things differently," says the attractive 26-year-old with a background in theater, which she studied at the venerable University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Cerame currently moonlights her designs while working as a theater costume designer. Her latest assignment is creating the wardrobe for a production of Teatro Puertorriqueño slated for May.
The easy going and adventurous Cerame espouses a simple fashion philosophy: less is more. One item, multiple ways of wearing it. Her collection includes a stole, a poncho, a one shoulder blouse, a skirt/dress, and a dress/pants. The color palette ranges from muted to vivid colors.
The pieces evoke the Rubik cube; cerebral, yet loads of fun. Take the dress/pants combo: tie the fabric this way and you get a dress, or that way and you get a pair of pants. An asymmetric line skirt in the style of a pareo carries its own belt made of contrasting color fabric for use in cinching it as a skirt or wrapping it up as a dress. The one sleeve blouse is loose and sexy. The stole doubles as wrap, belt, or accessory.
There is a touch of theater in her clothes; they invite the imagination to play. Not for nothing Cerame chose to name her label Claque, after a group of people hired to applaud a performance. You will applaud too when you see these clothes priced between $20 and $40 made by a young woman who brushes off conspicuous consumption in favor of a simple, imaginative fashion style. As Cerame sees it, "For me, life is a theater." 
CLAQUE 208 Luna Street, corner San Justo. Thurdays only, 3 p.m.-9 p.m. 

Photograph by Denise Blasor

Be alone, and feel the trees silently growing.

Be alone, and see the moonlight, white and busy and silent.

Be quite alone, and feel the living cosmos softly rocking.... D.H. Lawrence

 

A SIMPLE TIP Forget tape when wrapping up gifts. Instead, use a ribbon to tie the wrapping paper or if you prefer, secure paper at both ends by using those small, rectangular white strips found along the margins of stamp sheets.
Copyright ©2010 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved