Oh My! Our 5 year anniversary will take place on Wednesday, March 1st. Can you believe it? I certainly can not!
Please mark your calendars and join us that day for food, drinks and door prizes. My mom will be in town as well as my high school friends, Jo Dallas, Kathy Rutan and Leslie Arntzen. Hopefully, my kids will show up. Fingers crossed!
The store still needs a bunch of stuff….I want to continue to do a mirror wall (it turned out super cute and we have been selling tons) and now want to add a clock wall. So, we need
Mirrors
Clocks
Dressers
Desks
Matching Table Lamps
Floor Lamps
Shelves
End Tables
Side Tables
Coffee Tables
Sofas
Also, still need orange and red for the front windows. The next windows will be yellow and green so start bringing in those colors as well.
And, artwork is selling like crazy from our newly updated walls. Please bring us some fun pieces!
Here is the mirror wall that Candy put together. Hard to get a good photo of it, but you get the idea. How fun is that?
Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #0001…
Thursday, February 2, 2023
I used to tell you what day to watch for it…but I have decided to be realistic…it will be there whenever it shows up. Hahaha!
Volume IV Issue 0001
In more crazy news, can you believe that I am starting my 4th year of writing the store newsletter/ezine? Crazy, how time flies. I started writing these back in January of 2020 before Covid hit. Ughhhhh!
So January was all about getting the store in ship shape for the film crew of 7 that arrived on January 21st. They came from Boston, Toronto, New York, LA, Venice etc. OMG, we all worked sooooooo hard! And I appreciate my staff sooooooo much! Sandy and Val showed up at 7:45 am that Saturday morning for moral support. Love those girls!
The documentary will be coming out in 2024 and I can tell you more about it then. But for now, some fun behind the scenes shots. The photo of Sandy and Val is hysterical because they had to be uber quiet for 2 hours and they sat in the front window with silly hats on. Hahahaha.
About 4 years ago, I was sitting with Emma, Houston and my mom before a Pepperdine theatre performance at a Malibu Mexican restaurant. Emma told me about this app called TimeHop that shows you photos on that specific day from years past. She added that app to my phone and I have to say I love it! Every morning I get to check out what was happening on that day in the past.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am very sentimental…so this is right up my alley. A few days ago, so many crazy things showed up for that specific day that I had to do an Instagram story about it. Check it out!
I met Val for the first time that day 5 years ago, and I cut off the tip of my finger in the back garage doors 4 years ago OUCH! and a year ago we got the container to start cleaning out the clothing store. CRAZY!
And then there was this bittersweet photo that recently showed up. My mom, my sister Kiki, her son Zach, Kiki’s best friend Shaunna and me at the Nest for lunch. Mo used to work there and those lunches were epic! Hours sitting on the patio having fun.
OK, enough reminiscing. Time for an eBay score. I bought this set of Towle Flatware in the desert for $125. If you can believe it, these five salad forks sold for $224. OMG! Isn’t that crazy?. And they are stainless, not even sterling!
Here is a link to the actual listing.
In more eBay news, I did an eBay for Business Podcast interview the first part of January with Griff and Brian Burke. They are always so much fun. If you didn’t see it in my “new arrivals” email, You can listen to it here.
I LOVE how they call it a “Lynn Dralle” Check In. LOL!
I have totally forgotten to wish you all a Happy New Year. So here goes….I hope you all had a great New Years celebration and it leads to an even better 2023! I can’t believe that it is already February. Crazy! After work on New Year’s Eve, Sandy, Robin and I headed over to the Bench Warmer (my new favorite neighborhood bar) to meet my friend Janette and her husband Ryan.
I also forgot to tell you that in the week leading up to the film crew, Sandy was on vacation. What in the World? I know right! How could my store manager take time off during “hell week”? LOL! I was in a sorority you know.
It was all good as her son, Alex, was in town visiting from Montana. Anything for our kids! I did manage to fit in a Fit Buddha private training with Marc, Sandy and her son. It was fun! And I think Alex has a new appreciation for how hard that work out really is and that he should be so proud of his mom for doing them. And then we went out for bloody marys after 🙂 Kind of defeats the purpose. But whatever!
So after the filming on the 21st, the rest of the month was a freaking whirlwind. I will tell you about it and then you can let me know if you agree that it was CRAZY or not? LOL! But, before I get into all of that, I had better share another eBay score.
Check out this vintage tin toy that one of our consignors brought in. She has really cool stuff, so I decided to try a few of her items on eBay. It gets really tricky though, because most items that I list on eBay can take years to sell. I am fine with that if I OWN those pieces. But, when trying to sell for others it is too much bookkeeping unless the items sell right away at auction. Does that make sense?
This was a pretty cool item that I thought had a good chance of selling at auction so I gave it a try. Check it out here.
It sold for $107.50 at auction. Sweet! So after the eBay and Paypal Fees (well now eBay managed payments) of 20% it left us $86 to divide up. I still think I did better for my consignor than selling it in the store. But eBay is sooooooo labor intensive that I begin to wonder if it isn’t better to just sell everything in the store at what I think is a fair price.
Flashback….I remember sitting with my dad in my office in Palm Desert back in 2015 and he was helping me sort stuff and he said to me “You work way toooooooo hard at this. It takes so much time to sell a dinner fork for $10. There has got to be a better way.” I have thought a lot about that over the years and I think he was right. Unless it is a huge BINGO or SCORE, it is much easier to just sell it in my store. However, you never really know when it is going to be that HUGE score….that is why eBay is so addictive.
Here is a photo of my dad in my office helping me on that day back in 2015. He always took the goofiest pictures so please forgive him :). He passed away about 2 years after this photo was taken and I miss him so much. Also, here is a link to that eBay ezine that I wrote back then.
Thinking about those bingos (as Mo calls them) or runners/scores as I do, made me want to share a fun one from days past. Check out this story from my “3rd 100 Best Book”. And it even features Mo and her ex-husband Paul. LOL.
For some reason the end of the story didn’t populate into this photo so here is the last paragraph.
“The strange part of the story is that the man who bought it was from Italy, and we ended up shipping her back to Venice. She now lives right across the canal from Murano, the very place I had guessed that she had been made.”
The photo of Mo and I in color was taken at a luncheon after I was a guest on a television show. Can’t remember the name of the show, but it was about women entrepreneurs.
So back to life in Ventura and how hectic my life became after the filming. I had been scheduled to go to Palm Desert on that Saturday the 21st. I told the producer that I would completely rearrange my schedule for them. Wouldn’t you?
So, the day after filming, I drove Cha Cha up to Carp to Club Med for dogs and I drove to the desert. Long day!
I wouldn’t be seeing the “desert girls” until dinner at Skips Little Bar at 5 pm, so had some time to kill after thrifting. I had been meaning to get together with my cousin, Lon and his wife, Maral, and just hadn’t found the time. They had lived in Pacific Palisades for years, but had recently relocated to Rancho Mirage. They invited me to stop by, so I headed over there at 3 pm. OMG! Their house is beautiful! And it is in Thunderbird Heights, right below the Obamas. WOW!
It was fun to catch up and Lon served Tequila Shots and Margaritas. Of course, we are related! He was going to serve wine and Maral said “In all of Lynn’s Instagram stories she is always having cocktails, so bring out the big guns”. LOL!
So back to life in Ventura and how hectic my life became after the filming. I had been scheduled to go to Palm Desert on that Saturday the 21st when they wanted to film. I told the producers that I would completely rearrange my schedule for them. Wouldn’t you?
So, the day after filming at 8 am, I drove Cha Cha up to Carp and dropped her off at Club Med for dogs and then I drove to the desert. Long day!
Once I arrived around noon, I knew I wouldn’t be seeing the “desert girls” until dinner at Skips Little Bar at 5 pm, so had some time to kill after thrifting. I had been meaning to get together with my cousin, Lon and his wife, Maral, and just hadn’t found the time. They had lived in Pacific Palisades for years, but had recently relocated to Rancho Mirage. They invited me to stop by, so I headed over there at 3 pm. OMG! Their house is beautiful! And it is in Thunderbird Heights, right below the Obamas. WOW!
It was fun to catch up and Lon served Tequila Shots and Margaritas. Of course, we are related! He was going to serve wine and Maral said “In all of Lynn’s Instagram stories she is always having cocktails, so bring out the big guns”. LOL!
If you happened to read the comments under my Insta post of Lon, me and Maral, I mentioned that we needed to do a Dralle Family Reunion. My dad was one of 13 kids and I have at least 50 cousins. When I was a kid, we used to get dragged to Dralle Family Reunions at the McLean Fire Station in Mount Vernon and I HATED them. Ughhhhh. But now I appreciate family so much more and we decided (over cocktails) that we should plan one this summer. I am on it!
Just to give you some background, I am going to share two more stories from my “3rd 100 Best Book”. Of the original thirteen Dralle kids, only 2 are left. My Aunt Amy and Uncle Alan. I am in the initial planning stage for the reunion, but let the games begin!
An update, I spoke with my cousin Roger on the phone today…OMG! I haven’t talked to him in years, but it was awesome. He is going to procure the fire station for the reunion.
I had to leave him a message and when he called me back he was like “I don’t answer any phone calls from California and I was driving a f..ing semi on the freeway when you called”. OMG! He is such a Dralle. It made me realize how much I miss those crazy redneck farm folk!
So, if you know me at all, this old Dralle photo sent me down the rabbit hole. LOL! I had to figure out who each of these precious little farm kids were. Of course, I could ID my dad and a few others, but the rest…Yikes! I emailed this photo to my Aunt Amy and cousin Lon and here is what we have. From left to right by row in that photo.
Back Row….Carol, Earl, Rusty, Paul
Next Row…Marion, Marjorie, Betty, Janice
3rd row…Milo, Alan, Ardyce
Front Row…Amy and my dad, Wayne
OK and in that final Dralle family picture with their PARENTS (my grandparents), here we go….
From left to right…So crazy that I knew all of my uncles names, but couldn’t recognize all of the aunts. Probably because I was around my dad and his brothers more growing up.
back row…Ardyce, Betty, Carol, Amy, Grandma Dralle, Marjorie, Janice, Marion
front row…my dad Wayne, Rusty, Milo, Grandpa Dralle (he scared the shit out of me), Paul, Earl and Alan
I think my dad and Paul were the most handsome of the boys. Just saying!
Back to reality, the rest of my desert trip was fun and I sourced some cool stuff, got to hang out with Kel, Candy and Mo, but it was a short trip and I was back in Ventura on Tuesday. Just in time for more shenanigans. But more about that later.
I just wanted to remind you about our clothing store! If you missed the email saying what we are looking for in clothing…please read it here before you come in. Thanks!
A new change, we will be taking 10 of your items so please bring your best ones!
And just to reiterate….AND in great news. If you are a clothing consignor we have extended the term to 120 days and if we are still showing your items and they have not been donated…you will receive money for them! We want to be more than fair and soooooo appreciate all of your consignments!
Wanted…SPRING Items….think early spring…as we transition here in Ventura!
Call or text the girls to set up an appointment or better yet, use our new online scheduling below. Two appointments per day at 11:30 and 1:30. Thanks!
Land Line 805-628-9208
Cell Phone 805-470-6493
Remember the clothing store is open Friday and Saturday from 11 to 5 and Sundays from 11 to 3.
I just hired the company that did my Fun Home Furnishings website to do the Fun Fashions website. So with some time, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will be driving more traffic into the store and hopefully we can open back up 6 days a week. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, if you have any testimonials regarding the clothing store or some fun anecdotes, I would really appreciate getting those. In fact, I would love any testimonials or fun stories about the main store as well. Thank you in advance!
Tuesday back in Ventura on January 24th was reentry day. Picking up the Cha in Carp and rushing back home to meet Indy. She was only home for one night to pick up some prescriptions, do laundry and see me! Yay! Always love when my kids come home, but it is getting further and farther between. I get it…they have their own lives. But ughhhhh!
Indy and I had a grand ole time and she left early Wednesday. Wednesdays are always my super crazy busy days. We took in at least 2 trucks full, if not 3 and I had to be at Fit Buddha at 5:30 pm for Marc’s surprise birthday party. So fun! He turned 60 on January 25th.
He and I have known each other since we were 18 years old and freshman in the same apartment building at USC. WOW! I won’t ever forget his birthday because it is also my grandma’s birthday. That same day would have been her 111th. Crazy?
Indy also had a show that night in Santa Monica that she really wanted me to attend. OMG! So I ubered down to Fit Buddha for the party and then Ubered to Santa Monica. Whatever! I will do anything for my kids.
Indy’s show at the Crow was amazing and it was so much fun to be back in my old stomping grounds! I lived in Brentwood (Santa Monica adjacent) for 5 years after USC. Here is a fun pic of Indy doing her stand up and then the two of us. Didn’t get to spend much time with her, but that is OK.
So….as I am writing this ezine, I get an Instagram message from a gal that has been following me for 15 years. I did have a pretty big following when I was actively teaching about eBay. I had 20,000 people on my ezine list. Crazy, right? Now, I only have 2,100 of you, but growing everyday.
Check this out. It made me super happy…She started it off with…Indy has gone viral!
Talking about Insta reminds me that I was recently duplicated. LOL, not really, but someone set up a fake Instagram account with all of my info. Why? WTF? I just don’t get it, but they were following more people than I do. Hahahaha.
I posted this photo on my Insta stories to warn people not to follow me and I said “Why”? One of my cousins (remember I have like 50 of them :)) said “Who wouldn’t want to be you?”
That made me really stop and think. I often take things for granted but, I do have a great life, am super happy, love my friends and family and can’t think of anything I would rather be doing. So thank you for that comment. It made me appreciate everything and acknowledge that I am extremely blessed.
I had to miss one of Indiana’s shows because I was out of town for it and I am so bummed! It was the tomato show that Blake puts on. Blake Rosier is extremely talented and I feel like he is the next Conan O’Brien. It was a hysterical concept, with tons of tomatoes for the audience to throw at the comics.
Indy dressed up in a beautiful black dress and played the typical “muscial theatre student” to the hilt. She had a track of show tunes and every time she got pelted she had to change the song. I watched a video of it and it was AMAZING! She really has an awesome voice and I will NOT miss the next “tomato” show. I love the picture where she is going to catch the tomato. She did! And threw it back at the audience. Apparently, not allowed!
Indy’s next show (that you are all invited to attend :)) is Thursday, February 9th at 8:30 pm at the Zephyr Theatre in West Hollywood. Tickets are reasonably priced and can be purchased here. She hosts this show with her friend Olivia and it should be fun! Hope to see some of you there!
Indy had a show on Sunday night, January 29th and I thought it would be fun if I drove into Marina del Rey with the Cha, took the kids to dinner, saw the show and spent the night. I used to do that quite often, but hadn’t in a while.
The kids OK’d my plans and I started packing. I LOVE having a road trip buddy and Cha Cha is the best. Here she is chilling in my office before we left. She is such a weirdo and loves her couches. I also love couches and have five in my house. She can be found lounging on any one of them at any given moment with her head always on a pillow.
Once I arrived in the Marina, I took the kids out to an early dinner at Tony Ps. It was a beautfiul day!
Indy and I ubered into West Hollywood for her show. Such a treat to uber from MDR (Marina del Rey) to WeHo as it was only $25. Sweet! And it was pouring rain so it was very nice for me to just ride and not drive. We stopped by Spartina (our fave) for a cocktail and snack before the show.
Marianna, the manager, always remembers us and appreciates our business so she comped our drinks! Gotta love that! And I posted on my story and both she and Spartina reposted. Love that! Not quite why they added a pumpkin to the story though….huh?
The show was fantastic and I had so much fun! Indiana is getting so good at her craft. It has been a joy to watch her journey. From left to right that is Jeremy (Indy’s coworker at Cafe Luxxe), me, Indiana, Olivia (show’s producer) and Isabel Klein (fellow comedian & Pepperdine alumni).
I haven’t really talked about Houston or Emma at all in this ezine and have not shared any photos of them….so I will grab one from their socials.
OK, so I am going to share two photos from their social media. The first one is at their really great friend Reilly’s wedding to Cheyenne. It was an outdoor wedding and it was pouring rain so they handed out clear ponchos. How ridiculous does the Goose (Houston) look?
I do love this photo though because he is with the “Milchmen”. His 3 best friends from Pepperdine, Logan, Reilly, of course Houston and Alec. They all lived together in the Pepperdine Heidelberg house on their year abroad. Friends for life!
And then a really cute photo of Hous and Emma at Sushi.
And I will also share a photo of Cha Cha and Grandpa. Do you just love the side-eye that Cha Cha is giving me? She was so over Grandpa after 24 hours with him. LOL.
Before I get into new arrivals, I do want to share a photo I took of all of the books, dvds etc. that I have written. I pulled these together for the film crew and I must admit it is kinda crazy. I don’t know how I had the time to crank out all of these. LOL. And if you are interested, I am slowly, but surely still working on my novel.
And now for some new arrivals…. Transform your dining area with this darling Vintage Round drop leaf dining table priced at $295.00.
Vintage Pine? Console Table $395.00
Combine modern design and classic comfort with this Poly and Bark Weave Chair Natural made from natural materials, and carefully hand-woven for strong support and lasting durability.
Purchase the last one for only $139.50!
This Tall Narrow Display Case is perfect for displaying your special collection, memorabilia, or any other items that you want to showcase in style.
Powell Janie 3-Drawer Rattan Cabinet Natural/Gold $395.00
Painted Green Hall Tree AS IS $395.00
And now for some fun beach trays….
Blue Toby Turtle Porcelain Tray $11.95
Rustic Sage Green Nautilus Shell Tray $12.95
Don’t MISS OUT on these amazing new arrivals. Come visit us today 🔆
Little Starfish Tray Blue 4 2.5″ $11.95
Blue Clam Porcelain Tray $7.95
Thank you all for supporting me, my family and my businesses as I work on expanding….as you know I am building my empire!
eBay with Heart
Decorate with Heart
Dress with Heart
I try and do everything in my life in a big way and with a lot of heart! Thank you for joining me on this super fun journey. Take care and we hope to see you soon! Some of my current & former crew! From left to right, Shawnna, Kailen, me, Houston, Peggy, Indiana, Mor Mor, Candy, Val, Susan, Cindy and Jo Dallas! We appreciate y’all so much!
Thanks for reading my ezines! I appreciate it….as always!
eBay with Heart, Design with Heart & Dress with Heart………Lynn
BTW, we now have a blog on the website where you can read all of our past newsletter
Link to Blog.
Past Newsletters
1 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest1
2 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest2
3 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest3
4 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest4
5 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest5
6 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest6
7 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest7
8 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest8
9 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest9
10 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest10
11 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest11
12 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest12
13 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest13
14 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest14
15 https://tinyurl.com/Lynnslatest15
16 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest16
17 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest17
18 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest18
19 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest19
20 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest20
21 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest21
22 https://tinyurl.com/LynnsLatest22
23 https://tinyurl.com/Lynnslatest23
24 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest24
25 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest25
26 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest26
27 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest27
28 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest28
29 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest29
30 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest30
31 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest31
32 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest32
2nd Year….Volume II
01 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest01
02 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest02
03 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest03
04 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest04
05 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest05
06 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest06
07 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest07
08 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest08
09 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest09
010 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest010
011 https://tinyurl.com/lynnslatest011
P.S. All of the professional photos I use on Instagram, Facebook and in these newsletters were taken by my friend Denise’s daughter, Jaclyn Sabo. She is amazing! To learn more about Jaclyn….https://www.jaclynszabo.com/
P.P.S. If you have a friend who wants to sign up for this newsletter.
