Help support others

The Assistance League's Second Tyme Around Shop on Downey Avenue is open year round and is there to assist you in helping others. By purchasing second-hand merchandise you help them in helping the less fortunate in our community. This month you can also support breast cancer research by buying something pink. Try it. See their website here.



At the same time, you can take a stroll up Downey Avenue in the evening lights.

PS Downey Avenue picture donated by my wife, Bonnie.

At last...

Fall colors aren't limited to the landscape. They also decorate the store windows at the Second Tyme Around Thrift Shoppe.

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall."
~ Oscar Wilde

Downey is a giving community

This electrical box is just outside the Mimi's Cafe on Firestone Boulevard. It depicts the many facets of giving that the Assistance League of Downey participates in.

The one I'm most familiar with is the thrift store on Downey Avenue. My wife and I pass by it during our evening walks. We love to see the window displays. They always have a theme and are very creative. Go and check out what's inside sometime, and then support the Assistance League by purchasing something.

We have many posts of the thrift store here.

We have also posted regarding the Assistance League's Casa De Parley Johnson here. The house was designed for Parley Johnson and his wife Gypsy. After her death in 1986, the house was bequeathed to the Assistance League.

Halloween thrift (part 2)

 Yesterday, I told you about some strange Halloween laws for kids. Well, there are laws for adults, too.

• Years back, there was some problem with clowns in Vendragues, France. Now it is illegal on Halloween to wear clown costumes or makeup if you are more than 12 years old.
• In the town of Bellville, Missouri, you can’t ask for candy on Halloween if you have passed the eighth grade or the age of an eighth grader. Trick-or-treating is meant for children only.
• Women are not allowed to wear corsets in Merryville, Missouri. Remember this when trying to figure out what to wear on Halloween.
• In Dublin, Georgia, it is unlawful for any person over 16 to go out in public on Halloween wearing a mask, sunglasses, hood, or any other type of accessory that covers the face.

What's an adult to do? How about a Halloween party instead? And the Second Tyme Around Shoppe has you covered there, too.

Halloween thrift (part 1)

If you're a kid, the Second Tyme Around Shoppe has something for you. From Winnie-the-Pooh to cheerleaders, they've got the traditional costumes covered.

And if you're a kid, you should keep in mind some of the strange Halloween-related laws in effect around the country:

• In Dublin, Georgia, you can’t go out in public wearing a mask if you are under the age of 16. 
• In Walnut Creek, California, a permit is required to go “trick or treating” if a mask or disguise is to be worn on a public street. You can get a permit from the town sheriff.
• In Alabama, no one may dress up like a priest, on Halloween or any other day. Also, you can’t wear a mustache when you are attending church on Halloween as it might make people laugh if it is amusing.
• In Hollywood, California, you can't use, sell, possess, or distribute silly string from 12:00 AM on October 31 until 12:00 PM November 1. You can be fined $1000 for just holding the can.

Ready for school?

A lot of events happened in August during our break. One of those was the start of the Downey school year on August 17. As usual, the Second Tyme Around Shoppe was on top of things with a back-to-school display. This year's display features clothes from rival schools USC and UCLA.

Window dressing

I often snap a picture of the latest window display at the Second Tyme Around thrift shop in downtown Downey. But this is the first time I've seen the work in progress. The Hawaiian-themed display must have caught someone's eye, because a dress was being purchased, and some redressing was definitely necessary.

Dressed for love

Looking back, I notice that I frequently post about the Second Tyme Around Shoppe. Just last month, I wrote about their winter-themed window displays. This month, the display, with hearts and pink and red clothes, is perfect for Valentine's Day. And this time, I finally realized what keeps me coming back.

It's not just that the displays are colorful and appealing. Rather, it's that somebody here (or most likely several somebodies) cares enough to take the time and thought to make the displays attractive. Somebody cares enough to want this thrift store to be a success.

And that's important, because proceeds from the store benefit the Assistance League of Downey and their numerous philanthropic projects. Among their programs is Operation School Bell, which provides new clothing to school children, and HOME (Housing of Medical Emergencies), a 10-unit apartment complex that serves relatives of patients at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

So stop by sometime, and see for yourself.

What's your season?

What season is your coloring? If you're a "winter," your coloring is overall very vivid, so you shine in black and other colors that have a strong jewel quality to them.

So it's only fitting, in this winter season, that the Second Tyme Around Shoppe has outfitted its window displays with black, white, and red clothes and angry birds.

Christmas is coming

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and in case you haven't noticed, Christmas is coming!

It actually started last night with late night shopping at Stonewood Center and Downey Landing. The Second Tyme Around thrift shop in downtown Downey is actually closed this entire holiday weekend, but they'll be ready for you on Monday!

Thrift

I've walked by the Second Tyme Around thrift shop in downtown Downey many times, mostly at night. (Click here to see previous shots of the store window displays.) So in all these years, I've never been inside, until last weekend.

The thrift shop is one of many philanthropic programs that is run by the Assistance League of Downey. This isn't where you would go to shop for used clothing, but pretty much everything else is here. It was fun to browse.

White sale

The second-hand store, "Second Tyme Around," is having a "White Sale." I thought their window merchandising was a fun illustration for their sale.

According to Wikipedia, in 1878, John Wanamaker of Philadelphia department store fame decreed January to be the time for a white sale. Bed linens, which were available in white only, were sold at a discount. It is believed he might have done so to keep linen makers in business during a slow time of year.

Christmas shopping

The Second Tyme Around Shop is ready for Christmas. The display looks a lot different from a year ago, but I think I recognize some of the faces.

Second time around

Window-shopping at the Second Tyme Around Shop.