The Lana Turner reference didn't mean anything to her. Her name turned out to be Jennifer and she went home with the pin as a gift.

There was a suitcase for a woman going to the Middle East in order to try to find her mother.

Lana Turner in a trailer still from The Postman Always Rings Twice; 1946, Wikipedia

There was a young mother who had to find a sleeping bag for her ten year old son she had promised could go camping if she found one by Tuesday.

There was a devout Jewish lady who wanted to buy the rug steamer, but whose religion did not allow her to make a purchase on Saturday. It was put aside and she came at dawn the next day with the money.

There was the pink Easter basket whose price dropped dramatically when I looked into the big brown eyes of the tiny girl. And there was the elderly man whom my instincts told me could not read. He said he enjoyed the Discovery Channel and found an almost free book on animals with lots of pictures.

A rather dilapidated gentleman was browsing and heard me mention my age. When I was free to talk he came over and said, "You don’t look half bad for 85." *

I don’t remember whether he bought anything or not, but if he did, you can be sure he got a deep discount. “Half bad” is acceptable.

I couldn’t believe I sold six beautiful vintage hats and the gloves to go with them. Do you think I should write Diane Keaton a thank you note?

There were a few emotional moments such as when I sold a small pressed glass pitcher. In 1915 my father had a pharmacy and that pitcher was the measure for a penny’s worth of candy.

After the first couple of hours my technique improved especially when a neighbor from down the block came in and frantically said, “I have to find a present for my brother-in-law. What sports items do you have?" After saying, “Tom, do I look sporty to you?” I sold him a Dick Francis book about horseracing.

I enjoyed the sociability. My profit was a little more than enough to pay for a chiropractor, but the fact that I had to have help getting out of bed the morning after the sale distanced thoughts of future such adventures.

*Editor's Note: We traveled to Irvine, California to meet Jean; she was beautiful. During that trip we also met with another SeniorWomen.com writer, David Westheimer (who called me 'Boss Lady') and his wife, Dody, and was known for  best sellers Von Ryan's Express and  My Sweet Charlie.

Pages: 1 · 2