Author: Dustin

IKEA What?-Part II

…continued from IKEA What?-Part I

We knew that we wanted to go back to IKEA and look deeper at what we would enjoy having in our home: if we saw something that we liked there, we could get it, and if not, we would at least make a fun day of it.  I was settled on purchasing new bedroom furniture, or possibly new living room furniture; but, we were pretty much open to anything.

We decided that New Year’s Day would be a perfect day to go.  We both had the day off, and they had an annual sale going on that week.  We borrowed a friend’s trusty old Suburban (we weren’t going to try and jam whatever we got into our little Saturn…not that we haven’t done things like that before…), and headed off to the Baltimore suburbs around noon.

During the hour-long drive, we got to talking about what we really wanted.  We began to lean away from the bedroom and living room furniture, and towards a new kitchen table and chairs.  Let’s just say that at the time, our current dining room set had a lot of history behind it; but nothing matched, and it was not the sturdiest thing in the world either.

We arrived at the store, and immediately went to eat at their restaurant.  They had a special where you could get fifteen Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, a cream sauce/gravy, and Lingonberry jam for $3.99, so we both went for that, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Afterwards, we went searching.  We grabbed our pencil, card, and shopping bag, and headed in.  Almost immediately, the first thing that caught our eye was the most interesting and innovative–but simple–tie rack.  My ties usually just end up on very generic tie rack, and overflow onto a bent-out-of-shape hanger.  This one would clean everything up just how we wanted.  One thing about IKEA, which you will find out about more in the next post in this series, is that they are the masters of organization.  We grabbed the information on it and continued on…

My new tie rack

Eventually we came to the kitchen and dining area.  I think that this is one of their most unique and popular parts of the store.  They have a wide selection of kitchen organization solutions, as well as plenty of dining room options.  We looked around–back and forth–for about a half an hour, trying to find something that would fit our needs.  Neither of us had a clue what we wanted exactly in a dining room set.  Their were some very nice sets that were a bit out of our price range, but all together, nothing caught our eye–expensive or inexpensive–like the elegant (did I just write that word?) GRANÅS set of table and chairs.  It gave off a little bit of a modern look, without being way out there where it didn’t feel like home.  It is has a tempered glass tabletop, sitting on a sturdy black steel frame and legs.  One perk is a second lattice style tabletop/shelf underneath the glass that can be used to display decorations without cluttering the eating area (it is kind of difficult to see in the pictures below).  The chairs are made from the same simply constructed black steel, but also have a woven cane seating pad, that promotes comfort and styling–plus made it much easier to match with the rest of our kitchen.  We were extremely happy with our purchase: it is very well built, and looks great in our home.  With the table, we also purchased four place-mats that go well with the set.

We bought a few other things as well, but that will be saved for the last post in the series…

Other Suns

…a review of Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns: the Epic Story of America’s Great Migration

Growing up a Midwesterner, in and around medium-sized cities (Saginaw and Lansing, Michigan), I can always remember having black students as classmates and friends.  I recollect a time, while being lectured in second grade history class, that my teacher said most black people in America are somehow descendants of slaves.  This really perked my interest, and with my uncouth and inquisitive nature at the time, I raised my hand and asked, referring to a black classmate, “Does that mean that ______’s ancestors were slaves?”  Looking back, I remember looking at that student and seeing a somewhat embarrassed expression on their face.  This, in turn, made me even more embarrassed for asking the question.  This was my friend!  I was just beginning to learn of the story of blacks in America: their history, failures, and successes.

My mother and father trained me well, thankfully.  I never heard a slight or a joke about any other race.  We were taught that there was no difference in the color of one’s skin.  After all, God created all humans in His image.  Any other race was no less in God’s image.

In high school and college, I worked in ministries which took me into neighborhoods that were predominately African-American.  From the south-side of Lansing to nearly all of Gary, Indiana, black families were a part of my prayer life and ministry to God.  I’m not sure what exactly sparked my mind to be interested in the demographics and history of cities like Gary and Chicago, but I began to research here and there just why many cities had gone from dazzling to dilapidated in the course of just a generation.  When I heard of Isabel Wilkerson’s new work, The Warmth of Other Suns, I knew that I would enjoy delving into it, but hesitated at first because of one reason: usually books on African-American history are slanted to a liberal world-view.  Even a just a balanced account, I thought, would suffice.  Eventually, I surrendered my preconceptions, and bought it for my Kindle.

The Warmth of Other Suns is a detailed historical narrative of the immense migrations of blacks from the rural and agricultural south to the urban and industrial north from 1915-1975.  Isabel Wilkerson focuses on three individuals, from three different states, and from three different waves of the migration.  Ida Mae Gladney and her sharecropping  husband fled Mississippi to settle in Chicago in the 1930’s.  George Starling and his wife fled threats of lynchings in central Florida for New York City in the 1940’s.  And Robert Foster left the underwhelming prospects of being a colored doctor in a highly segregated Louisiana town to the promising prospects of Los Angeles.  Throughout the narrative, the larger history of the Great Migration is filled in, providing a depth that does not leave the reader in the dark concerning the whole of that time period.

The author tells each individual’s story vividly, without bogging the narrative down with useless detail.  The environment of the Jim Crow Laws is vividly portrayed.  The culture of southern blacks is captured perfectly: from their food to their southern-black vernacular –though at first the dialog takes some getting used to, due to frequent unfamiliar contractions and expressions!  The reader also feels a real acquaintance to each protagonist, wanting them to succeed, while also being able to see flaws and mistakes each made.

For the most part, the author does a good job of generalizing unwelcome details, but in an instance or two, she describes things a little too much for the Christian mind, including some profanity.  As a whole however, the book is very modest.  As for the overall political slant of the book, I would say that it is legitimately balanced: this coming from a very conservative perspective.  The author is truly artful in her journalism–presenting all the points of view, and allowing the reader to make his or her own judgments.  I can say, from my point of view, that The Warmth of Other Suns is balanced and unbiased.

For any lover of twentieth century history, The Warmth of Other Suns is a treasure.  For me, it gave new insight into the the black culture, the spite expressed on both sides, and the satisfaction that the migrants gained from being able to provide a good upbringing for their children, whether they accepted it or not.

IKEA What?-Part I

Many of you have probably never heard of that funny word–IKEA.  Actually, it’s Swedish: what it means exactly I have no idea.  I guess I could look it up somewhere and give you the definition, but that’s not quite the point of this article!  All I know is that it is a mega furniture store that Andrea and I have this strange and sudden liking of.  You say, “a furniture store?  Why would you care about that?”  That is an honest question!  I still despise furniture stores.  I can remember going to Art Van or Oak Express as a kid with my parents, and just waiting what seemed like days while they picked something out to their liking.  To me, there is nothing more of a bore than furniture shopping–until we found this IKEA place.

After finishing my freshman year in college, I was home for the summer working at Discount Tire in Lansing: my workplace from the time I was in eleventh grade until my last summer at home before graduating from Fairhaven.  I picked up the Lansing State Journal one morning before work, and saw in the Local and State section an article about a huge new furniture store that was having its grand opening that day in the Detroit suburb of Canton.  The description of it sounded interesting, and they were offering free breakfast for all of their customers that day.  I didn’t have much thought about it again until a few months ago…

As a young fairly newly-married couple, Andrea and I love taking little one or two day excursions on our days off.  Sometime last November, we took a trip south into true country-ville (anywhere south of Brogue).  About fifteen minutes past our church is the Mason-Dixon line separating Pennsylvania from Maryland.  We crossed the line, and drove along the Susquehanna River until we came to I-95, reportedly the most traveled highway in America.  South would take us to Baltimore, and north would take us into Wilmington, Delaware.  I thought to myself, “I’ve never been to Delaware.  Let’s go there!”

Don't worry about it, there's not much here.

Well, let me tell you, there is nothing in Delaware.  Nothing beautiful.  Not much in the realm of history–except it being the first state to ratify the Constitution.  No, we just drove around for an hour or more in an out of run down Wilmington neighborhoods.   After getting a bite to eat (without paying any sales tax…one nice thing about Delaware), we left the state, probably never to return!

I felt somewhat defeated.  We drove all of this way to eat at a chain restaurant?  I had to find something else to do before the day was finished.  Out of nowhere, that newspaper article from four years earlier came back to me.  “I wonder if there is one of those IKEA stores somewhere near Baltimore,” I thought.  I found somewhere with internet access, and it looked as if there were one in Aberdeen, Maryland–about 40 minutes from where we were in Delaware.  Off we went–and guess what?  There was no IKEA in Aberdeen; the address we had was probably for their warehouse or something.  I stopped somewhere to ask, just in case.  “No, not here.  It’s in White Marsh: about 30 minutes away!”  Oh well.  Now I was even more defeated.  It’s dark, and here we are 90 minutes from home, not having done much but drive all day, and we couldn’t even find the goofy furniture store!

We hopped back onto I-95, heading into Baltimore, then we would hit I-83 north and go home (I didn’t feel like driving the slightly shorter, but very curvy country-ville roads home).  Then, just before hitting the Baltimore Beltway, we saw it: an exit for White Marsh.  “We’re going to find this place!”

We found her at last, in all her glory!  In huge letters, the word IKEA! It seemed like an oasis in a somewhat wasteland of a day.  We entered, and found one of the most enjoyable shopping experiences I can remember.  If I could sum it up in a phrase, it would be: everything is catered to the customer.  Many stores try this, but very few succeed all of the way.

When you first enter the sprawling store, a rack with pencils, pamphlets, and mesh shopping bags greet you.  The idea is to take all three, and explore the store from there.  The Baltimore store starts out with various living and dining rooms fully set up with all furniture, decorations and accessories.  Each item in these rooms–from the kitchen table or couch, all the way down to the fork or wall hanging–has a price tag on it, giving an item number, name, and description to take note of with your pencil and pamphlet.

You start off with living room sets, then into kitchens, dining rooms, offices, bedrooms, and kids rooms: all down one main corridor meant to move everyone in the same direction–similar to many museums.  This time, for us though, was mostly just looking.  At the end of the displays, a set of stairs takes you down to the marketplace: where you wander around picking up and examining anything you may have written down on your pamphlet, plus exploring different styles and color options.  By the time we reached the end of the store, probably close to an hour after arriving, we had one item–a floor lamp that was on a good sale–$7.97.  Just after the checkout, there is a concession area, where everything is flat priced, including tax.  We could smell cinnamon rolls through the whole store, so we decided to get one for a dollar and split it (they are enormous!).  Since it was getting close to the end of the day, the gentleman offered to give us six of them in a pan for two dollars!  No denying that!  They ended up being our breakfasts for the next couple of days, and are delicious.  We left that day very satisfied, knowing we would come back again soon, maybe even purchasing some furniture from them.  Their prices seemed very reasonable, their quality exceptional, and their style–a little over the top at times, yes; but innovative and right down our line.

The next post in this series of three will tell of our visit to IKEA this New Year’s Day, the deals that we found, and pictures of our new home furnishings.

Chick-fil-A

There is just something about that simple buttery bun, with a whole slice of white meat chicken and a couple pickle slices in between the bread slices.  Those slightly salted waffle fries always hit the spot too–I always get the large size!  Last time we went there, I tried their “famous” lemonade, which is near perfect.

Andrea and I first went to our local Chick-fil-A several months after moving to Pennsylvania.  What sparked my interest was a radio program that we have on a radio program I had just heard called Legends of Success with John Resnick (which I still try to listen to most Saturdays at 7:00am, News Radio 910 WSBA York). Every week, the host interviews a successful founder or CEO of a large, well-known corporation, and basically asks them about what made their company successful.  Normal questions are: Why did you choose this area of business?, What was the hardest decision you’ve ever made?, What was the turning point?, What is your business model?, and Why do you love doing this?  I have heard shows where the host interviewed the founders of : Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Outback Steakhouse, Southwest Airlines, Sheetz, and Hasbro.  My favorite interviewee–by far–was S. Truett Cathy, Founder and Chariman of Chick-fil-A.

Mr. Cathy is a true, old fashioned, kind-hearted, and not to mention: savvy businessman.  I couldn’t explain it any better than the below timeline from his website:

1929 At 8 years old, Truett Cathy begins his entrepreneurial journey to business success by operating a Coca-Cola stand in his front yard.
1935 The Cathy family, in desperate financial trouble, moves to downtown Atlanta’s Techwood Homes, the country’s first federally funded housing project. At the time, rent was $67 per month. Even with Truett’s income from his paper route assisting, the family cannot make rent and is forced to return to operating a boarding house.
1935 Truett develops his “customer service” business philosophy while delivering the Atlanta Journal to residents in the Techwood Homes public housing project.
1946 Truett and his brother Ben open The Dwarf Grill (later named the Dwarf House) in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville. First day sales total $58.20..
1951 Second Dwarf House opens in Forest Park, another south Atlanta suburb.
1960 The Forest Park Dwarf House burns down, prompting Truett to rebuild and pioneer one of the first fast-food restaurants in the Atlanta area, despite initial reluctance from customers.
1961 Truett invents the boneless breast of chicken sandwich, calling it a
“Chick-fil-A.” He perfected the recipe over a four-year period using cooking techniques from his mother’s humble boarding house kitchen.
1967 Chick-fil-A premiers at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, Ga., pioneering in-mall fast-food restaurants.
1973 Truett establishes the Team Member Scholarship program to encourage restaurant employees to further their education. Today, nearly 20,000 students have taken advantage of Chick-fil-A’s scholarship opportunities to further their education.
1985 First full-service Chick-fil-A Dwarf House opens in Jonesboro, Ga.
1986 First free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurant opens on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, Ga.
1987 The Cathy family establishes their first WinShape® Foster Home at Woodbury Cottage in Mt. Berry, Ga.
1995 Truett uses Cows to sell chicken. The now famous Eat Mor Chikin®
3-D Cow billboard campaign hits the streets.
2001 Chick-fil-A opens its 1000th location with overall sales in 2001 reaching $1.242 billion — a system-wide increase of 14.35 percent over 2000.
2002 Truett is invited to testify in Washington, DC, before the House Ways & Means Sub-Committee on Business Ethics. Later that year, Truett is invited to President Bush’s Economic Forum held at Baylor University.
2003 Truett and Jeannette Cathy receive the Norman Vincent and Ruth Stafford Peale Humanitarian award in recognition of their “positive difference in the quality of life in our society.”
2004 Truett releases his fourth book: It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men.
2006 Truett celebrates 60 years in the restaurant industry with friends, family and business associates at the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf House restaurant in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville, Ga., where his restaurant career began.
2006 With nearly 1,300 restaurants in 37 states and Washington, D.C., Chick-fil-A surpasses $2 billion in annual sales in 2006 to remain the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the nation, based on annual sales.
2007 Truett pens fifth book, “How Did You Do It, Truett?”, which offers his personal recipe for building a successful business.
2008 President George W. Bush personally recognizes Truett with the Presidential Volunteer Service award.

In the interview, a few good points were made that I truly appreciated.  He made it known that he would never work on Sunday.  He knew other businessman who had the same conviction, but would still make there employees work that day.  Mr. Cathy quotes his father in regards to this, “‘I don’t want to ask people to do that what I am not willing to do myself.”

Another point that was made is each employees’ emphasis on customer service.  Mr. Cathy said something to the effect of, “We just operate by the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.”  He is was not just saying that.  At the Chick-fil-A we go to, about twenty minutes down the road in Shrewsberry, I have never met any fast-food staff as customer service-oriented as they (a testament to their franchise owner, as well).  Whenever someone says “that you”, they always reply back, “Our pleasure!”  Even as a fast food restaurant, they make sure everything is top-of-the-line clean–more than most sit-down places.  The employees who help keep the place clean by emptying trash and wiping down tables are always kind and cordial, asking if you would like a refill.  They will take your cup, refill it to the top, and ask if you would like anything else.

Believe me, I could go on and on about just how good Chick-fil-A’s food is.  I have never been disappointed in the slightest; and even if I could have been, the service and atmosphere blurred everything else over.  I haven’t been there in almost a month, now; so I guess we’re do for some very soon!