​Good luck finding these long-gone jobs

Gas Station Attendants

It’s about that time of year when people pack their bags, gas up their cars, and hit the road on a summer vacation or road trip. Our cover story in this month’s issue introduces you to vintage gas pumps, collectibles related to gas and fuel, and even vintage gas stations – and, along with them, those plucky helpers of yesteryear, full-service gas station attendants, who, upon hearing the ‘ding’ that a customer had pulled up, would rush out to your car, fuel it, wipe it down and get it ready for the next leg of your adventure.

Where did those attendants go? Theirs is just one of many jobs that have vanished with the passage of time. It’s a topic that has become especially important to discuss as automation and artificial intelligence threatens even more jobs in the coming years. For now, I wanted to take a moment to salute those jobs that have gone by the wayside, relics of a bygone time when a company’s focus was sharply settled on the consumer and his satisfaction. These folks made life a little easier for all of us.

Milkman

Milkman: So often the butt of jokes about questionable parentage, the milkman served a crucial role in one’s household, delivering milk, eggs, butter and other kitchen staples to homes across the country. When home refrigeration became more common, the job became obsolete (but the jokes have stuck around; that much is certain).

Elevator operator

Elevator operator: Fourth floor – housewares and home décor! Don’t bother exerting yourself to press a button. Let a gentlemen or lady dressed in a fancy uniform do it for you. Seen most often in department stores and offices, these operators were forced to hang up their uniforms in the 1950s, when automatic elevators became the norm.

Chimney sweep

Chimney sweep: Though a lot of us know them as the dancing, dirty fellows from “Mary Poppins,” the position was a crucial one for hundreds of years – until the Industrial Revolution, that is, when electric and gas heating were used. Blimey!

Billy boy

Billy boy: Just like having your own personal barista by your side as you work, billy boys were apprentices in training who would make tea and coffee for the other men as they labored throughout the day. This job existed until as recently as the 1950s.

Easter Sunday is coming up quickly, on Sunday, April 9, and if you live in Kansas City or are at least from here, that can mean only one thing – a trip to the Country Club Plaza to see the Easter bunnies!

The Plaza – the city’s historic outdoor shopping district adorned with ornate fountains and Spanish-style architecture — draws revelers each year around mid-March through mid-April, not only for a high-end shopping and dining experience but also because you can find life-sized Easter bunnies decked out in their pastel-colored Sunday best (except for 2015, in advance of the Kansas City Royals’ opening day, when the characters wore the team’s signature blue baseball jerseys).

In addition to being a local Easter tradition, the nine bunnies (four males and five females) also are the city’s unofficial harbingers of the spring season. When the bunnies come out, you know it’s finally time to shed your winter coat and bask in warmth and sunshine.

According to The Northeast News, the bunnies originally were installed at J.C. Nichols’ Crestwood Shops in 1922; nine years later, in 1931, they found their new permanent home on the Plaza’s sidewalks. The article states that each statue weighs 200 pounds and is made of Plaster-of-Paris.

Did you know that each rabbit has his or her own name, too? Lee, Nickolas, Brian, and Peter (of course) for the boys; Bess, Ellyn, Sue, Kate and Amy for the girls. 

Originally, there were five males – the fifth, named Joe, was stolen 30 years ago and never been replaced, according to The Northeast News. You can find each boy rabbit’s name on the collar of the dress jacket he wears; names for each girl, meanwhile, appears on the side of the basket they carry in their arms.

March is National Reading Month, and with it comes a greater awareness of the benefits of reading.

Established to honor Dr. Seuss, one of the first authors to which we are exposed, the month is especially geared toward children, encouraging them to establish positive reading habits at an early age. And studies lend credibility to the often-stated belief that reading has real benefits for both the mind and the body.

In 2013, brain scans of people who read a novel showed areas of the participants’ brain light up with activity as the plot of the novel they were assigned became more tense. As they read and even afterward, brain connectivity rose, especially in the somatosensory cortex, or the part of the brain that registers physical sensations, according to the health blog Healthline.

In addition, reading on a regular basis increases one’s ability to empathize with others, it builds one’s vocabulary, reduces stress, and helps to alleviate symptoms of depression, among other benefits, according to Healthline. As you age, reading – even articles, if not full books and novels – will help keep your mind sharp and engaged, the National Institute on Aging shares.

But we already knew much of that, right? We know what we’re supposed to do in order to maintain good brain health. In adulthood, though, the reality of actually reading on a regular basis is quite different. In such a busy, active world, who has the time?

I admit to being one of those people who was a voracious reader as a child, but who might have let that good habit lapse over the years. Though I’m unmarried and don’t have any children, I keep busy with work and other commitments – it all adds up, and the time seems to slip away, much like the chapters of a book that draws you in, one that you just can’t seem so put down.

Like most everything in life, we only reap the benefits of reading when we actually put in the mental work. In an age during which it seems like we’re increasingly having difficulty focusing (thanks, social media!), that might seem like a tall order. A potential solution to this issue is to set aside just a few moments before going to bed each night – turn off that television set and put that phone down and pick up that physical book or open that Kindle.

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com​

Keeping your Resolutions

How are you doing on keeping your resolutions for the new year so far? Still going strong? Or maybe you’ve already fallen behind a bit.
If you’re one of those who met the dawn of 2023 with optimism that maybe hasn’t panned out the way you’d like, fear not – we’ve been doing it since the ancient days of the Babylonians.

Until the late 19th century and early 20th century, our resolutions reflected a society yearning to look inward and live a moral and religious life – “a desire to develop stronger moral character, a stronger work ethic, and more restraint in the face of earthly pleasures,” according to a December 2021 article from The Farmers Almanac on almanac.com.

100 years

Even over the more than 100 years that have transpired, many of our most important resolutions have remained tethered to morality issues such as, “I will visit my elderly parents more,” or “I will be a better, more responsive friend.” Even more familiar (and just as difficult to maintain) are the resolutions around physicality – improving our diet and exercising regularly.

Resolutions

You might find it interesting to know that our resolutions or today aren’t that much different than they were 75 years ago. The 2021 Farmers Almanac article compared the results of two Gallup polls conducted three-quarters of a century apart. Those polls found that, while our priorities have changed, the same resolutions do appear in the top 10 list of our areas for improvement. Take a look for yourself:

Resolutions from 1947 – Gallup Poll

1. Improve my disposition, be more understanding, control my temper
2. Improve my character, live a better life
3. Stop smoking, smoke less
4. Save more money
5. Stop drinking, drink less
6. Be more religious, go to church more often
7. Be more efficient, do a better job
8. Take better care of my health
9. Take a greater part in home life
10. Lose (or gain) weight

Today’s resolutions – Gallup Poll

1. Lose weight
2. Get organized
3. Spend less, save more
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
5. Stay fit and healthy
6. Learn something exciting
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others fulfill their dreams
9. Fall in love
10. Spend more time with family

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com​

Ideal gift for that special someone

If you’re still looking for the ideal gift for that special someone on your holiday shopping list, don’t log onto a website or head to some crowded department store. Quite often, the gift you’re looking for – and many gifts you didn’t even know you needed – are right around the corner at small merchants in town.

Gently loved items

Not only are antique stores places where gently loved items are waiting to find a new life; they’re places that specialize in unique finds that make just the right statement about the gift recipient. That’s what the holidays are all about – showing people you care and that they play a meaningful role in your life, whether they’re your Aunt Gloria in Winfield or your best friend from college, now living across the state line. In these days of disposable moments on social media, we hope you’ll hit up your local antique store for that item steeped in incredible craftsmanship and high quality – that antique that has withstood decades of Christmases and has been built to withstand many, many more.

Handmade crafts and Locally sourced goods

Or, just as thoughtful is a gift from any number of small, independently owned merchants, shops, galleries, bakeries or restaurants. In this and every issue of Discover Vintage America, you’ll find page after page of events and sales just bursting with handmade crafts and locally sourced goods lovingly made by artisans who use their talents to bring gifts to glorious life. The care put into making these items really do speak to the passion and dedication that artists and crafters pour into their creations. They’re meant to be shared, to be loved, to be used, and to be enjoyed for a long time to come. I wish I were only half as creative as the people who create such dazzling works – art, jewelry, sculpture, crafts, and clothing, to name only a few. Thankfully, their works, with their creative energy, are able to say to my friend or family member what I cannot.

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com​