THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507140174
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: PORTSMOUTH CLOSE-UP
SOURCE: REBECCA A. MYERS
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
Luverta Shelton gets something from Avon that doesn't come in a bottle and can't be sold.
She's gotten a lifetime job that's kept her going and kept her alert.
After peddling the cosmetic company's catalog products for nearly half of her 87 years, Shelton would never dream of giving up her 1978 Ford Granada for a chance at a pink Cadillac from that other cosmetic company.
``You have to have parties and I wouldn't like that,'' said Shelton.
Not that Shelton is pushing doorbells these days either.
The veteran saleswoman prefers calling on her customers where she's always sure to find them - at work.
``When I first started, I went door to door, door to door, for all those years,'' said Shelton, a small woman who carries less than 100 pounds on her 5-foot-1-inch frame.
``But I don't do that anymore because I don't want to,'' she said. ``After you sell it for as long as I have, you can go anywhere.''
Every other Friday, Shelton leaves her Bennetts Creek home on a circuit that takes her to a doctor's office, a retail store, several banks, a church, two medical centers, a rental office, two state agencies and an insurance company.
Even men number among her regulars, buying after shave and men's lotion.
``Some of my customers have been buying from me since I've been selling Avon,'' said Shelton, who can't recall exactly what year she started.
``They wouldn't buy from anybody else. They tell me they have people who come in and try to sell it, and they say `No, we're simply carried away with ours (Avon lady). We wouldn't trade her for anything.' ''
Some of Shelton's most loyal customers place $100 orders two and three times a year.
Though she has no plans to retire any time soon, Shelton has cut back on the number of customers on whom she calls. Before giving up the Circuit Court and Signet Bank buildings downtown, Shelton used to have more than 60 regular customers.
She now spends less than three days a week on her business.
But she can rest on her laurels - and her carved-out office territories.
Since her early days of selling in Highland Park, Shelton has earned eight ``Miss Albees,'' porcelain statues of Florence Albee, the first Avon lady.
``I won them for selling something like $8,000 every 15 months,'' said Shelton. ``I've got five on my television, my daughter has two because I don't have room for them, and my son has one.''
Over the years, the company has never let a birthday or a Christmas pass without some token of its appreciation, she said.
``This past May was my birthday, and they sent me a darling clock,'' she said. ``It keeps perfect time.''
``It's a birthday clock, and Avon doesn't even sell them.''
Name: Luverta Shelton
Nickname: ``Bluebird'' as a child
Neighborhood: Currently Bennetts Creek, but grew up in Prentis Park
Number of years in Portsmouth: 70
Birthplace: Norfolk
Birthdate: May 20, 1908
Occupation: Saleslady
What other job than your own would you like? Secretary
Marital status: Widowed after 44 years of marriage
Children: Two: ages 57 and 55
Grandchildren: Five: ages 37, two at 35, 34, 25
Great-grandchildren: Seven
Fondest childhood memory: I used to skate a lot when I was young. I used to go on skating parties. I can remember on Lincoln Street in Prentis Park, years ago when I was growing up, there wasn't any traffic and a group of us would get together at one end of Lincoln Street and skate all the way up to town, past town. You can't do that now, but you could do it then, and, boy, I had the best time. Oh, I used to love to skate. I'd rather skate than eat when I was hungry.
First concert: Can't recall
What song or book title best describes your life? ``Little House on the Prairie'' and the Bible
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? I do not play the lottery
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Billy Graham
Biggest accomplishment: Raising my children
Most embarrassing moment: Getting locked out of my car
Perfect way to spend the day: Resting
I can't resist: Cream horns
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: The Circle
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: Office/bank building with friends
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: No free parking available
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
Senior parking
Housing appearance cleaner
More good, established restaurants and places to eat
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? My friends. I've lived in Suffolk since 1982. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
by CNB