THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510190155
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Prime Time
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
Last year around this time Frances Murray didn't know if there would be a Senior Crafter Christmas Shop.
The head of the popular 21-year-old seasonal store was desperately in search of rental space to house the homemade goods of approximately 300 senior crafters 55 and older. For 16 years, the items had been sold in a space donated by Lee Gifford of Haygood Management, but that office was rented and unavailable.
Murray was trying to find a place large enough - more than 7,000 square feet - to hold the thousands of items from eager crafters who depend on the sale of their goods to supplement their Social Security.
Fortunately, the Great American Outlet Mall on Virginia Beach Boulevard came to the rescue with the donation of a 12,000-square-foot space across from the popular Carolina Cooking restaurant. And sales were never better. The crafters sold more than $100,000 worth of handcrafted items, up from $85,000 the previous year.
``This space is excellent,'' said Murray, surveying her hectic surroundings last week. Busy crafters scurried about, placing homemade ornaments, trees, ceramics, baby clothes, wood items, jewelry, knitted and crocheted items, dolls and much more on the long white tables that lined the store. ``Last year was the best year we ever had.''
Last year was so good, in fact, that the store is staying open an extra two weeks this year. Normally, the shop runs from the mid-October to the first week of December. But this year it will stay open every day through Dec. 17 and for longer hours. The nonprofit shop, which opened this week, operates Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Thousands of people visited the shop last year and Murray expects more this year. ``We get crafters and customers from Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton - all over. It has grown tremendously,'' she said.
The store is not limited to the Christmas theme. Scarecrows, pumpkins, witches and other Halloween items are available, as are ones that focus on Thanksgiving. New crafts for this year include all kinds of angels and airplanes made out of soda cans.
``If we don't have it, nobody else does,'' Murray likes to say.
Prices are reasonable, too. Wreaths cost between $10 and $35, while afghans and quilts run from $30 to about $85 for a twin bed, said Murray. Most items run from 50 cents to $30. The store keeps 15 percent of the sales to pay for tables, tickets to tag the items, tables, insurance against injuries and utilities. The rest goes directly to the crafters. The ones who man the store are volunteer, too, Murray pointed out.
Chuck Nelson, a retired Navy chief and expert cross-stitcher, sold 40 of his framed works at last year's shop. This year, 140 of his intricate works are hanging on the wall - copies of Norman Rockwell prints, American Indians, flowers and more.
``The thing I like about the shop is when people come in and think enough of your work to buy it,'' said Nelson, who spends 12 hours a day making his crafts. ``When you're older, it gives you a sense of pride. I'd be a couch potato if I didn't do this.'' The Senior Crafter Christmas Shop is in the Great American Outlet Mall, 3750 Virginia Beach Blvd. The hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. The shop can be reached at 340-4078.
TWENTY-TWO ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENTS and eight employees at Westminster-Canterbury have been walking to Miami since Labor Day.
OK, they're not really trudging the 990 miles down I-95 to the retirement capital of the world. They're walking around the well-manicured grounds of the local retirement center and measuring their distance every day. By Thanksgiving, residents predict, all their miles added together will have taken them the distance to Miami.
But why?
Beverly Howsare, director of assisted living, said that giving the residents a goal to work toward helped to motivate them to get out and exercise. When they reach Miami, residents will be treated to a ``Moon Over Miami'' party.
``We've seen a remarkable difference in the residents who walk - there's a real sparkle in their eyes,'' said Howsare, who is participating in the trek. ``It gives them a purpose. Now they have a new burst of energy. It has helped the staff, too.''
Flora Schaedel has walked the most miles - nine - but she may have an unfair advantage. The New York native has been a dedicated walker most of her 87 years and never misses a daily hour of the low-impact exercise.
``My doctor told me to walk, that it was one of the best things I could do for my legs,'' said the trim Schaedel, who doesn't look a day over 70. ``I walk all the time just for the joy of it.
The oldest walker is Phelan Vandeventer but she comes in second to Schaedel with 2.63 miles. Vandeventer, who will turn 100 in June, said that she played golf and walked all of her life.
``I know walking helped me stay in shape,'' said Vandeventer, who also doesn't look her age. ``I lived over in Bay Colony in a two-story house. Running up and down the steps everyday helped.
``This has been so much fun that next time I'm walking to California,'' she added.
A map of the eastern United States, with the states walked colored in yellow, gives the residents a visual reminder of what they've accomplished. The map is pasted on a large piece of poster board showing how many miles have been walked or biked each week. Assisted living activities coordinator Mary Taylor has logged 23 miles and said that the group is averaging 100 miles a week. She hopes to get more residents involved next trip, especially those who swim everyday.
``Thanksgiving is our goal of reaching Miami, then we'll take a month break for Christmas, then resume. We're an ambitious group. Maybe we'll go to Hawaii next.'' MEMO: MORE SENIOR NEWS/ 21
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Frances Murray, manager of the Senior Crafter Christmas Shop, puts a
price tag on a wicker Christmas ball. The shop is setting up in
donated space at the Great American Outlet Mall after a
record-setting year in that location last year.
by CNB