Reflections on 20 Years pt7

Where Are They Now?

Over the past 20 years The Waygoose has had the opportunity to hire many young people. As I was reminded the other day, the youngest was only 14 (Andrea's mother, Kathy, also worked for us at the time), but generally they were either in their last year of high school or 1st year of college. The very first was Hanan Saleh, she was JoAnn's backdoor neighbor in her last year of high school. She stayed with us all the way through getting her PharmD from Howard University. I'm sure many of you recall coming in to find some young person studying at the counter. In addition we had quite the international collection: Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, India, Palestine and Russia to name a few. And most popped back in to work the holidays and/or the summers when they were on school breaks.

I always felt it was a great honor to be someone's first job and truly enjoyed the variety of characters that came and went through our doors.

Recently, we touched base with some of our first timers for an update and here is what they had to say:

L-R: Amie, Andrea, Annika, Antea, Emma and Erica

Amie: Department Manager at Macy's in Tyson's Corners (update: Sales Supervisor for Saks Fifth Avenue)

Andrea: Professional Hair Stylist

Annika: Senior Customer Success and Communications Specialist at Network for Good

Antea: While finishing her MA from DIU International University in Dubrovnik in International Relations and Diplomacy with a concentration on international political economics, Antea is working for the Croatian government at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Emma: Just completing teaching visual arts and art history in Philadelphia. She is currently the studio art teacher at Stone Ridge School in Bethesda.

Erica: Completing her 2nd Bachelors in Forensic Chemistry specializing in trace evidence/drug analysis. She's now looking into Graduate Schools.

Yes, oddly enough we've had an unusual number of employees over the years whose names started with "A". When we opened on Bethesda Ave, we had Amie, Annette, Arlene, shortly followed by Addie, Alexandra, Amy 1, Amy 2 and Antonia! No, it was not a requirement!

We asked them these questions:

1)  What did you enjoy most about your work experience?

2)  How did it help you in what you are doing now?

3)  Describe your funniest Waygoose moment.

4)  Who is your favorite Waygoose artist and why?

5)  What is your favorite Waygoose piece that you own?

And this is what they had to say:

1) What did you enjoy most about your work experience?

Amie: Working at The Waygoose taught me about customer engagement and how to make that customer our number one priority. I enjoyed learning about unique pieces that could be found in very specialized places and I liked that it showcases artist that have no platform. But most importantly I enjoyed the family we have become. We had each other’s back and we strove to accomplish the same goals.

Andrea: I love all the ladies I got to work with, especially my mom! Being only 14-years-old when I started, I had several mother-figures at the store. The customers were also a lot of fun. I loved helping customers find 'that perfect gift' they came in looking for.

Annika: I loved getting to talk to people about how they were going to use a piece or why they were giving it as a gift. Pieces of art mean so much to the people who buy them and I loved getting to use that experience to glimpse into people's lives.

Antea: Working at Waygoose for me was a very exciting experience. It is interesting to see how a part time job can have such a huge positive impact on your life. And this job really did. Working at the store was nothing but creative and fun. What I remember most is the way the managers taught us to do things and love the products. They were very patient and always encouraged us in such a positive way to learn more about the artists and the way things were done. The way they run the place was amazing. I remember noticing how this always reflected on the workers. We were a bunch of different characters and individuals but all so positive and warm. The young group of people along with employees that have been working there for years was a combination that worked extremely well. I will never forget how we worked together as a family and how much everyone helped me not only at the workplace, but in my personal life as well. I truly had an amazing experience and met the most beautiful and kind people.

Erica: What meant the most to me about working at Waygoose was getting to work at a store that was filled with artwork. I always saw the jewelry, the pottery, the glasswork as pieces of art, each with a funky, unique, and stylish quality of their own. I always wanted to learn about the crafts Waygoose sold because I consider myself an artist and was intrigued by how raw material could be transformed into beautiful artwork. The second most enjoyable experience at Waygoose was getting to see our frequent customers who bought pieces for themselves or family/friends come in and admire the work, ask questions about what was new, and talk about their favorite artists.

2) How did it help you in what you are doing now?

Amie: Everything I have learned at The Waygoose has helped me to develop into the manager that I am today. In a way it paved the way in knowing what it is I wanted to do as a career. I apply the same best practices I learned from Waygoose into Macy's. From customer service, ordering, helping increase foot traffic, marketing initiatives, visual and display merchandising most importantly.

Andrea: My job at the store was my very first job. Not only did I learn how to gift wrap like a pro, I learned a bit about time and money management. The basic customer service skills I learned have been valuable, as each job I've held requires working with the public. As a professional hairdresser, I get to meet and serve a wide variety of people.

Annika: It taught me to listen. In my job I spend all day listening to and responding to the people we help. Working at the Waygoose helped me listen to what people wanted and then guide them toward the piece that was perfect for them. Listening is the only place to start with that process and it is a vital skill.

Antea: My experience at Waygoose helped me a lot because it was my first impression of how business should be run and what kind of a feel employees need to have towards their bosses and amongst each other in order for the business to succeed. Wherever I went to work later, I always compared and tried to bring that feeling of warmth with me. I see that there are a lot of problems in businesses and institutions now because there is a of lack trust and understanding amongst colleagues and there is no true happiness found in working. I find this to be one of the core elements of any business- if you don't create trust and excitement amongst your workers you cannot succeed- our managers always brought that out in us.

Emma: "I always had the best time learning about each artist," she remembers.  In fact, Emma believes her years at the Waygoose still has a strong influence on the art she creates today.

Erica: My years at Waygoose have allowed me to learn about different forms of artwork, work ethic, customer service, and friendships. I have been working on and off at Waygoose since October 2005. Since then, I have gained valuable communication skills, great friends, a drive to work harder, and continue my desire to appreciate beautiful artwork.

3) Describe your funniest Waygoose moment.

Amie: Am sure there is a lot, but I can't think of any. LOL

Andrea: One afternoon, Jorge and I were unpacking new inventory, not checking things off on the packing slip as we went along. After taking all the cardboard boxes and packing materials out to the dumpster behind the store, we realized there was a piece of pottery listed on the packing slip that we didn't have. We scrambled to carefully pull everything out of the trash to find the missing piece. Thank goodness we found it, unscathed. I can laugh about it now, but it was definitely not funny at the time!

Annika: I loved the people I worked with, they always provided the best moments. Watching Erica read certain parts of the Harry Potter series knowing what she was about to experience were certainly some of my favorite and funniest moments.

Antea: My funniest Waygoose moment was definitely when there would be no customers in the store, or when we would be having just one of those lazy days and the girls and I would check our Facebook during working hours. As we sign on we see Word open by itself and a message is being written by itself on our computer. We froze for a moment and the message read: Girls, less Facebook! How are we doing today? – and we realized it was Deborah connecting to our computer from her home, which later on became a casual thing haha. Definitely one of the funniest moments.

Erica: My funniest Waygoose moment would have to be working with my coworkers, attempting to create the perfect snowman for a window display out of packing peanuts, a fake carrot, jewelry displays and peppermint candy as buttons. Despite the mess and being covered in static cling Styrofoam, “Frosty” was worth it.

4) Who is your favorite Waygoose artist and why?

Amie: Desert Heart, their designs and pieces are very unique and somewhat individualized. It's not pieces I feel a lot of people can wear so I think the person has to have a certain sense of time. I like to be different so I relate to the pieces. They seem very earthy and effortless, almost as if created by nature. I truly enjoy their design style.

Andrea: I love Sarena Mann's fairies and Carol Roeda's metal decor. They are both so fun and unique!

Annika: I love what Joseph Craig English does with scenes we all know and love. Looking at this artwork helped me see things I had seen every day (like a fruit stand or the traffic of Georgetown) with refreshed eyes.

Antea: My favorite product was the watches. I love watches and I love the way the artists would find creative materials and design to put them together. Definitely my favorite pieces.

Emma: Among her favorite artists is Bill Campbell.

Erica: Can I say my top two? It’s impossible to pick!

Jewelry: Wanna Buy A Watch? This company makes some of the most distinctive jewelry I have ever seen. Incorporating tiny watch parts into beautifully delicate and whimsical jewelry is a talent.

Pottery: Flambeaux. Easily my favorite pottery in the store, because the glaze on the pottery looks like flowers or snowflakes. Also, each piece is unique in how the glaze settles making them more spectacular.

5) What is your favorite Waygoose piece that you own?

Amie: My Desert Heart smoky quartz sterling silver choker necklace. I think the first year I bought it, I wore it every day to the point where the quartz is starting to change color. One of the reasons I loved that piece is the versatility of how I can wear it and that it goes with everything.

Andrea: I've used my blown glass ring holder every single day for the last 10 years. We have lots of Waygoose goodies around our house!

Annika: That is a hard choice. My worry bead ring certainly gets the most compliments and comments though.

Antea: My favorite piece that I own is a necklace by Stacie Jewelry of Maryland. It is a beautiful necklace with a heart pendant, which I bought for my mom when I was leaving the states. Just last summer she gave it to me to wear when we saw each other after a long time.

Erica: One of my first purchases from Waygoose. My Wanna Buy A Watch necklace. It has two circles with little numbers along it. All sterling silver and sparkly.

Earring: One of my four pairs of Barb Wire earrings from Barbie Levy. I love the colors and shapes she uses. The most complemented earrings I have.

Antea had these additional thoughts about her experience at Waygoose: I was 16 and I had just been living in Bethesda for a year when I started out on a journey to find my first part time job. It was very important for me to have a “good feeling” about the people and place I would work in because I wanted somewhere fun and relaxing to go to after school. I remember sitting in front of the store getting ready for my interview and I will always remember that as soon as I walked in and saw smiling faces and the warm decorations in the store I suddenly felt good in a matter of moments. I knew the second I walked into the store I knew that it is a sort of place I would love working in- it just had some sort of a warm glow. The experience I gained at Waygoose, to learn to love everything you do and sell, to be focused yet remember to smile and have fun are always in the back of my head and a very important factor for me when I work and I will always look back at that time of my life with gratitude for what I learned and a smile for the great people and great experiences I got to have.

Emma (unsurprisingly) answered as follows: I am currently teaching visual arts, and art history at an alternative high school in North Philadelphia.  This school enrolls returning high school students who are out of age for their grade and are returning for a second chance at a high school diploma. I work with young artists ranging from ages 16-22 introducing important aspects of art history, and the humanities, as well as painting, sculpture, illustration, and other fundamental arts.

Along with teaching I have also successfully created and run several after-school clubs, including a canvas club, a nail and beauty club, and a dance program. I am inspired by my students at this school because many of them have been previously failed by the school systems they came from. A lot of my students have grown up in impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods of Philadelphia, and their schools have been reflections of their circumstances. At most public, inner city schools in Philadelphia there is fighting, violence, bullying, and often a lack of support from teachers and staff. A large majority of my students have children, and some of them have multiple children. Still, all of my students have chosen to come back, they have decided that their education is worth the struggle and I marvel at their efforts every day.

I have recently found a new job that I will begin in the fall at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda. I am going to be the studio art teacher for 9th and 10th graders, and I am also going to be the yearbook administrator.

It could also be that in addition to relocating back to Bethesda, Emma’s also running the Art Camp at Glen Echo!

It was fascinating to read the responses we received; in some way the path they followed is reflected in the way they answered our questions and the personalities I remember so well!