I spent some time this evening putting together my annual list of highlights from the year. What strikes me about 2009 is how … well, dull it’s been by comparison to other years. Sure, some good things have happened, but compared to the scale of things that happened in recent years past 2009 has been a yawner. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, obviously, but it will put my skills to the test when it comes to creating punchy, attention-grabbing writing in documenting it.
December 26, 2009
Where I’ve worked: W. Bell & Co.
W. Bell & Co. employee card
After my stint at Dart Drug I looked for a company that would value my trustworthiness. It was April 1987. A classmate of mine worked at a catalog showroom store and suggested I apply there. It sounded a bit more professional than what I’d just done, so I filled out an application and got an interview.
The store was W. Bell & Co.: a now-defunct Rockville, MD-based retail catalog showroom chain that once thrived in the D.C. area. My friend worked at the Tysons Corner store doing what I wanted to be doing: selling electronics. The store manager had different plans for me, however: he wanted me to sell jewelry. Jewelry was W. Bell’s mainstay. I gave it a shot and showed up the following Monday wearing slacks and a tie.
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