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Atomic Mod and Wildflower Mural "I decided to purge some of the really strange clothes I have,"
Jaime Harr tells me when I walk into her marigold living room, as she
waves her arm at the stacks of oversized Tupperware containers bloated
with folded clothing, at the piles of pill box hats, fabric spools in
carefully faded primary colors, and bins of costume jewelry climbing
up the couch and armchairs. A vintage navy wrap dress, cinched at the waist and peppered with yellow
and white daisies, hangs pinned on a headless half-mannequin. Jerry
Springer rages, on mute, in the background. There seems to be a primal organization to the chaos, perhaps because
the smattering of decades and fashion eras represented on the Harr furniture
are reflected on the walls and through the general decor, in the framed
graphic posters, the antiqued coat rack, and the giant painting of two
teal and orange toucans, set against a backdrop of Persian green. Or perhaps it's because Jaime, easy in a wool sweater and jeans, with
her hair swept away from her face, is utterly in control, folding yards
of cloth into large manila envelopes and stamping them with her return
address while she talks, moving seamlessly from topic to topic. She tells me she's wary about a new eBay customer from South Korea,
who has already purchased over $230 worth of merchandise. "I don't even know if they're communists or not," she explains
about the hazards of international transactions. "But when you
get involved with countries where there's a lot of control in the government,
I think things tend to get stolen. People e-mail me, 'Where's my fabric?'
Well, I don't know, where is your fabric? I sent it. It's out of my
hands." Italy prohibits the importing of used clothing — "I guess
because they're the fashion capital of the planet" — and Canada
and France are trouble, too. "But I love Japan," she gushes with a genuine grin. "They're
wonderful customers. They spend the most money, and they never complain.
They never ask for a deal." She finishes sealing an envelope, stands, and cracks open a Tupperware
container, pawing through bolts of fabric in violets, artfully paled
oranges, jade greens, maroon and midnight blue paisleys — a frenzy
of colors and geometric patterns that clash nearly to matching —
and gives a wry laugh. "Joel left this morning," she says, swinging the conversation
to her husband of seven months, "and he's like, 'Have fun today.
I sure wish I could stay home.' But he's thinking about playing Warcraft,
and I'm working." Jaime, a twenty-five year old self-described eBay aficionado,
purchases vintage clothing, jewelry, books, fabric, and her current
personal favorite, handkerchiefs, at thrift stores, flea markets, and
yard sales, then resells them on eBay, Half.com, and at auctions, usually
turning a significant profit.
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