Pictured above is a laundry hook, a possession of mine since 1957. I know it is from that year because I bought three of them to hang laundry in hotel bathrooms on my first trip to Europe.

Recently, after fifty-four years of service, two of them broke, and I went on a mission to replace them. I tried big box stores (Target and Bed and Bath) with no luck. Salespeople looked at me as though I had taken leave of my senses when I tried to describe what I was looking for. Next I tried Mom and Pop hardware stores. Still no luck.

I thought of one more possibility. Just a few miles from where I live is a wonderfully old-fashioned store called Ben Franklin’s. It is a combination of Woolworth’s and what department stores used to call the “notions department”. They sell spools of thread in a rainbow of colors. They stock buttons of all sizes and shapes. They have miniatures of games and all kinds of gadgets. It is a perfect place to buy party favors for kids. It’s a gem of a store, one I am always expecting to go out of business.

I just couldn’t find the time to go there. But as luck would have it, Peter had a meeting the other day that required him to drive by Ben Franklin’s, and I asked him if he would have a look. I gave him my remaining laundry hook because an example is worth a thousand words. Besides, I thought he couldn’t possibly explain what he was looking for.

Eureka!

Made my day.