New Lights for the Water Tower

...and a farewell to Cincinnati's last Eddie Bauer

Last night, the community got together to celebrate something long awaited: new lights for the water tower.

About 100 people convened at Tower Optical (soon to be a Dunkin Donuts, replacing the moving Tower Optical) across from the library, which is closed for needed renovations.

There were conies from Gold Star, pizza from Ramundo’s, Munchkins from Dunkin, popcorn and other treats.

Through a series of spaghetti dinners, the community has been raising money to replace the lights that used to be physically on the water tower. As you can imagine, these were difficult and costly to fix. So a projection scheme made more sense.

There was the appropriate pomp and circumstance and thank you to the locals who helped make it happen. It was a fun community event.

For Father's Day, I took the fam to Dixie Chili and some shopping at Rookwood. We had planned to go to Joseph-Beth and Old Navy but something drew me to Eddie Bauer, a store I used to work at in Beachwood. (Employee #111332!)

As it turns out, it was the last day for the store. It brought back memories, as I was part of the team that closed down my store. It's a company with high quality products but has been tragically mismanaged for decades. It's a shame.

The fixtures were for sale, and for $20, we picked up an old mannequin for the crafty twins, in addition to some branded hangers for me. Of course we picked up clothes and one of the legendary pieces of luggage. Eddie Bauer has great branding, and a great story.

The fixture with the lock on it was something that we used for high-end jackets that were locked up. It definitely brought back memories of goose down jacket sales contests in the early aughts.

If they were selling it I would totally buy the metal fixture above the door, which was the "seal" in the branding.

The nearest locations are Lexington and Columbus, with some outlet stores closer.

While I have already read my friend Molly Jong-Fast’s new bestseller: How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir, I wanted to get a copy to help sales and for my library.

Of course I'm biased, but I'm not the kind of person who always buys books written by my friends. (In “the biz" we get what are called galley copies.) Some friend I am!

But in all seriousness, I think it is a book that earned its bestseller title, which is not as common as you think. There is a whole industry on how to manufacture a “bestseller" through orchestrated purchases.

It's a deeply personal work. One I can empathize with a little bit, having recently lost my mom. If you're in the same boat, or recently have been, buy yourself a copy, remember your mom, and laugh and cry as she shares with readers her journey.

But if you're looking to get a copy there, call ahead: I got the last one.