This is going to be one of my favorite posts. The whole purpose of DigiDame was to give people over 50 new ideas on how to reinvent themselves. Just because we are finished with one career, doesn’t mean we can’t find real purpose in another.

Enter Sarah Oliver of Sarah Oliver Handbags, an American accessories company in Northern California. All of her  exquisite handbags are hand knitted  by seniors, a.k.a. The Purlettes +1. Her mission was “to re-engage seniors in the American economy and empower them with a new found sense of purpose and passion.” 

I first learned about Sarah and The Purlettes on a recent episode of Shark Tank. Sarah was asking for a $50,000 investment from one of Sharks because her business has been growing faster than she ever anticipated. She needs to buy yarn and other supplies in greater quantity so she can keep up with orders. She also has to keep The Purlettes busy. 

 Images from Sarah Oliver Handbags

  
    
Sarah came up with the idea of employing seniors because, as a young girl she used to knit with her mother and grandmother. She asked seniors at The Redwoods Senior Retirement Community, in Northern California, if they would be interested in working with her. The response was an overwhelmingly “yes” and thrilling. 

If you want to get chills and teary-eyed, watch the video to hear the seniors comment about their new found profession. 

The Purlettes hand knit every one of the  bags, even 98 year-old Kay. The seniors average three handbags a week. Some say they have never been happier in their lives. 

Both Marc Cuban and  Lori Greiner of Shark Tank ponied up the money and now Sarah has the benefit of consulting with two major business people. Keep knitting away please. 

If you attend Art Miami every year, (a satellite show of Art Basel, the largest art exhibition in America), you know Li Hongbo, a Chinese born artist who is best known for his lifelike paper sculptures. He has the kind of art pieces that make you stop and stare. 

Li Hongbo is represented by the Klein Sun Gallery in New York City.

It is really worthwhile for you to view the videos. His work his magical and filled with surprises. Hongbo’s pieces consists of 7,000 to 8,000 sheets of white paper stacked on top of each other. They are glued in a honeycomb structure so they are  flexibile and sturdy.

Each concept is very different from the one previously conceived. They are priced around $16,000 

 

           

 Party Photos 

 
  

Do you recognize anyone?

    
    
    
    
    

    
    
 

 

 
  
It was just a matter of time that some digital genius would come up with a way to change the designs on your shoes with a “flip of a switch.” Or maybe, in this case, I should really say “a click of an app.”

Many folks in the digital media business are watching an Indiegogo campaign from a company called ShiftWear. The company promises that it can change the design on shoes with a flexible e-paper display. The first target is athletic footwear.

ShiftWear invented a wireless charging technology that allows your smartphone to change designs on your shoes.  Watch the video above for a demonstration. Engadget, a tech site,  recently wrote a story about ShiftWear.

The display is waterproof so you can wash your sneakers, even in a washing machine. Friends in the press tell me this is just the start of big changes in the footwear business. 

I can see it now. A few years from now, Christian Louboutin will be featuring a ShiftWear app that will let you change your heels from red to any other color you want. Wow.

  
  
  

Images: The New York Times

I have lived in New York City for 40 years. I’m very proud of that because I am a survivor. I did what I had to do to remain in the city because I loved New York so much. I watched other folks come and go but I managed to work, be married and raise a child in Manhattan.  

I feel very territorial about the Big Apple because I have been involved in so many areas of the city: business, politics, religion, entertainment, sports, education, food, recreation, fashion, real estate, media, tech, events, culture, healthcare and charity work. 

I have my memories. There are also parts of Manhattan that are like old friends. One very special place is the wooden escalator in Macy’s Herald Square. It has been in existence for 95 years. Macy’s just announced that the wooden escalators would remain intact even though the retailer just completed a $400 million, four-year renovation of its 34th Street location.  

I guess you can call it another Miracle on on 34th Street. The New York Times just did a story on the wooden escalators since they experienced a reprieve. They have a very personal meaning to me. I used to take the wooden escalators hundreds of times in my early career when I was assigned to write stories about Macy’s electronics department on the fifth floor. I went up and down on the escalators so many times, that I used to tap dance on them like I was Gene Kelly. 

If you have never seen them, I urge you to go. It’s like going back in time. No internet, no email, no cell phone, and no Facebook. It’s just a beautiful piece of art that keeps moving.