On Barter'd Time is a monthly publication of the Las Vegas Barter Hours program. This newsletter promotes the use and advancement of the barter system within the city of Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Content is limited to pieces dealing with local currency issues.
Circulation Manager: Cordia Sammeth
Webpage Composition: Jack Rowe
Articles and ads should be submitted by e-mailing Cordia, or dropping her a note at 846 Sperry Drive, Las Vegas, NM 87701 on or before the end of the month for publication in the next month's newsletter.
April's well-attended meeting at MaryAnn's Famous Burritos was described by one member as 'raucous.' It was difficult at the end to keep the meeting on track. There was a lot of heavy bartering, with bags of vegetables and Barter Hours passing over heads. Bob Wallace's carrot juice sold out, as did Julia Fuchs' salad greens, Cordia Sammeth's seedlings, Merita Koehn's bread and Shala Blackburn's yogurt!
Jack Rowe answered questions about the website and agreed to teach a computer workshop May 24th covering how to use the web page and other basic computer skills. Contact Jack by e-mail or Carlos Lopez by phone at 429-4587 to sign up.
Also, remember the next installment in Hedy Trevino's Strawbale Gardening workshop series, May 10... call Carlos at 429-4587 to sign up.
The New Member Contest is nearing its end... you can give any applications you've collected to Cordia this month (April) or bring them to the May meeting. To be counted for the contest the applications must be turned in this month, or turned in at the May 2nd meeting with an April date on them.
Our April Membership Recruitment Contest is almost over, and winners (i.e., those who recruited the most new members) will be announced at the May 2nd meeting... meanwhile, here are new members added to our numbers so far during the month of April:
Andrea Gottschalk, Unikat Fine Jewelry
Did you know that we have a Queen in our midst? Our very own Anne Bradford has been given this title. Of course, it makes sense. She is originally from England, one of the few remaining countries that actually recognizes and pays tribute to Royalty. But Anne was named Queen in San Diego, California. Perhaps I had better explain how all this occured.
Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, Anne managed the Horton Park Plaza Hotel in downtown San Diego. It was a historically renovated building, with sixty-five rentable rooms. The owners totally restored the building, leaving them in a poor cash-flow situation by completion.
I myself am nearing completion on a two bedroom Victorian home in Las Vegas. The cost is about five times my original estimates. With this in mind, I can only imagine the staggering costs of renovating a place the magnitude of the hotel.
This is where Anne came into the picture. The hotel was old and gracious, but as time passed, it started to look less pristine than desirable. The rooms needed uplifting and the hotel's windows needed washing.
Anne, being the talented and resourceful gal that she is, gave the hotel a facelift by bartering.
She bartered for all the windows to be cleaned. She bartered for new comforters, sheets and blankets in all sixty rooms to replace those looking rather shabby. She bartered for graphic design work and new brochures. She bartered with a Los Angeles car dealer who organized weekend get-aways for his customers which included stays at the Horton Park Plaza.
Of course, what she had to offer was free nights at the posh hotel. The cost to the hotel was relatively small, not even noticeable. It merely involved paying for the maid service and cost of washing linens.
Everyone was happy. The hotel had been given services and things they could ill afford, and in return the providers of these things were given nights' stays for themselves, their employees or their customers. This was a true win-win situation.
Upon Anne's leaving the hotel, they threw a going-away party in her honor. At this party she was deservedly crowned "The Barter Queen," tiara and all. Anne was innovative using bartering to give and keep a fresh, clean appearance to the hotel.
Bartering is not a new concept; it was used for years—even before the invention of money. Imagine how you might improve your own life or busines by bartering. Be creative. Bartering makes sense, it works.
Hedy's third workshop will be held September 29th and focus on canning and preserving foods, seed drying and how to build a drying rack.
The fourth workshop, on November 8th, will cover holiday food cooking including making tamales, cooking calabacita, and any other holiday recipes we can make as a group. Call Carlos Lopez at 429-4587 to find out more or sign up.
We've moved the variously-spelled Bric-a-Brac Real-Time Bartering Center to its own page. Keep tuning in to stay abreast of the latest trades.
Spring is back, time to get rid of stuff. Any yard sale? Feel free to advertise in the Bric-a-Brac column if you are planning to have one. Any good items you'd like to get rid of can also be advertised in the column.
To offer your own gems for bartering, e-mail Jack or Surabhi Atman, or phone Surabhi at 425-3789.