You Had Me at Post-It Notes

I'm about as dependent on Post-It Notes as most people are on coffee.

I like to buy all sorts of colors. Bold, pastel, warm, cold. Sometimes I like to buy the ones that make the accordion shape when you stretch them out so I can toss them around. The other day, I even found some of those rare white ones? But they're all delightful, really.

I'm not worried for myself in the least.

I share a similar, though not quite as fanatic, fondness for most office supplies. And I know I'm not alone. I think such an affection has to do with all the ways they make your existence more organized, the promise of all the projects you envision using them for, and the little variety that gets added to your day by using, say, colored staples?

I recently discovered a local trove for all things office-related:

Meet Treu Office Supply and Furniture.

I love places like this; it's awesomely old-school in that it's been passed down from generation to generation of the Treu family since 1938, and in some of the items you can find there, plus it has everything an office could possibly ever need. And then some.

Like, tons more some.

Oh, graphing calculators. That brings me back.

:)

In chatting with owner Perry Treu, he'll tell you that their focus is on service, keeping things simple and honest, not being afraid to really search for what a customer is looking for, and willingness to do the little things. He also clarified that, contrary to popular belief about "Mom and Pop" stores, they're absolutely in the price ballpark with other places.

Treu's also offers free delivery AND free set-up for furniture. A pretty big deal for someone as assembly-required-challenged as I am.

Here are just a few of the interesting things you can find on the shelves:

Any type of record-keeping slip or book you could ever need. Sales and delivery forms, invoices, packing slips, purchase orders, time cards, attendance books, visitor logs, family budget books, and this little gem, which I particularly enjoyed:

It's this convenient little booklet for traveling business folks in which, on a page for each day, you can write down expenses in columns designated for meals, entertainment, gas, cabs, postage, auto rental, parking, etc. I just find its "throwback" quality refreshing.

An array of message slips.

They also had a book listing every zip code in the U.S. Once upon a time, when I visited the UFO Museum in Roswell, N.M., they asked that I provide my home zip code when I signed in. The instantaneous response from the guy working the desk once he glanced at the numbers? "Oh, Schenectady." He either had been working there for a long, long, long, long time, or he'd memorized that book.

In addition to what's in-store, Treu's can also swiftly get you anything out of this catalogue:

Pretty beastly.

To say that the catalogue has a huge selection is an understatement. Additionally, it has all these helpful "buying guides" throughout to help people make the best product choice for themselves.

There are sections for shelving, binding systems, desk accessories, files, labels, pads, printers, copiers, fax machines, staplers, tables, badges, projectors, calendars, briefcases, cleaning supplies, first-aid kits, mouse pads, rulers, cash-handling equipment. I could "We Didn't Start the Fire"-style come up with a song about it.

So stop in sometime and take a gander at the granddaddy of all permanent markers:

All hail the king.

And take advantage of all that Treu's has to offer!

Treu Office Supply and Furniture, 110 Lake Street, Elmira, NY 14901, (607) 732-4554

and 106 Victory Highway, Painted Post, NY 14870, (607) 936-1671

http://www.treuofficesupply.com/

♫ "You can always go...downtown" ♫

Last summer, a friend sent me this picture from the Elmira Street Painting Festival:

That's right, OK is OK :)

I went to school for a year at Oklahoma State, and trust me when I say that New York and Oklahoma? Not a whole lot in common. The many differences include landscape, tornado frequency, ability to function in the snow - or "snow" - and, perhaps my personal favorite, mascot selection:

                                                                                                                        

   Pistol Pete is clearly not a New York State resident.

    

So, seeing an homage to "The Sooner State" on the streets of Elmira made me smile. And when I moved here, it made me want to check out not only the festival, which will be held the weekend of July 9th and 10th, but its fundraiser, "A Taste of Downtown," which took place Thursday at the Arnot Art Museum. Both events are headed up by Elmira Downtown Development:

One of the most significant things I've learned since moving back is that Downtown Elmira has a lot more to offer than I ever realized while I was in school here. I didn't venture downtown a whole lot during those four years; I was operating under the egregious misconception that there was just not much doing.

Quite the contrary, folks. A strikingly interesting mix of newer and older ventures, and incredibly welcoming people, are easily found there if you take the time to look.

Um, not to mention the food:

Tomato brushetta crostini from the Holiday Inn Riverview. 

 Express Café and Bakery's spread.

 Global Gourmet.

 Checking out a tasty prosciutto and arugula on flatbread creation from Charlie's Cafe.

 Crème brulée with pistachios from Katie's Café on the left.

And the "Taste" part of "A Taste of Downtown" wasn't all literal; a wide variety of businesses were present to share about their services:

LaVere Media. 

Toughpups and Pampered Princesses. 

I just really enjoy this. 

Locally made jewelry from Nectar Floral Studio.

 Cagwin Photography.

 Treu Office Supply & Furniture.

In addition to visiting, eating and enjoying some wine, you could also attend Elmira Downtown's Annual Meeting, check out Riverfront Park plans, listen to the tunes of John Manfredi and bid on a number of silent auction items:

All in all, it was a great opportunity to get a sampling of what Downtown Elmira is actually all about, and to support filling its streets with art this summer.

I may have once had an art teacher who took one look at my first attempt at painting and asked me if I wanted to drop his class, but by God, I'm still psyched to potentially take to the chalks.

Elmira Downtown Development, 400 E. Church Street, Elmira, NY 14901

(607) 734-0341, http://www.elmiradowntown.com/, 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elmira-Downtown-Development-Inc/87812274123



Now Showing...

Talk about giving new meaning to the phrase "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."

This week, the Arnot Art Museum is hosting an installation called "Fragments."

Artists Michael Chang (Denmark), Marty McCutcheon (Berkeley) and Jan Kather (Here!), have transformed the Falck Gallery into what the museum calls a "creative art incubator," which I think is the exact right term for what I've seen there the past couple of days.

They built a screen out of recycled materials, onto which they are projecting videos made by 30 artists from all over the world. And I mean ALL over the world. Participating artists are from places including Australia, Argentina, Italy, India, Scotland, South Africa, Holland, and Togo?

       I had to look that one up.

The videos are of varying lengths, have wildly different focuses, and can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways.

I visited during the time that an Elmira College class was there, and listened to Michael Chang highlight the benefits of being open to new artistic experiences, as they can potentially enhance your life. Jan Kather indicated the significance of considering electronic images, which are so dominant in society today, in a vastly different context.

 

The coolest part for me was actually getting to interact with the exhibit, which is encouraged. You can step up to the computer and select the artists whose videos you want to view. The videos pop up in boxes on the computer screen, and are in turn projected onto the large recycled screen. You can then move the video boxes around however you'd like, creating your own experience with them.

One video that I clicked on featured a creepy television in a darkened room showing nothing but static, with the static noise as well, which to me was reminicient of something you might see in a horror movie. Michael Chang mentioned the importance of sound for that genre, because once you take that away from those types of movies, they aren't as scary. (I agree. Watch the infamous shower scene from "Psycho" sometime on mute. I think it loses a lot of its impact without all those screeching violins, etc.)

Anyway, that's what a horror fan took away from this exhibit :)

"Fragments" continues Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, there's an Artists' Talk about collaboration at 2 p.m. and an Open House from 3 to 5 p.m.; on Friday, videos will continue to be screened and then the deinstallation will take place.

The entire thing is also being streamed live (and watching is pretty addicting - you've been warned!) at:

http://www.michaelchang.dk/04_words/workwords/fragments_project.html
(There's a live chat happening on the site if you have any questions or comments about what you're seeing.)

Stop by and have a unique interaction with some international art!

The Arnot Art Museum, 235 Lake Street, Elmira, NY 14901

(607) 734-3697, http://www.arnotartmuseum.org/