Many friends, customers, and family all wonder how did I come to develop this uncontrollable passion for vintage things.

Perhaps it began when my sister Jamie and I were just young girls in the 1960's living in Seattle in a foster home. (We were orphans of the state since we were 3 and 4) Our older foster brother would take us to old abandoned houses where we would rummage through the debris left behind.

My sister Jamie is on the left in the picture below and that's me on the right. This was taken in Vancouver, WA on the hill by the corner of 39th and St. Johns. I can actually remember standing there having my picture taken. Having our picture taken was a rare thing back then. :-)

What fun it was to discover a Tiffany lamp or a wind up Victrola amongst the debris. Back then no one seemed to care if we went through these abandoned houses. I still get that thrill when I discover something beautiful but hidden amongst junk and dirt.

Even though my sister was murdered in 1971, it's as though she is still with me when I'm out hunting for hidden and buried treasures.

As a tribute to my sister, I dedicate all my auctions to her. Her story is on a missing person's website at the www.doenetwork.us site. Search by the name "Jamie Grisim" or "Jamie Grissim" on Google, and you will see her and her story.

I still feel like a passionate wild child from the 70s when I discover some exquistite piece of vintage lingerie like a double nylon accordian pleated slip or some handwritten cookbook full of recipes, including recipes for blueing and soap, or an old photo album stuffed full of black and white photos all carefully placed with little photo corner holders.

Not to mention, I am addicted to anything and everything vintage, and if you count my childhood, I have over 40 years of fine vintage shopping experience. I love vintage postcards from the 1900s on up to the 70s. The sweet Christmas cards from the 1940s, and old black and white photos when ladies loved to dress up in suits and hats and high heels, and the men wore suits and ties.

I get a natural high from finding something old that has gotten dirty over the years, and just needed a bath, and then after its bath, it looks all new and shiny, but it's not new. It has history and a mystique all its own. Its been in a time that one can only imagine now and dream about, but will never be again. The past is gone forever.

It's true what people often say: they don't make things like they used to. The clothing was made to last with fine tailered details and excellent fabrics, along with metal zippers that don't break as easily as the plastic ones of today or melt in the dryer. Even the cotton is heavier and richer with colors more vibrant than today's cotten.

I believe my sister is right here with me, sharing my passion and love for vintage things. I feel her as an angel behind me when I discover some fantastic pristine vintage lingerie or a lucite purse from the 1950s for $6.00 in a second hand shop.

Although I can't offer refunds, I aim to please. I take pride in every single vintage item I sell, and I love to hear what my customers do with the vintage things they buy from me. Please feel free to email me at any time, both during, before, and after my auctions. I am a bit fussy too, so if I wouldn't wear it or keep it in my home, I won't sell it to you. I know the feeling of being a buyer, opening an Ebay package to be terribly disappointed and let down. I don't want any of my customers to feel that way. Buying and selling on Ebay is an exciting fun experience for me, and I want all my Ebay customers to feel the same way.

This is me in kindergarten and me today in a late 1960s vintage dress.