Focus of the Month

The Cliff House, c. 1900

I remember specifically when I became aware of concept of ‘critical mass.’  It was 1952, I was sixteen years old, and I was working at the Cliff House Gift Shop in San Francisco.  It was a summer job between my junior and senior years in high school and I used my mother’s old Plymouth to commute across the Golden Gate bridge to and from San Rafael where we lived.

The Gift Shop was huge and sold every imaginable high-end souvenir to low-end tack – something for everyone.  And, it seemed that ‘everyone’ came every day to the popular tourist destination out on Sutro Heights.  They spilled out of tour buses, they came in fancy limousines, they came to enjoy the view, to dine in the world class restaurant, or to take in the Sutro Baths which, by then (1952) had been converted to an ice rink.

Cliff House Gift Shop, 1950s

In my memory, my first-day orientation focused on the huge north wall of teacups and saucers – every one different and, as I was told, Big Sellers (capital B Capital S).  A large, couldn’t-be-missed sign above the display said, “Lovely to look at, Delightful to hold, If you should drop it, We mark it sold.”  I remember being traumatized by the thought that I might have to tell a careless customer that they would have to pay for their breakage.

Days went by and, though I was busy ringing up sales at the old-fashioned cash register, not a teacup or saucer came my way.  I couldn’t imagine why the manager had emphasized how popular they were.  And then, one day I sold eight of them.  And the next day, four.  And, unbelievably, eleven on the following day!  It was as though the dam had broken.

My Grandmother’s Teacups

But, just as quickly, the interest in teacup collecting abated for a few days.  Then, it came again.  In droves.  Not just one teacup here and another there, but many in a day – sometimes several to one customer.  I remember talking to my dad about that.  He was a sales representative for gift lines from India and he said that it was a common phenomenon in his line of work.  Interest in an item happened in waves, he told me.  The trick for the seller was to catch the crest.

I don’t think Dad used the term ‘critical mass’ but that’s how I think of it now.  Somehow, those runs on an item have to do with a size, number or amount large enough to produce a particular result (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary).

Right now in Oysterville ‘No Trespassing” signs and their relatives ‘Private Property’ and ‘Keep Out’ seem to be the focus of many of our visitors.  I’ve had at least a dozen questions in the last few weeks about the proliferation of those sorts of notices on the fences in the village.  I can really only answer the ‘why’ of it with regard to the sign on our own gate.  Years ago, when my mother and father were still living here, Mom walked into the living room to find a group of strangers who inquired about a tour of the house.  They apparently had the idea that this was a museum.

At Our House

Our ‘Private Home’ sign has been on our gate ever since.  I can’t speak to the others.  Nor do I know if the critical mass phenomenon is in the sudden appearance of the signs or in the sudden noticing.  Whatever the reason, those signs seem to be the focus of the month here in the village.

2 Responses to “Focus of the Month”

  1. Carole Reid says:

    Every time I have been there the place is as quite as can be. No one is ever around. No people. I have never inquired about a tour because, until I read about Medora Espy, I had no idea about Oysterville. The story brought a lot of questions and I kind of did my own “exploring”. I have seen many towns like Oysterville that are of historic value and nature and have never considered entering someone’s home. I can assume that these days not many of the homes are available for touring as they are privately occupied. Some with no connection to the town at all except the dwelling. I am also sure that some of the original dwellers had no idea that the place would be a real estate goldmine one day.

  2. sydney says:

    In the past, we’ve had a few home tours as part of an Oysterville Restoration Foundation fundraiser but, otherwise, the homes are all private and are not open for tours. There are, however, free ‘Walking Tour’ brochures available in the Church so that people can read about each of the houses as they walk through the village.

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