Stepping Back in Time at Ye Olde Jewelry Shoppe
Cambridge, Wisconsin
Last night, we celebrated our anniversary at a much-loved Wisconsin supper club that was a time machine back to the 1970s. The music (think Carpenters or Captain and Tenille) was ‘musak’ of the 1970s, the décor was ‘hunting lodge’, and the food, including a canned, sliced pear as a garnish, could have been served at one of the restaurants I waitressed at in high school. Also, it was “prime rib night,” so the house was packed, and we got seated in the “game room,” with 2 antiquated machines and one state-of-the-art video slot machine.
Our waitress was lovely. She ran to and from tables from the moment we arrived, so we felt bad about how hard she was working compared to the soused lady who came into the game room, sat down at the slot machine, and asked us if we were lucky. My husband said, “Let’s find out.”
She won $150 in under fifteen minutes. On a happy note, the restaurant’s prices were also a bit of a throwback.
We’re staying up in Wisconsin for a few days and drove back to our bed and breakfast to go for a ‘post-prandial’ stroll in the little town of Cambridge. We inhaled the sweet summer blossoms, stepped around puddles, and happened upon a jewelry store that was a step back in time.
The proprietor, an aging, stooped gentleman with a grizzled, kind face, greeted us, and his dog stepped on a button that made an automated voice say, “Hi, I’m Max. What are you looking for?”
I’ve had a broken necklace tucked in my purse for several months now, and while the jeweler, Mr. Smith, worked on it, I browsed for earrings to wear to our son’s wedding this coming weekend. My husband played with Max.
The place was crammed with every kind of jewelry, some displayed in cases, others haphazardly arranged in drawers that rotated. It was dusty and chaotic, with dog toys and a pair of men’s shoes in the middle of an aisle, counters jumbled with velvet trays and empty boxes, and several bags of doggie treats. The walls were crammed with fading posters, and a small back room contained cases of antique jewelry and pocket watches.
It was a treasure chest. I wished my eldest daughter was there to pluck out the most beautiful necklace or earrings, but shopping is not one of my strengths, so I wandered around hoping something would pop out at me. I found a small, delicate watch that was gold in color, but not displayed in a way that indicated it was precious. While the jeweler adjusted the band, I did a second turn around the store, but all those precious and semi-precious stones, all that gold and silver started to look the same to me, so all I got were the watch and a repaired necklace.
Mr. Smith hummed as he worked and told me that it had been a good day because he sold several things, but it didn’t sound like a good day. I imagined all the bad days he must have had lately. When I asked where all the people were, he shrugged and said, “Walmart?”
If you happen to drive past the town of Cambridge on your way to one of Wisconsin’s many lakes, to visit Native American Burial mounds at the Aztalan State Park, or to walk the Drumlin Glacier State Trail, plan to pull over and spend an hour (or stay overnight at the cute Covington Manor B and B). Have coffee or lunch at Milly’s (lots of yummy vegetarian choices) and walk up the block to the old jewelry store. Even if you’re like me and don’t know how to choose jewelry, you’ll get lost looking for buried treasure. If you find a gorgeous pearl necklace and ask the price, he’ll name a reasonable number as if it’s a suggestion.
Not to mention, it’s nice when a dog presses a button that tells you “you look good.”
