End of an Error

An era is defined as a period of time with a common string throughout. An era could be as long as the industrial revolution or as short as the Presidency of John F Kennedy that was known affectionately as "Camelot."

We can all find periods of time in our lives that lend themselves to the 'era' designation. Perhaps it was the time we had teenagers living with us. This era is commonly known as "AAHHHHHH."

An era can signal the beginning of life, or to use the above analogy, the time when your children move out.

But this piece is not about children or Camelot for that matter. This is about a car and what it signified in my life.

I graduated college a couple of eras ago and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

I had interests in science, math, humor and writing. Unfortunately there were very few companies offering jobs for people with my particular skills.

Through a few weird turns of fate I ended up in the Textile business selling schmatta (rags) or as we in the fashion business called it, Schma-tay!

Back in the 1970s and through to the end of the century textiles was a fairly large employer in America. It was also the largest industry in the New York area for much of that time period.

Everyone of a certain age or those with a knowledge of the past will remember "8th Avenue and 34th Street" in Manhattan as the bustling bee-hive bastion of the "Garment District."

If you worked there and went out to lunch you would have to dodge the rolling garment racks filled with mink stoles or the latest designs from an up and coming designer.

The lower Manhattan area was vibrant and alive with segmented businesses squeezed together in an almost ghetto-like way. One needed only a day to access all each business had to offer because they were all there.

Just below the Garment District was and is the Flower district.

Off to the East, on Fifth Avenue is the Toy District.

And sort of just on the outskirts of both was the Home Fashion area of the textile industry. These days you will have to travel a bit farther East to find our textile production, about 7,000 miles farther.

But I digress.

On and off for 40 years I worked in that area.  And for the most part I actually worked in the same building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 29th street.  In fact when I left one position to go work with another company that company was either in the building or moved into it shortly thereafter.


For the last decade and a half of my textile life I worked for one company.  Surprisingly it was the same place that I started at 40 years ago.


The main difference between my two stints with them was my age; level of pay; and the owner who was the son of the original boss.


As part of my deal I had a car for which they assisted me with the payments.  But when the economy turned sour in 2008 my car and I were included on the casualty list.


Whether or not they were right in letting me go after such long loyal service is subjective (not really - they were downright wrong and quite stupid as well.)

But that's only part of the story.  Unlike them I had an obligation to pay for the car on my own and without an income.


So was my career in textiles an era, an error, or a combination of both?


At this point who cares? (Certainly not the old boss and his cronies.)


I have survived and although it was a tremendous and uncalled for fight to get a little help from the old place on the auto payments I was able to hold onto the car until the end of the lease.


But the end did come this month and the car has been returned to the dealer.  My hybrid is history.  A new car sits in my garage awaiting adventure.


I still have some friends from the old industry and I still occasionally hear from them but less and less as time goes by.


The old company still owes me money, as per their own words but it's been well over a year so I guess that ship has sailed.


And the last tie I had to my 40 year run in the textile industry was that car.  And now both car and career are histroy.


Time to move on to a different life, a new normal.


It is the end of an era.