My intention is to write a book, and I have been writing throughout the month of February. I am charged up and excited about the project, but it means that I don’t have time to keep up the Conejo Post on a regular basis, at least for now.
I am writing about my childhood and early adulthood in Portland, Oregon, and the title of the book-to-be is, “Growing Up With G.I. Joe’s, How Ed Orkney Started the Northwest Retail Chain.” Basically, I am telling the story of how Dad started an army surplus store in Portland in the 1950′s, that eventually grew to a chain sporting goods stores in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Then, in 2007, G.I. Joe’s was bought by a San Francisco investment company, and the chain went bankrupt and was liquidated in 2009.
But, that is not what I am writing about! Instead, I tell of the fun times, and what it was like as a kid, to have a basement-full of army surplus at our house, and work in the store on Saturday mornings, when I was 8 or 9. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Barbara Schwartz // Feb 23, 2012 at 9:25 AM
This is great, Janna. Preserving family history is wonderful.