Ite^ Arts & Entertainment I
Blondie's changes location but not looks
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By Micki Haller
Staff Reporter
3* ____
Blondie’sof 117 N. 14thSl.isa
small, intimate store with white
wooden pillars that support noth
ing in particular and an antique
library ladder that leans noncha
lantly against the north wall.
Customers familiar with the
vintage-clothing store remember
its former location at 12th and N
streets.
Amy Sluhmcr laughs, since she
was a customer at the old
Blondie's before beginning to
work at the store two months ago.
Stuhmcr said she worked in
* retail before, and although other
stores have more options, they
don't have much individuality.
“We have just about every
thing.” she said.
i nc domes range trom a purple
Viciorian dress, complete with
whalebone, to a modem Winnie
the Pooh I'-shirt from England.
The most expensive items.
Stuhmer said, are the Victorian
outfits.
y . s.nd then’ aie mostly col
U\ tot s' items and not meant to he
worn 1 he purple dress costs Soy
\ 1920s wool bathing suit was
' anda”w hen it tirst appeared on
retail r.K sv Stuhmer said. She said
Ihe sun kxiked uneomtortahle and
w.i' probably not Haltering to the
figure, hut it sa piece of American
history.
Stuhmer said overcoats and
jackets from the 1950s sell
quickly.
“We ha\ e robes that elicit quite
a bit of laughter," she said.
A long flannel robe she used as
an example was a plaid design in
orange, green, black anil beige.
All of the clothes arc steam
sanitized, Stuhmer said, so the
customer can wear them right
away.
The newest mere handisc in the
store, including leggings, T-Shirts
and jewelry , is from England.
Snihmcr said there were a
bunch of tweed overcoats, but
Amy Stuhmer wraps a scarf around her s oulders at Blondie s, 117 N. 14th St.
these sold \er\ quickly.
J an le l anc, ow nor of B londie' s.
said the store gets its stock front a
variety of sources.
Some apparel — cuff pants,
flannel lube skirts and some leg
gmgs is sew n locally, she said.
Originally, lane said,
B londie‘s on 12th Street sold only
vintage clothing, hats and shoes.
She said she began bringing
back new things from interna
tional boutique shows in New
> ork
Blondie"s was in business for
about three years before it closed
in March 1986 to make way for the
construction of the Lied Center,
she sard.
Lane said some clothing was
sold at Dirt Cheap before
Blondie’s reopened at its current
location.
Finding the right spot delayed
reopening the store.
“To find the right little space.'
Blondie’s was practically non
existent until 1987. Lane said.
In late September, the new
Blondie's opened.
»ne of Blondic s strongest
points is us service to customers.
The store offers alterations and
lay away with no f inance charges at
this time of year, Stuhmcr said.
The small size of the store al
lows the customers to interact w nh
the employees. Stuhmer said. She
said people are afraid to try on
clothing and need a little encour
agement.
The customer knows w hat he
wants, but is a little bn timid,” she
said.
There is something for cscry
customer m me More, runnier
said.
Blondie’s tries to stock sensibly I
priced, everyday clothing. Lane i
said.
Jewelry is less than S10; sweat
ers range from S8.50 to S14.50; lur
coats retail for up to SI99, and
imported jackets average S55
Lane said.
Store hours are from 12:30 to 0
p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays;
12:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays; 11 a.m to
8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Black Sea recording studio may be on successful sail
R^ ( hris McC uhhin
Stiff Reporter
There's link about Raru1>
" atson s lank\ genial appearance to
suggest he < vistonarx But vthen u
comes toaltemativc music ml tncoln.
W atson defines the phrase
When the Lincoln band For
Against went on ? nationwide tour
reccntl\. W atson went along as sound
man t)n the trip he had a chance to get
a view of the music scenes in Amen*
w can cities.
“Lincoln has as good or better ol a
music scene than anywhere,” he said.
In order to prove his thesis about
Lincoln music to the world. W atson
ha< established Black Sea Studios. It's
a place w here local hands, even those
ithout much money. can record the
wa\ they want to sound.
Watson worked closely vuth
Lincoln's major recording studio.
Master Tra\, particularly on For
Against s first album. “Echelons “
Watson gives Master Irav s per
sonncl high markv forcooperauonand
professionalism, hut said he though!
they weren't conducive to alternative
music. So Watson started his own
studio.
“Everything just fell into place this
fall,” he said.
W atson said he 'd wanted to estah
lish a studio for some ume, bui when
The Drumstick dosed this summer he
almost gave up his plans.
“It's terrible; mere’s no place to
play," he said.
Rut when the site that now is Black
Sea became a\a . >lc, Watson said,
he had to take it
Blaek Sea is on the west side ol
town in a convened bomb shelter.
Watson’s current ,>rojcct at Black
Sea is producing a limited-edition
single. One side has a For Against
song, the other has one by the New
Brass Guns The single w ill be distrib
uted in Germany by the magazine Pop
Noise.
Watson is also going to produce
For Against's next album, and he’s
talking with the New Brass Guns
about an EP and about tapes lor 13
Nightmares and Trout Mystery.
So tar Watson's studio fee is noth
ing. He said he hopes that soon some
hands w ill he able to pay or th it Blad
Sea projects w ill stan turning a profit
"My immediate goals are: pa\ « ;t
the equipment I'm in debt tin ami get
some of these people's mush out
around tow n '* he said.
VN atson isalsoa graduate student in
English and a lecturer in Spanish for
the modem languages department.
And, as il he didn't ha\ e enough to
keep him busy, he's trying to laum h a
hand of his own.
Those who attended the "Christian
Guitar Fund Benefit" concert in ihe
Hay market on Nov. 7 heard the debut
performance of the new Return.
W atson's hand.
The original Reium was Watson,
solo w ith a dr uni mac hine. on a tape he
cut at home called "And Pillow '
Breathe.”
Waison said he gave away mosi
copies of “And Pillow s Breathe' tc
friends Pickle's sold a few copies, bill
he never went hack to collect the
money. he said.
1 he returned Return features W at
son on guitar and vocals and a live
rhv thm wnon 1 heir first tape shoulc
K' out over Christmas. W atson said.
The Return's opportunities to play
live are limited, since the hand share'
its drummer. Greg Hill, with Foi
\gamst. hui W atson said the Return
plans to stay together
Lincoln s UHh video channel to improve technical equipment
Improved broadcast sounds will travel around town I
By Mick Dyer
Staff Reporter
UHF 61, carrier of the Hit Video
Network in the Lincoln area, recently
underwent technical changes to im
prove its broadcast signal The station
will change its broadcast format be
ginning Monday.
Stephen G. Kafkr, owner of Lib
ertv Broadcasting of Nebraska chan
nel 61, K610U-TV. said viewers in
some parts of the broadcast area, espe
cially in northeast, east and southeast
Lincoln had difficulty receiving the
station’s broadcasts.
“People out there just weren T pick
ing it up.’ he said.
Viewers may recently have had
difficulty receiving the station's
broadcasts, he said. Some equipment
problems occurred as technical
changes were made to improve the
broadcast signal he said
“The signal levels are great all over
town now," he said. “If you had
trouble picking up 61. tr\ us nou
Bcginningat4p.m. Monda>,chan
ncl 61 will broadcast programming
from the Tempo Network. The Tempo
Network wa< known as the Satellite
Television Network until about fout
years ago and is based in Tulsa Okla.
The network features live sports
coverage, syndicated programming
and "All Night at the Movies," an all
nighi program specializing in classic
movies.
"Oriental Cooking with Martin
Yan" will be the first program lrom
the Tempo Network broadcast over
channel 61, a! 4 p.m. Monday ‘‘The
Yodlm kid from Pirn Ridge" < 1937)
with Gene Autrey will Ik the first
feature film from "All Night at the
Movies’ broadcast over channel 61
beginning at 11 p.m Monday
From6to 11 p.m. Monday through
Friday, channel 61 will leave Tempo
and broadcast us own syndicated
programming and movies. From 10
a.m u>4 p.m. Monday through Friday,
channel 61 will broadcast ihr Hu
Video Network.
Kafka said channel 61 uni broad
cast programming from the Interna
tiomtl Television Network smn I I N
icutures films and dvK umeniarics in
the language of the country they arc
from, with hnglish subtitles m addi
lion to a weekly Wall Street Journal
KejHirt
Programming in Japanese. Get
man. Spanish. Polish. Portuguese
Chinese and many other language!
Will be c amed from 10 a m to 2 p in
Monday through Friday, in place o
Hit Video, he said.
"These programs am what y()l
v/ould see in these countries durtni
In ime time,” he said.
Katka plans to contact the foreign
language depaitments ai the l nivet
sits of Nebraska I meoln. Ncbrask
WcMcyan University ' uon ( ollcg
ami l»\ al high schools to enlist thei
sup|n>n lot 11 \ andi hannclM uilhei
application lot cable status Havtn
S*»p MO TV on paae 7
