THE "AVON LADY"

I'm pretty sure every one of my readers would have a story to tell, or an experience to share involving an "AVON Lady." At one time they were an important part of our communities. Of course that was back in the door-to-door days, when everything from vacuum cleaners to religion was delivered right to our homes.

In our home, Mrs. Margaret Deagle was our AVON Lady, and she was a corker. Margaret was quite a character, she was a beautiful and gracious woman. She was the epitome of the word "community" and was a pillar of the Church. And what a cook! I clearly remember the day the news got around Rollo Bay that Momma had died and the first person at our door was Margaret's dear husband Frank, loaded down with enough food to feed two families, all beautiful and delicious, and I will never forget her homemade donuts! A big silver bowl full of them, absolutely superb; some people just have the knack and I never did.

Margaret was an early role model in many ways. And I'm speaking here as a woman, I'm not trying to start something or draw any conclusions. She simply showed by example that looking after ourselves led to a better concept of self, of more self-esteem, which whether in the 1980's or 2000's, it's still important. And who out there who's having a bad day didn't feel a little brighter with a dab of lipstick and a bit of mascara? Throw on some earrings and sometimes the world looks a little less scary. This would have been Margaret's credo, and she was never seen in public looking anything less than well put-together and confidant. Mind over matter? Maybe......but we still remember her.

To my knowledge she never drove a car, or if she did, not while she was working, because make no mistake, she was a saleswoman through and through and selling make-up was her job. She was an early example to me, at least, that working from home could be successful and fulfilling. She was a terrific homemaker, having raised five children, but a busy business owner too. Frank was her trusty chauffeur, and I remember him as having the biggest smile and always a twinkle in those brown eyes. Such a nice couple. I think her route must have run from East Point to Dingwell's Mills and all points in between; everyone seemed to know her.

No one ever knew when she might be around, a car would roll into the yard and the next thing you knew, there was a rap at the porch door. She was always so well dressed and professional. It didn't take long for the pleasantries to be done and out came the little AVON sales booklet, with pages folded down and certain items circled. Margaret knew her customers! Momma rarely left her bed in those days and had no need of make-up and Margaret knew that, but that was no deterrent to not wearing some make up and looking your best. Even if all you really needed was cold cream. And as she guided you to the items she felt you'd be interested in, she simply scribbled your name beside the item, that was how she took her orders. A few weeks later, she arrived again, with your order in a smart white AVON paper bag, complete with the handwritten invoice. And always a couple of the wee little tubes of lipstick samples were thrown in, now who doesn't remember those!?? I loved them!

AVON may have started as a small ladies make-up company, but it turned into so much more. As a young girl, I wasn't allowed to wear any make-up, but as time passed by, Margaret was the one who prompted my foray into the world of a more grown up young lady when she suggested to Momma, "What about Nova, Lizzie? Shouldn't she start using a little something? She's in High School now." Thank you so much Margaret!! I will never forget it. I was nosy of course and overheard every word in that little house, especially when the AVON lady was present.

And so like every other teenager, I learned to love make-up. My girlhood friend Mary was right up the road, and boy did she know how to use those products! Of course she had beautiful eyelashes to begin with, but we soon got the hang of those little mascara brushes tucked in those tiny plastic make-up cases, red I think, with a block of dry mascara on one side and the applicator brush in the other. You simply wet (spit on) the brush, run it through the mascara and apply. Presto! (Think paint box) AVON was my first and for many years the only product I used. There was no mother in the house, nor a car in the yard, so trips to Souris or Town were pretty rare. Door-to-door delivery was pretty darn convenient, and it was where all my baby-sitting money went! Cover Girl and Maybelline came later.

For young girls in our early teenage years, we also loved wearing perfume, and since "Evening In Paris" was way out of our league, AVON always had something nice for us to use. Cold cream, make-up remover, skin conditioner, then shampoo and conditioner, AVON had us covered.

And then AVON went through a big transition........

The introduction of Men's products!! Exciting! It made gift giving so much easier for people like Momma, there was always something to order for the boys then. Nice, quality products, in such collectible bottles! I remember these and others and a search through eBay or Etsy turns up a plethora of vintage images. All very collectible, because I guess everyone wants a walk down Memory Lane. And these products just bring us back to a simpler time. No cell phones. No cable TV. No vapes. No problem.

AVON Christmas soon became a thing. And who could resist the temptation of home delivery? Amazon be damned. AVON did it first!

This darling ornament is among those that I hang on our tree every year. It's made of solid wood and hand painted and looks just as good as the year I bought it, which if I remember correctly was 1989, the year Chance was born. Terrific quality.

How many of us have one or two old AVON ornaments in our stashes? Guilty! And every year one of my favorite pieces of Christmas decor is my almost 40-year-old AVON Christmas Advent calendar. Chance let me know that it's trading on eBay for hundreds of $$$ and am I tempted? You bet your sweet bippy I'm not! The kids can fight over it when I'm gone.

I'd be willing to bet almost every one of my readers has either purchased from Margaret or knows someone who has. She's been gone a long time now. But make no mistake. Margaret Deagle was a woman ahead of her time. She found something she was good at, and took advantage of turning it into an incredible business. This was at a time when women of her generation did not look for jobs; they were housewives and also helped look after their husbands' farm or fishing business. Not only did she run her Avon business like a queen, she was a model of what was to come. She reared her family yes; and Frank was busy too, but she was a forerunner really.

In more recent years household goods, games, kits, items too numerous to mention have flooded the little AVON catalogue, and the offerings soon turned the company into a mail order type business. The booklet became large. You'd find a couple lying around workplace lunch tables and doctor's offices. One of the items I ordered a couple of years ago from a local girl who took up selling AVON was a salad spinner. I've had it for at least 10 years and it still spins a salad crisp and dry. Just another of the many things that AVON evolved into.

I'm not sure how relevant AVON is today. Small business everywhere is buckling under the Amazon giant and big box retail.

But it's a lot of fun writing about it and stirring up all those old memories, and going down the rabbit hole while searching out pictures to share.

And perhaps I just wanted to get your attention, I'm not sure.

But this I'm sure of.............

NOVA=AVON