Sunday, March 15, 2009

Growing up in Huntington Beach 1960-1970

OCThen reader "Oly" submits memories of growing up in Huntington Beach during the 1960s and 1970s...

I was born in 1962 and have been in Huntington Beach ever since. I first lived on Baffin Cr. off of Bolsa Chica and McFadden. I remember the many walks to Speedy Mart for Slurpies and candy. I remember the bean fields right accross the street next to Robinwood School. My older brother would walk over and pick them, would boil them up and they were pretty tasty.

We later moved to the Meadowlark tract and we backed the 6th fairway which is now the 15th. I attended Meadowview School then Marina High School. A lot of goodtimes.

Great time in little league at Ocean View National, that used to be next to Meadowlark Airport on Heil. Does anyone remember the little coffee shop that was on Springdale and Edinger that was in the same location as Marios?It was next door to Alpha Beta. When we would go to Alpha Beta with our mom, we would walk over there and by 10 packs of Baseball cards once a week. Many walks to Thrifty Drug for ice cream cones and toys and Thriftimart where I actually worked my first job in High School. And how about Springdale Drug?

A lot of great memories there and i'm glad to have bought a house in the same tract. Could not be a better city to live in in this world. Could go on for a long time, but would take forever.

Oly

46 comments:

  1. Oly! I lived around the corner(sortta) on Grove Circle, just off of Warner Road, this was 1967. My wife would go shopping at the Alpha Beta and we would buy fresh vegetables from the various truck farms? along Warner Road! I took flying lessons out of Meadow Lark, and flew around the "patch", wasn't to much in the way of homes or neighborhoods back then. My next door neighbor and his wife owned the Orange Julius that was located up beach Blvd near the Mall. I remember when Huntington Harbour started to develop! We used to think that these people were crazy for building homes on a swamp! Little did we know! Sadly, I moved away from the area because of business, I went back for a visit many years later, what a shock! Glad for you that you got to stay in "your spot" What a place! Huntington Beach, California!

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  2. I grew up in HB too from '65 until '79 when I left for college. Lived in the Sol Vista homes that were bordered by Slater, Springdale, Warner and Edwards. Remember a lot of agriculture and new home construction in those days; easy to get around by bicycle, exploring and mischiefing around! Went to Lark View, then St Bonaventure...eventually got to HBHS. Use to bicycle to high school even though I had a car. Was crazy into exercize and being out in the fresh air. Even though "Edwards Hill" smelled of oil...can't believe allthose wealthy folks living where there used to be oil spill pits...yikes!

    Use to either followed Edwards to the downtown and beach or cut across from the end of Salter along the levees that skirted Bolsa Chica. Always had to beware of that old farmer out that way with his salt rifle. Ouch!

    Later Dude, Harwood

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  3. I don't see what's so special about Huntington Beach, it's an overbuilt mess just like the rest of Orange County.

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  4. I remember driving down to Huntington Beach in 1965 to see a friend. I was pregnant then and craving mustard and dill pickles (which I never really liked before). Driving south on Beach Blvd was a little drive-up kind of outdoor type of restaurant - like an A&W type thing. I got a pastrami sandwich with mustard and dill pickles. It was so good. Does anybody remember the name of it. It was on the left side of Beach. I also got a ticket that day for not paying enough attention and making a left turn on a red light with a cop behind me. I must've been day dreaming about that pastrami sandwich.

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  5. I lived on Pleasant Circle between 1966 and 1968, right across the street from Meadowlark Golf Course. Remember the old biplane that flew out of Meadowlark Airport? I also went to Meadow View School and later to Harbor View, while Marine View School was being built. My father, Ray Cooper, taught at Marina High School for many years. I remember the once vacant land behind our housing tract and the big hill, on the other side of which was/is part of thye Bolsa Chica welands. There was still an old Airmy barracks on top of the hill, left over from World War Two (US Army personnel were stationed there during the war to watch for any Japanese invaders which never came!)

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  6. I live in HB from birth until I was 12 years old. Lived at the end of McKinney Circle in the Dutch Haven Marina homes. I rememeber that my parents paid $23,990 for our house in 1966. My favorite memory of living there was going to a Smorgasboard on Edwards. Can't remember the name. It would be pretty disgusting now, but as a kid it was heaven. I went to Hope View and then to St Bonaventure. I remember playing "kick-the-Can with my friends late into the evening. Those were the days...

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  7. I was born in Downey in 1953. We moved to Huntington Beach when I was 5 years old (1958). We lived on Green St, between Warner and Heil. The only kindergarten school was Ocean View at Warner and Beach (closed and later re-opened as a high school at Warner and Gothard). We used to play on the mud slides in the Huntington Harbor before the houses were built. There were very few houses anywhere back then – mostly fields with shoulder length weeds where we played hide and go seek… also, lots of bean fields and tomato fields. Ed’s Dairy was on the corner of Bolsa Chica and Heil. As a kid Ronny, George, Steve and I would play tag in and out of the bales of hay. In the mornings, I remember cutting across the cow pens to get to school – and being chased by the protective bull more than once, diving under the barbed wire fence to get away him (big bully!). As the city grew, new schools kept being built to accommodate the growing population. From Ocean View, to Meadow View, to Village View, to Marine View - whew. Right after the 8th grade, my family moved to the east side of the city so I went to Fountain Valley High School. I joined the Army; moved to various locations in and outside the state but I finally came back to good ol' Huntington Beach and bought a house just down the street from where I grew up – Bolsa Chica and Oahu. It's kinda cool. My kids grew up here and went to the same schools I did. Things sure have changed in the past 50 years! - Dan

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  8. By the way Glenn, I recall there was a Sir George's Smorgasboard. Is that the one you were thinking about? - Dan

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  9. I was a hippie in the late 60s and early 70s and lived in the back of a record store on Main St just down the alley from the Golden Bear. What a place Huntington Beach was during that time. All the surf shops, Chuck Dent, David Nueva. There was a smorgasbord restaraunt there I used to go to, might have been Sir George's. There was also another venue right near the Golden Bear for a while but can't remember it's name either. Later I moved to Newport Beach, 2202 Oceanfront Blvd, right on the parking lot for the Beach and Newport Pier.

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  10. I love this site! Grew up on Hilo Circle/ Bolsa Chica & Edinger. Went to Robinwood, then Village View, then Haven View. Had been trying to describe Ed's Dairy to my husband, who recently saw HB and couldn't even picture it... Wasn't the coffee shop called Alphys and was over by Vons and Savons? Ah, Marina High. Sure do miss the easy life with it's mix of old and new.

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  11. Christine AlberniJune 14, 2010 8:48 AM

    My husband grew up on Hilo Circle in the 60's /70's. We sill live in HB today.

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  12. I remember eds dairy, the airport, and tovats hardware store, and everything else,Iam sad that I left, I live in Nashville, tn..Glenn stover,314-750-2643.....

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  13. June from green street 1860's & 70'sOctober 26, 2010 10:46 AM

    ~ Green Street ~ for as "few" homes were on there with all our open fields, I think it's neat to find this post ~ I grew up there in the 60's til 1974 ~ First I lived closest to Warner between Marina's house which sat on the corner of Green & Warner, and next to the William boys ~ then we moved to the far end of Green Street next to Ed's Dairy - next to the Goodwin Brothers ~ Kathy Reid @ her little brother Bert lived across the field next to the stables off of Pierce St ~ Then Maria and her brother John lived on the dairy ~ tons of other boys I'd go bike riding all over with there ~ we even made a dirt track for our bikes in that field between Green st and Bolsa Chica one year ~ then there was "one" older boy I'd throw rocks at on his dirt bike as he'd PURPOSELY ride close to my dog scaring both of us, circling and laughing ~(childhood memories)

    ~ LOTS of good times playing hide and go seek in those hay lofts ~ I DO remember the bull ~ Do you remember Curly who used to herd the cattle - he always gave me rides on his buckskin horse ~ and WALDO that great dane at the dairy ~ Bike rides ~ I have photos of me and the Goodwin boys on our bikes on green street with the open feilds as the background~ a few of the dairy too but I'd love to have more ~ Is there anyone out there that might have photos to share of that area??

    I just moved back here 2 years ago after being away since 74 ~ someone above mentioned that HB will always be "HOME" and it will be ~ even though it has gotten big - there is nothing like the feel of being home again ~ The landscape might have changed but there is enough here to trigger that warm feeling of home. I know I appreciate what it has to offer. I wish things were like they were with the agriculture, dairy, open land but after living out of state I appreciate HB for what it offers today as well.

    I also remember that dual plane that flew out of meadowlark airport ~ Smokey that old indian guy who lived in his trailer on the wetlands - Smokeys stables I hung out at ALLOT as well as the stables off Pierce/Green and Heil behind what is now Albertsons ~ do you remember the grand opening of Lucky's ~ prior we'd have to go to Alpha Beta off Edinger & Springdale ~ most of us back then only had "1 car" family so that was a walk for groceries ~

    Jack in the box ~ do you remember when that went in ~ I used to cut school and hang out down at that beach allot early 70's ~ Bon fires down there and sleeping on the beach down there. Those were the TRUE beach lifestyle living ~ I'm VERY grateful for being able to experience so much growing up here in HB ~ Moved away when I was 14, but carried those memories close to me all these years... Extra special being back ~ June ~

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  14. HEY EVERYBODY FROM THE DAYS!! MY NAME IS JACK AND I KNOW EVERY CORNER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.TO THE HIPPIE GUY HOW YA DOING MAN? I GREW UP WITH A COUPLE OF THOSE NAMES YOU MENTIONED HERE IN YOUR POST. DAVID NUEVA AND I USED TO BUT HEADS A LOT I WAS A BIKER IN THE 60s AND HE WAS A SURFER WE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER WITH JACK WHO THEN AND NOW OWNS JACKS SURF SHOP.CRAZY AH! WE ALL LOOKED OLDER THEN OUR AGES, I COULD GROW A FULL BEARD,HAD SUPER LONG HAIR JUST LIKE ALL THE PEOPLE WE HUNG WITH,THE HANGMAN,SOME OF THE YOUNG HESSIANS,AND OUR OWN RIDERS,REMEMBER NOW IM TALKING 1966 TO THE 90s.i lived at the corner of slater and newland.how the heck we survived ill never know but 90% of us made it and are doing very well! the funny thing is most of us ether build cars or bikes or are in the selling end of it.hey do you remember the cop cars you could hear them comming a mile away with those big hemis in those mopars,those were bad ass looking cop cars!! they rode pretty good too!...lol in the back seat! anyway is there anybody out there that remembers the cave at the corner of adams and beach? if you do then we know each other maybe only by face but we most likely do i was the drummer in the band that played there many times,and finagins rainbow in costa mesa,i think i spelled that wroung,o well anyway we were called fat fingers.do you remember art the big bouncer at the door of the cave?i could go on forever i would just like to talk to some body from those days that would be cool!! email me at cactusjack4chevy@yahoo.com
    oh! do any of ya remember the forest over behind the hb hospital and newland st that was a great hiding spot...lol ill bet one of you might have picked us up when we would go out hitch hiking we always started our journy at the corner of slater and beach right there by the rasberry roach rememeber that store? the rip tide bar was right next to it behind the donut shop,ok now im getting very home sick dam!!! i would love to go home,roll back 40+ years and say hi to everybody ya know what i mean.whats still great is that at least the dennys at main and beach is still there,that place was were we all ended up after a long weekend or week you know how the days were then in the 60s some times we stayed all night inside the golden bear and would party with some very cool people that were just like us before there world took off,we were there one night when lloyd thaxton played with canned heat and when it was time to close me and berry kelly and the girls we were with got to party all night with them and i had the great honor of playing the drums with canned heat that night!! i would not change any thing i have ever done in my life having been blessed with being able to grow up in huntington beach!!! what a time it was,i could go on forever! folks,hope to hear from you.if someone reads this and says this sounds familier we were jack and berry and donna sargent she was killed at gothard and talbert in 1970,tim bradford,donny webster,larry mud,danny camble,james carr,turky,crazy larry,berry kelly/and all the pup&taco girls from fountain vally high school,o no!! remember pup&taco best cherry slush and chili dog and french frys you could eat after a long weekend see ya guys get in touch. cactusjack@yahoo.com or 605-521-6885 love to hear from ya..cactus

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  15. Does anyone remember the "Treasury" Market near the freeway...My parents worked there and at the time it was such a cool store, with a conveyor belt to bring your groceries to the front...

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  16. Absolutely remember the Treasury!. My parents were more Gemco shoppers though. 1 dollar membership card. I remember when I got my first card at 17. Thought I was Big Time!

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  17. I was a HB surfer girl from 60's till I got hitched. But the best time for me was before that. I had an OLY surfboard and mostly surfer the cliffs. My Dad lived in Garden Grove and took all the the kids from the neighborhood surfing every weekend. I remember Jack's Surfshop, George's surfshop, Dewey weber, the liqiour store down PCH. I had a blast there. I never got to go to the Golden Bear, but did take the band WAR to the liqiour store when they were playing there with Eric Burdon. We were playing pool in the building next to the alley between the alley and Jacks. I remember the Resturant at the pier, fancy! I also remember the stables as I had a horse too. I remember all the oil derricks along PCH across from the cliffs. And not having parking meters. Just pull off to the side of the road and park. My husband had a friend named Rusty Whitloc. I believe he has a surfshop now??? Great Guy. MY husband was not!!! I have been back there once and it had changed quite a bit. George still had his surfshop and I asked him if he like the change and he said yes. I like the good old days at HB, but what can you do. To old and fat to surf now, but I still have a horse. when I was hitched we lived on 14th street. I also shopped at Alpha Beta as I had worked at the one in Laguna Hills in 67'. Did the laundry in the same complex. My brother went to Rancho High and Oly Olson of OLY surfboards was a shop teacher there. Oly moved to Maui and opened a surfshop. I still have an OLY sticker on my truck.

    I also knew David Nueva and his 2 red dobbie's. He had a roommate named Sandy.

    I have to addmit that I do like the way they fixed Tin Can beach up. My son got a ticket turning into the Jack In The Box at that corner.

    thanks for a lot of great memories. Bubbs

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  18. The liquor store was El Don liquors. The had hundreds of used surf trunks hanging from the ceiling. I worked as a delivery boy for Terry's Drugs at Main and 5th during the mid 70's. Used to go to George's Surf Shop for smoothies after hitting the waves. I vividly remember the day they started selling Cadillac skateboard wheels. Bought four at Jacks, bolted them to the board and rode that wavelike hump by the stairs at the pier. The summers really seemed endless. Great times.

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  19. Anyone remember the Green Shack in the oil fields off Beach Blvd?

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  20. Huntington The plunge by the pier the penny arcade under the pier, I worked at Jacks in early 60's was the ding repair dude he was other corner then. I remember when the Golden Bear opened and they said it won't last.. Originally I lives on the beach where the city parking lot is across from what was thee Sheraton. We moved across the street to Pacific Trailer park. Oh and I remember the Race track where they raced quarter midgets at 39 and atlana.. Yes I am old..

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  21. HI is there anyone that knew Chuck Dent personally? I am trying to find anyone that knew him......... thank you

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  22. My mom and stepdad owned the bar on 5th St, Gilligan's Isle. Later became the Grape and Ale. My brother and I spent hours upon hours walking around downtown in the late 60's & early 70's. Saw many movies at the Surf Theater, including 7 Summer Stories & Barbarella. There was a regular at the bar, a big huge (to me at the time, at least) biker guy I knew only as Earthquake. One of the waitresses at the bar and her husband (Bobbie & Pineapple) had a pitbull named "Ripple" and I used to walk her everywhere...to Jack's, George's, all over the place. Went to concerts in H.S. (Marina) at the Bear. I watched it change from 1967 to 1975 when I moved away. Went back in '78 and watched it slowly disappear, morph into the new place. I've been back a few times and it feels so melancholy now. Looks like Waikiki...but it's still home.

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  23. I loved growing up in HB from 1962 - 1979 I dont like it so much anymore just sold our parents home there could have lived in it but just not crazy about how built up it is anymore Back in the 60's-70's it was great we lived off Newland and Garfield on Bethel Circle AWESOME memories <3

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  24. Green shack!!!
    They had the best greasy Hamburgers bar none!!
    Yummy Yummy! Awesome Burger.....no more Green Shack?
    Bummer....

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  25. My Grandparents owned the Green shack. I had many parties there as a young adult. I was born and raised in HB born in 1968. I moved away about 8 years ago but go back often I have seen so many changes. I love to go back to visit but just too many people there for me not to mention the housing costs are crazy.

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  26. My Grand parents owned the Green Shack. I was born and raised in HB. Lots of changes I will always consider it home and visit often. But there are too many people there for me now not to mention the very high cost of housing.
    I had many parties at the Green Shack as a young adult. I even worked in the oil fields off of Edwards hill for many years.

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  27. I used to work in Alpha Beta in late 80's with Justin, Carlos, Ron & Greg.

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  28. Hi HB-ers,

    I have a blog about the area of Huntington Beach that was known as Wintersburg, http://historicwintersburg.blogspot.com/. It is particularly focused on OC's early Japanese community, but there is a lot of other early history there.

    Does anyone remember "A small farm with one or more greenhouses in the late 1960s on the west side of Edwards between Warner and Slater. Houses had been built to the south and west of it, beyond which was Lark View Elementary School." ?

    I had someone contact me through the blog and they are trying to find the family that owned that farm......something about repaying a youthful act of mischief. : )

    Thanks for any clues!

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    1. The name of the owner of the Nursury/Greenhouses on Edwards was names Mukai. He lives in one of the new homes built on the site. They even named a street after him in the tract(Mukai Cir.)

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    2. I new a man that is a famliy member of that farm back then 70s... his name is Sho mukai i belive it was named mukai farms..hope this could be helpful...

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    3. I lived in the Beach North housing development(new build) from 1965 until 1976, 6291 Athena Dr. I went to Lark View Elementary for 7th and 8th grade, then on to Marina High. Prior to that, we lived in a tract, (new build), behind the Alpha Beta at Springdale and Edinger, 6251 Royalist Dr. Circle View was being constructed,4th grade was spent in temporaries. Well, I guess I didn't answer your question but I went to Lark View and remember a greenhouse(demolished) before they built homes behind us.

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    4. By the way, I also attended Meadow View Elementary in 1961 before the temps were put up for the kids that would go to Circle View when completed.

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  29. I grew up on the street that backed up against (over my back wall) the farm property with the green houses owned by the Mukai’s. I went to Lark View, Marine View, and HBHS with Laurie Mukai. My parents purchased the house new in 1968, it is the “Beach North” housing development of ~96 homes. This was one of the first tracts that went in and was surrounded by farm land, mostly tomato fields. As of now 8/2012 there are only three original home owners there that I know of for sure but could be a couple more.

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  30. I grew up on the street that backed up against (over my back wall) the farm property with the green houses owned by the Mukai’s. I went to Lark View, Marine View, and HBHS with Laurie Mukai. My parents purchased the house new in 1968, it is the “Beach North” housing development of ~96 homes. This was one of the first tracts that went in and was surrounded by farm land, mostly tomato fields. As of now 8/2012 there are only three original home owners there that I know of for sure but could be a couple more.

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  31. Try the name..SHO MUKAI...MUKAI FARMS..

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  32. I was the baby but us duran's lived on Florida between Utica and Yorktown. like I said I was the baby Duran and I was born in74 and lived there until I was 18.

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  33. jerry is the coolest dude in hb if u know him hes not aphony or a back stabber like so many dudes ive known gloria

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  34. Surf City Writer, that would be the Mukai (mushroom) farm.

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  35. Hi the coffee shop was a Sambos then an Alphys.Whoa.

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  36. I believe that was robin wood LITTLE LEAGE and ocean view WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WARNER AT THE END OF BOLSA CHICA ROAD.aT LEAST UNTIL THE LATE SIXTIES.

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  37. Does anyone remember the monkeys it the cages on the road that went down the middle of Eds dairy from green st. to Bolsa Chica?

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  38. Does anyone recall when the flood conttrol channels had bullfrogs the size of a mans foot.

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  39. Do you remember the funky police helicopter that looked like a fish bowl with a propeller and it was affectionately referred to as the "whirlypig"

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  40. Does anyone remember the salt flats at remeber the salt flats at the end of edinger?

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  41. Does anyone remember the volleyball net at end of warner and the telephone pole that everyone would hang out on?Or when tin can beach was half covered in iceplant?Red tides and hollow tubes at warner street?
    Or how about freeboarding and waterskiing in the wetlands?
    I remember my first board was a Gordy belly board hand me down.
    Wasnt plastic fantasic in sunset?
    My first surfboard was by some dude named Trix or Twigs or something like that in the haven view track.
    I also remember getting a pair of Katins for Christmas while you waited. Nancy Katin Herself would stitch them together ON AN IDUSTRIAL SIZED machine.Very cool Lady. She took the order and made them right there I was awestruck.I went for the circus clown look with one leg yellow and one blue.
    Righteous....

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