Reply To: Where did you work? (from original forum archive)
My very first job (outside of babysitting) was in my Dad's shop--Marcus Shop--at 1130 Fourth street. As soon as I turned 16 he "let" me work there parttime. Loved it because Jerry Garcia, Van Morrison and all my high school guy friends bought their clothing there. It was great to work in a small, community-integrated shop like my Dad's place. He closed it up in 1980---couldn't compete with the malls' attraction.
Also worked for Sears and the Emporium during my summers home from college. Oh, and a brief stint for Jay's Cheesecake out in an industrial park north of SR.
Worked at Corte Madera Town Center JC Penney's while in college, during the remodel where the second story was added. Spent a summer in the construction zone doing guard duty to make sure that merchandise didn't slip out. Used to go to Woolworth's lunch counter to buy Nachos.
Spent a couple of summers sending out statements at Redwood Bank on 4th Street in SR (that was where my mom worked). This was in the mid-70s (I understand it's no longer there).
First job/s were actually working with my Aunt at Artcraft of Marin draperies @ 8 Tamalpais dr corte madera, doing everything from answering phones to going out on estimates, ordering and picking up bolts of fabric, and the installations. 2nd first job was at Bon Air Shell, greenbrae. Once owned by Bob Johnson and managed by Walt Farrin(my dad). i helped with yard maintenance, inventory, paperwork, i even pumped gas and did windows. My first non-family job, was my IJ paperroute,(not all delivery people were boys) I covered all of Heather gardens, from Diane ln(where i lived)& William ave. upto where Williams and Chanticleer aves met, Heather way, Liberty, garden way, chantileer, and Meadowood all the way up till Magnolia and Ward st. in downtown Larkspur, and I had a few in the apts behind Mt. Tam raquet club. That was a heck of a lot of area for an 11/12 year old girl, and it was back when we had to collect door to door, and we were responsible for the costs of the papers, if people didn't pay, we lost out. Then some years later I worked for a little whole in the wall answering service on the shore in sausalito called Marin Phone and Mailbox, we were right next to the seaplane place. The bay was right up to the back of our building. when it was high tide a friend of mine from the boats over in sausalito harbor would pick me up in his dinghy and we cruise around in richardson bay, used to catch hell-a striped bass. Then I worked at A&W 2nd st. san rafael, with Mehdi, it was sold and made into Eriks' drive in, now is a coffee stop i think. I worked at Francisco blvd Burger king, Taco Bell Novato, Kentucky fried chicken in San rafael, Mill Valley Market Deli, United Market (San anselmo)Deli, and best food job ever was Michael's Sourdough Sandwiches in Novato on digital dr. I've worked for Redwood security, Bright Star security and American Sentry Alarm Co. all as a dispatcher, I worked at Ross Valley Pharmacy so. eliseo dr greenbrae, and a few others here and there...:rolleyes:
Worked construction turning the old Ross garage into the retail shop building it is now
Worked construction building what was the Mt. Tam Racquet Club (I don't live in Marin now so I don't know what it's called now). I remember putting together the artificial surface for the indoor courts.
I also worked in the kitchen of the Sausalito Yacht Club in '73 or '74. I was 14 or 15 and we used to get off work and hang out on the water behind Zach's to listen to the live music.
San Rafael A & W, from polyester uniforms with the scarf on your head to poodle skirts and rollerskates, then Zims in Greenbrae graveyard shifts, Sausalito Ferry Co. gift store, Horizons, and Savannah Grill in Corte Madera. Then I worked phones for a few escort agencies, College Escorts, After School Escorts, Temporarily Yours, Pretty Women, most of which had ads running in Marin County Yellow Pages.
Thanks for the amusing MMWD stories, Andrew. And thanks also for the paragraphs, nyuck nyuck.
My connection with the MMWD is via my job at the Corte Madera Post Office 1968-1982, through which the water bills flowed. In the earliest days, before area mail processing, automation and presort discounts, we had to sort the outgoing bills by town manually right at CM PO. Billing was cyclical by area, so we didn't get bombed with the entire district's worth at once, but still, there were thousands of them each day. Two things made it easier. In those days, the bills were single postcards rather than in envelopes, and also the MMWD's data processing equipment spit them out in water meter order. This meant that they were also not only pretty much in town order, but in carrier delivery order as well.
The only complications were cases in which the billing and service addresses were in different towns, which happened a lot more often than you'd think. Also, areas adjoining city limits could be dicy. But, being cards, we could just riffle them to separate the towns and to pull out the ringers, instead of having to sort them one by one, which would have taken forever. But they always came in last thing, so the time pressure and the fact that there were so many of the things made the job kind of of aggravating. Rough life, huh?
Later on, all 949-ZIP outgoing mail distribution was shifted to San Rafael's Bellam Blvd. PO, so we'd just take the sack from the water guy and load it on a truck to SR. One of my co-workers threatened that when he retired he was going to shuffle all the bills before sending them out. Possibly in hopes of getting notoriously hot-tempered San Rafael Postmaster Hugh Cassidy to blow his stack.
I spent one summer in college working for the Marin Municipal Water District as part of their summer help program. What a surreal experience that was. The inside joke was that MMWD stood for "Many Men Without Direction," which was ironic in that it was pretty much true much of the time.
When it came time to pass out job assignments, I received a stint in the auto shop, which I was told by my fellow summer helpers was going to be super boring, but in reality wasn't too bad. Most of the other students were assigned to work up on the Mt. Tam watershed cutting down weeds and brush, and they all got miserably sunburned and/or came down with wicked cases of poison oak. There was another guy who was the rangers' summer help, and I kind of envied him because he got a uniform and a truck with flashing lights, but then most of his job consisted of hosing out port-a-potties and pit toilets up on the mountain. Apparently there was someone known as the "Phantom Shitter" who was wreaking havoc on the restroom facilities up there. I'll leave the rest to your imaginations. Yecch.
I, on the other hand enjoyed regular morning coffee and donut breaks, and the privilege of detailing the district vehicles. In fact it was boring, but I used my time to make sure those cars and trucks were sparkling and cleaner than they were when new. I got to listen to a lot of talk radio on KGO, since most of the vehicles only had FM radios. I actually had several of the district managers call my supervisor to rave about how great their cars looked, so that was kind of nice.
Surreal highlights included:
Watching a guy drive a backhoe off a trailer without lowering the ramp.
Watching the same dude drive the mast of a crane through the roof of the fueling station in the corporation yard.
Driving my official water district truck to the Dodge dealer in the Canal area of San Rafael to get parts, and having to shoo off day laborers who tried to jump in the back of my truck.
Driving to Oakland to pick up new trucks with our Italian welder who seemed to know only four words of English, all of them cuss words.
There were more, but at some point I should shut up to protect both the innocent and the guilty. :)
I had a number of jobs in high school and college during my youth when I lived in Tiburon in the 1960s and 70s. I Worked in the kitchens at both the old Windjammer (now Guymas) and the Dock (now the location of the Waterfront Hotel), both on main street. The thing I liked about those jobs was that at the time I was in my late teens, early 20s, and you could eat as much as you wanted for dinner, and then raid the pantry for sandwiches and other goodies late at night after all of the rest of the help left! My parents used to go to the Dock once a month for special dinners alone, and I always thought that was kind of neat that they took the time to keep some romance alive well into their marraige! The Dock had real good steaks, and spectacular views ofthe bay. I took a grilfriend of mine there from my college days, Bonnie Long (several times in the mid 70s before the place changed ownership and names. One of my old little league teammates Andy Anixter (a fellow Redwood alum, and an all-country linebacker for the Giants in 1969 and 70) also worked there. Andy was a troubled soul however, and he got into drugs in the early and mid 70s and someone told me that he died many years ago! That's very sad! Anyway, the favorite job I had in those days when I was still living with my folks (who by the way are still around in the house my dad designed and built in Tiburon back in 1957) was a summer job, working for a guy named Neal Smith/ Neal was a kind of eccentric visionary who was wealthy, and he started the first ever recycling center in Marin back in 1971. I worked at the Sausalito location for a few weeks, smashing recycled glass to bits with metal bars, but that got to be a bit of a drag after a while, and then I did something else. I was sent, along with several other young guys, over to Angel Island to work on taking down some of the old US Army barracks where our soldiers had been billeted before they were sent off to fight in the Pacific Theater in the 1940s. We literally took the buildings apart, piece by piece, and recycled the wood. Behind one of the walls, we located some old letters that a GI had written and had obviously wanted someone to find in future years. In those letters, which we handed over to state park officials, the young GI talked about his hopes and fears for the future, and how concerned he was about getting shot in the upcoming battles to come. We never found out who the young man was (he didn't sign his letters) so we weren't sure if he survived, or fought at places like Iwo Jima or Saipan or possibly even Guadalcanal. The guy who was our foreman was an interesting fellow from Texas with a thick southern accent named Joe. He was a a Cherokee Indian, and quite a character, as he was apparently traveling through the area and somehow got hooked up with Neil Smith and got this temporary job. He used to regale us younger guys with tales about his youth on the reservation, and his time in the service and his years in Vietnam (he was a "grunt: and got into some nasty fighting there during the height of the war). Anyway, I was reflecting on those long ago days of riding old Mr McDonough's ferry, the "Gaycin" over to Angel Island on foggy mornings, then taking a jeep and driving a few miles to the work site. I see that the park has refurbished the area (there was also a Japanese POW Camp and an immigration station nearby) and that the whole area will reopen this summer. I was over there on a hike with my wife and little girl recently, as we took a walk over to the Ft McDonnell on the back side of the island facing San Francisco, and we passed it on the perimeter road. I also remember the Lively sisters, Constance and Juanita, who were both classmates of mine at Redwood, lived on Angels island for several years with their dad who was a ranger there. Great memories!
The Bubble Machine off of Merrydale Road. This was back when that station had the gimmick of selling gasoline by the liter. (I will always rembmer 3.785 litters = 1 gallon). This was around 1983/1984.
Some of the highlights there were working with some serious stoners, getting a little frisky with the owner's daughter, and watching Sammy Hagar try and flirt with some very young teenagers.
Another highlight was having a cutomer drive through the carwash (in which the machines rollers pull you car through ~ 1mph) at about 35 MPH and having all the machines get violently pushed back. I don't think I have or will ever laugh that hard again. The lady pulled around and asked really nicely "I wasn't supposed to do it that way was I?"
Threw papers for the IJ in Sleepy Hollow, first job ever at age 12. Pic-A Dilly was my first "official" retail job at Red Hill Shopping Center. I was a dressing room attendant. Next up short order cook at Canyon Tennis Club. Auto Desk Sausalito location, worked in the shipping dept. Mervyn's Dept Store worked in the shoe department. Stroud's Fine Linens in Corte Madera at Town Center, floor manager Protcor at San Domenico School insurance business- AMEX then GE Capital. Later on MHN and that was my last job in Marin since moving to Portland, OR.
Of course I was also the neighborhood baby sitter as well.
Best job ever: cheese girl at Trader Joe's, when they opened their first Northern California store in San Rafael. There was a cheese shop in those days, which is where I was stationed--cutting, wrapping, pricing, and of course tasting (that really was part of my job) cheese. It was also fun giving out samples to customers. Mopping the floor was the only downside.
In my 20s, I temped absolutely everywhere in this county. My favorite place was definitely Skywalker Ranch, though I didn't like the winding drive. I had no desire to work there permanently as a slave to the Lucas empire, but it was fun to come in and out, enjoying lunch hours in such a beautiful setting with great food and other perks.
I'm not an Arneson vet Blackie but I do remember the name of Howards boats. The first one was named the " Nadie Eve " ( Not sure of the spelling ) The second, and larger boat was the " Sea Sweep". We used to see him ripping around the bay from Paganini Point in the '70's. Pretty loud and impressive.
First job was an I.J. paperboy like many guys in the county, second job with George Murata Landscaping in my sophomore year at Redwood HIgh, I'd get out of school at 10:30 & meet the boss at Greenbrae Lanes for coffee & a ride to the job site, after high school I worked for Murata again mostly at the Ganz job in Belvedere, I had applied to Marin County for a seasonal job as a firefighter so when they called me I stopped working for him & went to work in Woodacre for the summer as a firefighter, after funding for seasonal workers ran out in the late fall I went to work at Marin Joes alongside Rob Miller in pantry & dishwashing, that lasted until the following year when I was back with County Fire in Woodacre. After funding ran out the second season I started my own landscaping business part time & also joined a crew building homes for a few years until I had enough business to go full time with my landscaping, which I've done for 32 years now.
Blackie- Not an Arneson vet, but some memories--First I recall the meteoric rise of the company. Must have made Fred a millionaire rather quickly. Good product, at the right time. Next, I recall hearing about Rocky crashing(?) his boat out past the gates. He's one lucky devil to have survived that. At 100mph plus, things happen really fast, and the consequences of a mistake or just bad conditions can be fatal. He got busted up pretty bad, but he recovered. Then, I recall Fred's off-shore boat workshop (or laboratory..., or machine shop..., or clubhouse...) in the canal in San Rafael. I used to work in the neighborhood, and would pass by often. Was it Front St.? That boat would be on it's trailer, in the driveway. You could walk up to it, and marvel at it. There would be guys working away at whatever all the time. Now and then, they would fire up engines, and, holy cow!, BIG NOISE! Big turbine engines burning jet-A fuel. Humm Baby! Also,just down the street was the Grateful Dead's rehersal and recording facilities. On a hot summer nights, they would open those big roll-up doors and let 'er rip. I believe Meadowsweet Rich Has some stories about that boat engine testing when Arneson was in the old Koch Luggage facilities in Corte Madera.
First "legit" (paying taxes) job was dishwasher and veggie-prep at Marin Joe's. Once finished with that, several "less than legit" followed, then a stint at "Marin Food Specialties", in the Bret Harte area, specifically, where Jackson's Hardware is now. Their big claim to fame was that they invented trail mix. My job, at first, was mixing trail mix in 1/2 yard size cement mixers. I also ran this big-old weighing-bagging-heat sealing, and labeling machine. Kinda fun, actually. Then I went to trade school to learn the printing/graphics craft. Straight outa the gate, I got a gig with the state government-CALTRANS- at district 7 HQs, on Oak St., in the city. Running printing presses. My apprenticeship with them timed-out, and I moved to Blue Print Service, at 2nd and Mission, also in the city. Little did I realize, my fate was sealed. As I learned more, and grew as a craftsman, I developed a love for the printing biz, which still is going strong. It's been 31 yr.s now, and I'm still involved. Still loving that smell of ink and paper. I've narrowed my focus, and gotten rarified, as I'm now an "image editor", or, photo retoucher, if you prefer, but on a base level, it's really the same old thing. "Make it look good, gotta snap, more contrast, etc..."
Oh yeah- of course I was also an IJ paperboy. Big canvas bags hanging on the handle bars of my Schwinn Stingray. "Porch it!"
Back in the 70's I was a scorekeeper for Twin Cities Little League. I will never forget having to be down at Corte Madera Park on a week night freezeing my butt off and sitting on the little hill behind homeplate with no chair or pillow and no bathroom that was unlocked for anyone to use and wishing I was at Joe Wag sitting in the booth with the heater on and the consession stand and bathrooms just under me.
Any veterans of Arneson Pool Sweep, Corte Madera, circa 1977-78, out there? Mind numbingly boring work, assembling swimming pool automatic sweeps. It's what convinced me to go back to school. Arneson was known for taking his huge high powered speed boat out on the bay and hanging out with Rocky Aoki, founder of Benihana. One time we actually went out on strike. I knew it was ridiculous and voted against, but honored the picket line, of course. I think it lasted a week and a half and we gave in.
Bank Pharmacy in Fairfax when is was on Broadway across from B of A. Burns Florist on 5th St. in San Rafael. And of course, I had the IJ paper route as my first job. Delivering and collecting (which could be a real chore)
So what jobs did you have in Marin over the years?
I worked at Primo's Pizza in San Anselmo, a short stint at Pinky's in Larkspur, Record Factory, The Mayflower, The Classified Gazette, Drake Video, Wildwood Natural Foods - man I had a lot of jobs!
