Today we are reviewing five books and teaching sewing:

FOUR BOOKS ON PHOENIX HISTORY

Four books on Phoenix history. We are researching Phoenix history since we bought a historic building, The Gold Spot. Built in 1925. The 100th anniversary is coming up. The Gold Spot is located in downtown Phoenix on Roosevelt Row, an art district that is being completely revitalized.

  1. “Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row (Images of Modern America)” (96 pages, hardback, 2016) by Greg Esser and Nicole Underwood: We found this in our local CVS pharmacy. We leafed through it and immediately bought it. Like above, no Gold Spot mention but a couple of photos of our new friend and legendary Roosevelt Row resident, Kimber Lanning. From the Amazon description: “The nationally recognized Roosevelt Row Artists’ District in downtown Phoenix originated during the platting of the Churchill Addition in 1888, when fewer than 4,000 people called the city home. The Evans and Churchill Additions enjoyed vibrant, walkable mixed-use growth until the suburban sprawl of the 1950s pulled people and resources away from the downtown city core. Significant decline fell upon the area for decades, until artists began to imagine new possibilities in the 1990s. Few urban areas in the United States have undergone such rapid and dramatic revitalization as Roosevelt Row. … USA Today recently named Roosevelt Row “one of the ten best city arts districts” in the country.”

This is a picture book with captions. There is lots of interesting history about Roosevelt Row. I found this book at the local CVS drugstore. As I was leafing through it, I found references to our new friend Kimber Lanning and more. For example,

p 7: Notes that Clint Eastwood’s 1977 movie “The Gauntlet” was filmed in a derelict, almost empty downtown Phoenix.

p 9: “Pioneering Spirit of optimism and rugged perseverance.” Positive view of Phoenix and its growth.

p 16 1980’s punk rocker Wendy O Williams video of “It´s My Life”.

p 17 mentions J M Fetter’s “historic property survey”. We plan to check it for references to the Gold Spot.

p 24 and 29 mention Kimber Lanning who is still active in the Roosevelt Row community. It shows her ‘Modified Arts’ gallery and her personal house as it is being moved across Roosevelt St. We met Kimber in that same house.

  1. “Midcentury Phoenix: Photographs From the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s” (160 pages, hardback, 2007) edited by Jeff Kida and Robert Stieve; Photography by Bob Markow: This is a picture book from the world famous “Arizona Highways” magazine. It features Phoenix photos from the legendary Bob Markow. No mention of the Gold Spot though. And the Gold Spot shares a 100th year anniversary with the ‘Arizona Highways’ magazine. We will contact them to see if their archive contains any Gold Spot photos. From the Arizona Highways description: “In Midcentury Phoenix, Arizona Highways celebrates the growth and glamour of Arizona’s capital city during the mid-20th century, as seen through the lens of legendary photographer Bob Markow.”

Arizona Highways is also celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2025, just like the Gold Spot.

p 5: In the introduction, it is stated that these are outtakes of “hundreds of thousands of images” by Bob. There are none of the Gold Spot in this book. Perhaps in this archive? We have written an email asking this question.

p 7: records that Phoenix has grown from 65,000 in 1940 to 580,00 in 1970. What would they think now? And still growing like crazy.

p 8: The Salt River Valley (Phoenix) is one of the “…richest agricultural areas in the world”?

p 8-9: discuss that air conditioning, AC, made Phoenix. True.

p 11: mentioned that people water ski-ed behind their cars in the local irrigation canals?

p 12: mentions that there was a “fly in” bank branch in Phoenix?

p 12: the opening sequence of the Alfred Hitchcock 1960 movie “Psycho” is of the then () Phoenix skyline.

The two books below are picture books of Phoenix showing the same location in the past and as it is now (2009, 2017 respectively). Paul Scharbach is the author of both with different co-authors. But no mention of the Gold Spot.

  1. “Phoenix: Then and Now” (144 pages, paperback, 2009) by Paul Scharbach and John H. Akers: Another picture book on Phoenix for our Gold Spot researches. From the Amazon description: “From the moment it became Arizona’s capital in 1912, Phoenix has enjoyed steady population growth and commercial expansion. Today, Phoenix still continues to expand, due to mass migration, and it has the distinction of being one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. Phoenix Then and Now looks at the development of the city, with historical photographs placed side-by-side with contemporary views of the same locations that reveal a vibrant city, benefiting from wave upon wave of Easterners seeking sunshine in a culturally rich, urban setting. Amazing pictorial history of Phoenix, and the surrounding areas, filled with archival photographs of key locations paired with specially commissioned photographs of the same scenes as they are today.”
  2. “Phoenix: Past and Present” (176 pages, hardback, 2017) by Paul Scharbach and Robert A. Melikian: Another picture book on Phoenix for our Gold Spot researches. From the Amazon description: “Full-color, highly researched coffee-table book features stunning collection of vintage and contemporary photographs” Phoenix Past and Present, a full-color, highly researched book, tells the story of Phoenix through 84 pairs of side-by- side images, one historical and one contemporary.”
  3. “One Rental At A Time: The Journey to Financial Independence through Real Estate” (168 pages, paperback, 2019) by Michael Zuber: This is my favorite book in the ‘get rich in real estate’ genre. Yes, I finished it already. It is my favorite not because it is ‘better’ than the others, but because it is relatable.

There are too many notes for this book. I will link to another document, but the video says it all. I give it the highest recommendation for TMP type real estate books.

When I’m not TMPing, I am keeping busy with practical work. Here I sew a button on my pants.

How did I compare to this guy?

Here’s a written guide: “Whether it’s your best work slacks or a pair of old, well-fitting trousers, a pants button can fall off on even the best-made pair with enough use. Rather than tossing them and getting new pants, or going to an expensive tailor for a simple fix, you can sew the button back on at home. The fabric of most pants is thicker than many shirts, and there are a few techniques that differ from sewing a shirt button back on. It’s also worth noting that there are special techniques you may want to try if you’re replacing a button on a pair of jeans instead of trousers or slacks. Regardless, soon you will have the sewing skills you need to put those pants back on before you even miss them.”

And I hope you got my (failed) reference to the Three Stooges at 00:39 min:sec, “Stand back numbskulls, I’m sewing!” which should have been “Quiet numbskulls, I’m broadcasting” in the classic Three Stooges short “Microphonies”.