Nine years ago this month I was hired at Good’s of Evanston, in Evanston, IL. It was a great place for an artist to be – and the best art stores always employ artists. Good’s hired artists as clerks, shipping and receiving crews, framing specialists, and book-workers. I started there as the primary shipping and receiving guy. I’d deal with the trucks of supplies that arrived each day, check the orders to make sure they were complete, fill out paperwork for what was off, and stage the checked merchandise so the floor crew could either store or put out for sale.

One of my favorite coworkers was Fred. He was thoughtful, well-spoken, engaged in the world, had a quirky sense of humor and great taste in music. He turned me on to Kitchens of Distinction and HUM, both bands I still listen to all these years later.

Me and Fred hanging out in the paper department at Good’s

Fred and I would often engage in debates of various kinds, always talking politics and public policy, musing on the current events and the changing post-911 world. Our friend and fellow Good’s employee Ronnie would often come upon our chats and, eventually, he would provide outside commentary and “lead-in” type introductions when he saw that we were ramping up for a talk. Over time, Ronnie created the fictitious “GoETV” network as a place where On Point! With Fred Sturkey and Matt Ballou (as Ronnie named it) could take place.

Good times, good memories. Here’s hoping Fred is doing well!  Unfortunately Good’s no longer carries art supplies, so much of the old crew is gone. But they still do high quality framing, so if you need something done and you’re in the Chicago area go see them!