Couple remodels 1918 Lodi home into thrift shop

Vesta Mason, 88, stands in the house where she was born, at 1918 at Pine Street and Cluff Avenue. The house was recently remodeled into a thrift shop called What Goes Around Thrift'ique. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)

Couple remodels 1918 Lodi home into thrift shop

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, June 21, 2007 6:58 AM PDT

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Vesta Mason was born on July 7, 1918, in a house that still stands at the northwest corner of Pine Street and Cluff Avenue. It's one of the last residences in what is now Lodi's industrial area.

Eighty-nine years later, Mason sat on a couch inside the house where she grew up. The house remained in the family until December, when she sold it to Al and Pamala Levy, who converted it into an elaborate thrift store, using every downstairs room, including the bedroom where Mason was born.

When Mason sold the old house late last year, it needed many repairs, including a new roof and paint job.

"I was sure that whoever bought it would bulldoze the house," Mason said. "I was almost in tears when I was told she would keep it."

The Levys put some tender loving care into the house, and Pamala Levy opened up her shop — named What Goes Around Thrif'ique — in March.

The house was built by James Wortley Pinkerton and his wife, Alma Saloma Pope. It wasn't quite done when Mason was born.

"My mother washed the windows, and it almost killed me," said Mason, who was in her mother's womb at the time.

Mason grew up in the house with her parents; her brother, the late James Pinkerton; and a cousin, Edith Lillian White, until she got married in 1938. At the time, it sat on five acres.

Her parents lived in the house until they died in the 1970s, and her older brother, also named James Pinkerton, rented it out to the same person for 20 years. When the younger James Pinkerton, a 20-year member of the Lodi City Council, died in 1997, Mason took over the property since she was the last surviving property owner.

Mason remains active as a 67-year member of the Lodi Woman's Club. And recently, she took her water aerobics club to the Levys' store.

What Goes Around Thrift'ique

Location: 1127 E. Pine Street at Cluff Avenue
Phone: 367-5700
Hours: Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.
Some of the more unusual items: Eight-track tapes, 78 RPM records, an old-style phonograph and kazoos.
— News-Sentinel staff.

She told her aerobics club members, "If you want to see where I was born, let me show you."

Today, Levy takes advantage of her husband's quest to collect gadgets. Al Levy had always collected various items on vacations (the Oregon coast is a favorite), estate sales and sometimes from complete strangers. After collecting the items, the couple sold them twice a year at a large yard sale.

Now Pamala Levy is selling collectibles in the restored Pinkerton house.

Each downstairs room has a distinct personality. The entrance takes you to what used to be the dining room. The thrift shop has jewelry, giftware, housewares, coffee tables, chairs and desks.

In the kitchen, one can find — well — kitchenware. The hallways are used for tools, the laundry room became a garden room, one bedroom houses linens and other items, and the bedroom where Mason was born contains clothing.

Before getting into the thrift shop business, Pamala Levy was a credit counselor, though she hasn't been in the credit business in four years. Her husband recently opened New and Again Consignment Store on School Street. He is retiring from sales and marketing for a Canadian firm.

The Levys have four grown children, two in Lodi and two in Canada, and two grandchildren.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

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