http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Bruce/RLSG-58-2012-0909.mp3
Having just arranged for the payment of a rather large college tuition bill ("arranged" meaning we borrowed most of it), the topic of "buying stuff" has begun to occupy a lot of my attention. Not only do I question the usefulness/necessity of some of my past purchases, I wanted to get an idea of what criteria others use when making decisions about buying goods and services.
Joining me for the conversation were retail queen Holly Adam, car salesman-turned-dog-groomer Frank LaSasso, The Connecticut Watchdog himself, George Gombossey, and small business owners Gary Choronzy and Deb Grehn.
Our resident fashionista, Holly Adam has spent thirty years in the rag trade. From shopgirl to Bloomingdale’s Men’s Fashion Director to luxury retail business owner, Holly has seen (and worn) it all. She’s sourced the finest cashmere in the countryside of Scotland and sat in the front rows in Milan and Paris. When not style-spotting, Holly is at the whim of her beloved Scottish terrier Eddie or whipping up a delicacy or two in her kitchen.
It should be noted that she and Mr. Barber share great enthusiasm for their alma mater, Hobart William Smith Colleges.
Frank LaSasso was raised in Stratford in the 50's and 60's. spent the 70's in the Navy, and in the 80's worked in kitchens by day and played guitar and sang in local rock bands at night. In 1986 he went into the auto sales business, working his way up to a sales manager, and later, GSM.
In 2009, Frank decided he wanted to make a living at something he really loved; working with animals. He has owned "The Dog Wizard" mobile grooming salon for 3 years this September and loves going to work every day. He comes to your house, grooms your dog, and leaves!
George Gombossy is the editor & publisher of CtWatchdog.com and CtCondoNews.com, two Connecticut consumer websites. He is also a syndicated consumer columnist whose work appears weekly in the New Haven Register, New London Day, Torrington Register Citizen, New Britain Herald, Bristol Press, Middletown Press, West Hartford News, Canton News, Avon News, Simsbury News, Granby News, and a host of other weekly and monthly publications.
George launched CtWatchdog in August 2009 after he was fired from The Hartford Courant where he was the first investigative consumer columnist in the Courant’s history. During his 40-year career at the newspaper, Gombossy led teams of reporters that won dozens of awards, including the George Polk Award and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. George is also a proud U.S. Army veteran, volunteering to serve during the Vietnam War (he did not serve in Vietnam). Born in Hungary, he came to the U.S. in 1956 and has been ever grateful to this country for what it has given him and his family. You can reach him at george@ctwatchdog.com.
Gary Choronzy is the Chief Web Guy at Connecticut Websites, and has built projects for folks like Ann Nyberg’s Network Connecticut, Ed Bartlett’s CT Out and About, and, not coincidentally, George Gombossy’s CT Watchdog.
Deb Grehn is the proprietor of Rooby Dooby's Cakes, and amazing made-to-order baking business.
This time, we gathered at The New Haven Open at Yale, one of my favorite events of the year. According to the tournament website, the NHO "...has always been much more than a tennis tournament; it is a leading example of leveraging a large-scale international sporting event to generate $26 million in regional economic impact and to grow community pride, spirit and engagement, especially among youth. The women's-only WTA event is part of the Emirates Airline US Open Series and was held August 17-25, 2012 at the Connecticut Tennis Center.
