By Dana Williams
This is because these notable faces, along with animals such as cows, fishes and pigs, are a part of Winslow¹s novelty salt and pepper shaker collection. The longtime resident has been collecting a host of salt and pepper shakers since 1945 and she currently has 11,500 different shakers in her collection.
³I have some shakers that walk and talk, some that light up and some that nod their heads,² Winslow said. ³I have a lot of favorites too but I love my entire collection.²
Winslow¹s love for collecting the salt and pepper shakers developed when she used to take her children shopping at different discount stores around the Long Island area. ³I started buying unique salt and pepper shakers after I used to go shopping at stores like Woolworth¹s and Grant¹s that used to be in the village in Hempstead,² she explained. ³In the beginning, I was buying them as gifts to give to other people, but I begin to keep them for myself because I liked them so much and I just bought something else for the person.²
Winslow took her love for collecting the novelty shakers to the next level in 1988 when she joined the National Novelty Salt and Pepper Shakers Club-a not-for-profit organization that provides services and information to individuals interested in collecting salt and pepper shakers. With members from all over the world, Winslow said that the club has allowed her to meet different people who enjoy the same hobby as she does.
³There are people from about five different countries that come to the convention also,² Winslow said. ³We trade and sell our shakers and we have a banquet and it¹s a lot of fun.² The annual event includes a contest where members present different displays of shakers based on a theme of their choice. In the past, the retired physical education teacher has been a contest winner for her haunted house, Noah¹s Ark and cruise line salt and pepper shaker displays.
³It¹s fun for me to make the displays each year because it allows me to be creative,² Winslow said, adding that one year she dressed up in the same clothes as one of her shakers for the contest. ³Almost everything on my displays are salt and pepper shakers, so I work way ahead of time each year to plan everything out.²
The most difficult part about keeping such a large collection is
cleaning each of the salt and pepper shakers, Winslow said. ³I can¹t put the shakers in the dish washer because water will get inside them, so I have to take each one and wash each one individually,² she added. With the help of her sister, Winslow noted that it takes her almost three days to clean each of her salt and pepper shakers.
The West Hempstead resident¹s collection also includes frogs, lobsters, sports equipment, dentures, fruits, insects and even a map of the United States.
³I just like looking at my salt and pepper shakers,² Winslow said. ³I have this cow that has a laugh on her face and when there is nothing going on, just looking at her makes me laugh also.²
Winslow is currently working on her new display for the club¹s upcoming annual convention, which will be held in July in Orlando, Fl. ³I¹m looking forward to the convention,² she said. ³I¹m sure I will get even more excited about it when its gets a little more closer to the date.²
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