Conspicuous Consumer WINDFALLS

You’ve Got It Maid The house is a mess, you have to work overtime at the office, and your in-laws are coming for the weekend. You need a maid-fast. You travel a lot, hate to clean, but can’t find a maid who’s willing to put up with your erratic schedule. If these situations are familiar, there’s now a cleaning service designed just for you. Instant Maid welcomes your business whether it’s on a one-time basis or on every Tuesday of the months beginning with the letter J. For $20, a maid-or household worker as most now prefer to be called-will come to your home and clean for four hours. She will even bring the cleaning supplies and a vacuum cleaner. All workers are bonded and provide their own transportation. Call 233-7905 in North Dallas or 361-8122 if you live south of Northwest Highway.

Pram and Proper



You may have noticed there’s a baby boom going on. Lewis of London hasn’t missed this phenomenon either. That’s the name of a new children’s boutique which ahs recently opened in Dallas. The shop’s specialty is baby furniture, but definitely not of the standard type. Cribs become beds as baby grows up, high chairs double as rocking toys and desks, changers become dressers suitable for a six-year-old. But the shop’s most unusual items are baby carriages. That’s right – prams are making a comeback. If you’d like to proudly perambulate down the avenue with baby on display, consider their deluxe model. It’s made of wicker with removable side panels so Junior can also enjoy the view. Lewis of London, 1096 Valley View Center, near Sanger-Harris.

French Dressing



Blanton-Casey, a small shop at 3303 McKinney, is a must for the browser as well as the buyer. It’s packed full of beautiful samples of a unique French fabric that’s been made in Provence for over 200 years. Louis XIV started the craze when he began importing handpainted fabrics from India. The French soon added their own special touches and, voila! another French fashion export was born. The shop sells these charming cotton hand-prints and matching border panel designs by the yard (they’re heavy enough for upholstering a sofa or dressing a window), or ready-made as sundresses, bikinis, shirts, skirts, pillows, tablecloths, umbrellas, handbags – even sewing kits. Open 10 to 4 Monday-Friday, 10 to 5 Saturday.

Mixed Blessing

If you’ve been searching for a tasty alternative to the costly cup of coffee, DeFalco Wine Makers in Olla Podrida has a solution. Barley has been used in wine making for centuries but it took a spiraling commodities market to get it into coffee. The shop sells roasted barley for 70￠ a pound. When mixed in a ratio of one part barley to two parts coffee, America’s favorite morning wake + up brew actually becomes palatable again. The addition of barley to the mixture not only reduces the caffeine content by a third, but also considerably lowers the cost. And fans say it tastes better than the real thing.