Written by Bobby Sloan, 2021

Every show needs an audience, and it was my pleasure to watch the best in town at 2629 East Broad in Bexley. My mom was the beautiful town glamour girl. I often sat in our living room and waited for her to descend the stairs in a tailored suit or a mini-skirt and go-go boots. I used to beg my mom to wear her mink coat to PTA meetings. She was the epitome of class in the way she carried and presented herself.

My dad was a show-stopper in his black velvet smoking jacket or double-breasted sport coat with a french-cuffed shirt. He knew exactly how to make everyone around him feel important and happy while looking like a star.

My brother and sister were stars in their own right. My big brother, Steve, was popular, handsome, and always had a girlfriend. He was a star wrestler who looked fit and trim wearing his blue and white letter jacket. I admired his style and the way he carried himself without too much conceit.

Suzy was cool and confident in her hippie-chic fashion. Everyone said she looked like Ali McGraw from “Love Story,” who also married a preppy!

Even though Suzy’s nine years older, we’ve always been close. Both of us love the arts and have worked on many projects together. It’s inspiring to watch the way she confronts bullying or oppression. I’ve seen her speak her mind and stand up for her friends and minorities, despite what anyone else thinks.

Suzy and Steve had a very funny rapport. Every evening Steve would run down the steps from his third-floor bedroom like clockwork to stand in Suzy’s doorway and trade stories about high school life. Sometimes, he came downstairs just to tease me or chase me around.

The back door of our house was always open, and it was a common occurrence to have some of the funniest, brightest, and most creative types wander in to join us for breakfast or dinner around the kitchen table.

One stand-out guest our family adored was Ronnie Clowson, a high school senior and neighborhood charmer. Ronnie was cool, confident, and very funny, especially with my mom. He was good at teasing her, but she always gave it right back to him. Just when he was ready to walk out our back door, mom would hand him bags filled with trash and ask him to deposit them in the alley trash bins on his way home. It became a ritual.

Other mealtime regulars included Erwin Cohen – fun, funny, adoring, and someone who loved to tease my dad. Then there was the hilarious Paul Watkins who would arrive at 10 am for brunch, Bloody Mary cocktails, cigarettes, and never leave.

Another interesting pair was Joe Keenan, mom’s decorator friend who lived down the street, and his assistant, Ann, who always looked like she partied way too hard the night before. Other designers often came to see Mom. There was Bill Aken, one of mom’s best friends, and Tommy Glass, the big cheese who worked in the drapery department at Lazarus. One of my favorites was Browney Pavey, a beloved and respected designer whose shop in Bexley was filled with beautiful antiques and exquisite tchotchkes.  

Openness was a trait my family embraced. It’s how I learned to appreciate all kinds of people, ideas, and experiences and when I began to listen closely and ask questions.

I was always my family’s most captivated and adoring audience; after all, I was watching the best show in town.