DEAR SUN SPOTS: I recently purchased a gorgeous vintage black wool jacket at a local thrift store. The inside label listed the store name as Benner’s, Lewiston, Maine. I am unable to find any historical listing for Benner’s. Can any of your readers out there shed some light on Benner’s? My grateful thanks.— Kathy via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots suspects readers will enjoy sharing their memories.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Does anyone know of a place that recycles old clothes that are beyond giving to Goodwill? I know there used to be places that took old clothes for rags. I hate throwing out anything that might have some usefulness left. — Elizabeth via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots has had this question before and at that time found an online post that said Goodwill would take old fabric as well as clothes. Michelle Smith at Goodwill wrote in October 2012 that:

“We accept gently used donations to sell in our stores. Clothing that does meet our quality standards is recycled into a product called Good Wipes (goodwillnne.org/shop/good-wipes/), which are wiping cloths made available in bulk quantity and for our shoppers in our stores. The rest of the textiles are recycled and sold to vendors who repurpose them for a variety of products. 100 percent of the textiles not sold in our stores are recycled.”

Sun Spots suspects that many people drop off ratty old clothes without a second thought, so it’s not surprising Goodwill has found a way to deal with them. If you are dropping off clothes you think are too worn to be resold, you might mark the bag as such and save the clerks some work.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: You have so much information, I wonder if you have any antique auto buyers or dealers in your files? — No Name via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots turned to her Sun Journal car expert for some suggestions. Bill came up with the following but said there are undoubtedly others he forgot or doesn’t know about. If you buy antique autos and aren’t listed below, please let Sun Spots know.

* Neil “Bill” Martin, Goldenrod Garage, 88 Wardtown Road, Freeport, 207-865-6269, www.goldenrod-garage.com, golgar44@yahoo.com, look for flame painted on mailbox.

* Columbia Classic Cars, 42 Winada Drive, Winthrop, 207-377-2076.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: From Ancestry.com, I found the following tidbit of information about Ernest G. Wood, the owner of the dog tags your reader found for sale on eBay (Jan. 7).

According to the 1940 U.S. Census and his enlistment records, Ernest Wood was born in late 1903. He worked in the shoe industry (but was unemployed in 1940).

On Aug. 17, 1942, he was drafted into the armed services. The other name on the tag should be Wilfred Bourassa (not Courassa. His first name might also have been “Wilfrid,” which is a more common French spelling). He and Ernest were renting an apartment on 150 Middle Street in 1940. They were apparently unrelated.

It seems that Ernest survived the war, since he appears in the 1947 city directory for Lewiston, but after that the trail runs cold. Many records after 1941 are still kept confidential. Since Ernest listed a friend as his next of kin on the dog tags, it’s possible that he had no living relatives (although his enlistment record says that he was “single with dependents”).

Hopefully that’s helpful information. — James Myall, coordinator, Franco-American Collection, University of Southern Maine, jmyall@usm.maine.edu

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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