My daughter is 15 years old. She’s smart and kind, has a wicked sense of humor, and a penchant for caring very deeply. She’s also a teenager, and some days we struggle.
When I was her age, I worried about my grades (stellar in history, dismal in math), or whether or not the humidity was going to wreck my hair (it always did), or whether my parents would allow me to go to the mall with my friends after Shabbat ended (sometimes).
My daughter worries about these things, too — but on top of it is a big, hulking fear about the environment.
She is both terrified and furious that she and her generation are inheriting a planet that has become a big hot mess. (She’s 15 and I’m her mother so she blames me for it all).
But, she’s also one of these kids who likes to “work the problem” though — and instead of doom scrolling (as I sometimes do) she tries to come up with innovative solutions, or at least ways she can tweak her life now that might help to a small extent.
One of the things she has gravitated toward is steering clear from fast-fashion, and buying pre-loved and even vintage clothes, as well as old books, jewelry, plates and furniture. Not only does she tell me it’s better for the environment, she likes that each piece she finds makes her feel like she’s on a treasure hunt. Each new item is a discovery, and she always wonders about the story behind it.
There are several places near us that she likes to explore, but her favorite is a little secondhand store tucked away on Kibbutz Naan. It’s actually part of Orly Cafe, a spot that looks like it was transported out of an expat fantasy of the late 1960s in a mountainous village in India — open flow of air, cool couches and tables from decades ago, colorful mismatched plates, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley and Janis Joplin on the RECORD PLAYER, and the best coffee in central Israel. (Trust me.)
(They also make a crazy-good shakshuka — not inexpensive, but definitely worth it.)
But the secondhand shop is really a treasure — not just cool clothes, but Wedgewood tea sets, records, old books (in Hebrew, English, Russian and even Farsi), paintings, baubles and bangles from across the centuries… old glass jars, windchimes, and the whole place smells like good coffee and sandalwood. Sometimes, the woman working behind the counter with the megawatt smile and the feathers woven in her hair actually knows the story behind the item my daughter holds: “This dress actually belonged to a woman who decided to backpack throughout Europe!” or “This tea set came all the way from the former Soviet Union!”
This is my daughter’s happy place, and she loves looking for old clothes. So do I, and it’s something we can do together — a rare mother-daughter moment of coexistence. Not only do we find special things, we also get to do it together. Her favorite finds include T-shirts with sunflowers on them, flannel shirts for autumn, paisley and even tie-dye, so that my daughter looks like… well, like she stepped out of my bedroom closet in the 1990s.
“I used to wear a shirt exactly like that!” I tell her.
“Mahhhhmmmmm….” she says, “why didn’t you save your clothes! You had a great sense of style.” And I smile.
Orly Cafe and Boutique hours:
Monday 8 am–3 pm
Tuesday 8 am–3 pm
Wednesday 8 am–3 pm
Thursday 8 am–3 pm, 6–11 pm
Friday 8 am–1:30 pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
Kosher? Veggie menu, and they’re closed on Shabbat.
Getting there:
The Times of Israel Community.
