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Geezer.com, staffed by seniors, features artworks by people age 50 and older.
By MELISSA DULLAGHAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 26, 2002
People age, but they don't shrivel away. Many senior citizens remain vivacious and continue doing what they enjoy. Many of them are "geezers."
That term comes from Geezer.com, a special Web site that showcases handmade objects and artworks created by people age 50 and older.
The site was created by Experience Works, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Experience Works is a national, nonprofit organization that offers training, employment and community service opportunities for mature workers, according to Geezer.com.
In this project, Experience Works partnered with the federal agencies to help older Americans, particularly those who live in smaller communities, supplement their incomes by reaching a wider audience to which they could sell their wares.
Eli Ontiveroz, the manager of Geezer.com's customer support center in Pflugerville, Texas, said the site is "primarily the work of all the seniors." He employs 12 part-time "geezers" at the center who help him lay out the Web page, edit material sent by artisans and handle phone calls.
Geezer.com started two years ago, and Ontiveroz has seen the site's popularity increase each month. This past November the site had approximately 150,000 hits per day, he said.
The site strives to do more than help seniors earn money, he said. It also tries to "change negative stereotypes of the aging, which prevent many individuals from remaining productive and independent."
When asked how they felt about being part of a site labeled "geezer," local artists said they found the term to be more cute than derogatory.
Locally, Experience Works has an office at Withlacoochee Technical Institute in Inverness. The office serves as headquarters for recruiter Molly Norman, who attends local craft festivals in search of artisans interested in listing their work on Geezer.com.
"I think I can spot unique crafts and artistry," Norman said. A particularly intriguing item Norman has seen on Geezer.com was jewelry made from clay listed by Sandra Turner for S.L. Designs.
Norman has recruited eight seniors to list work on the site in the past year. She enjoys chatting with people and said her work is very rewarding.
For shoppers, searching on Geezer.com isn't like scrolling through an online catalog from Pier 1 Imports. It's more like paging through hundreds of family scrapbooks. Each artisan is pictured next to a short description of artistic life as he or she has experienced it.
Shoppers can search by type of item (apparel, dolls, and so on), by artist's name or by artists' region or state of residence. Pictures of the artwork are posted along with written descriptions and instructions on how to make a purchase.
One artist is John Walther of Homosassa, who displays photographs he has taken of his flower garden. His accompanying life story explains how he went from the Navy to photography school in New York and then on to Miami, where he clicked for the Miami Herald for more than 30 years.
Just as he was ready to relax, the University of Florida called him out of retirement to fill a temporary teaching position; he wound up staying 12 years.
Walther, who declined to give his age, said he's taken pictures of famous athletes, politicians and grand events, but "not a one of them is as beautiful as one of my flowers."
Another featured artisan, Beverly Lisenby, 55, of St. Petersburg listed her crocheted crafts on Geezer.com after she challenged herself in a recently acquired skill: crocheting.
Having just completed a six-week crochet class, Lisenby happened to see a sophisticated doll. Admiring it, she asked herself if she could make a similar one. Her class instructor told her she could. Shortly after, Lisenby took first place at a Citrus craft fair for her own creation.
To become a Geezer.com artisan, seniors must pay a one-time setup fee of $9.95. After that, they must pay a transaction fee (8.5 to 10 percent) plus 50 cents for each item sold.
Artists also may be given help in creating their biography and arranging photos of their work for the Web site.
Site organizers hope to help seniors become more computer literate; however, artisans need not have a home computer to participate. They may send in the information they would like listed on the site. Instructions on how to post wares on Geezer.com are available on the Web site or by calling toll free, 1-877-803-1468.