Schreibman's Live!

Interview with Beth in the Cleveland Orchestra Program - Holiday 2008

   

We sat down and talked with

BETH SCHREIBMAN GEHRING to

hear how she is continuing a family tradition,

to brighten the holidays and help

support The Cleveland Orchestra. For forty 

years, Beth’s family has been selling elegant

silver-plated Reed & Barton silver bells

for the holiday season. Partnering with

the Women’s Committee of The Cleveland

Orchestra, the proceeds from these holiday

keepsakes benefit the Orchestra’s education

and community engagement programs.

 

How did the Silver Bells

program begin?

 

The program was started by my parents,

Arnold and Barbara Schreibman, fortyone

years ago at their store, Schreibman

Jewelers, at Landerwood Plaza in Pepper

Pike. They were season subscribers

to The Cleveland Orchestra for decades.

My mother had come out of the volunteer

workforce and started working. She was a

Women’s Committee member and wanted

to contribute. She looked at my father and

said, let’s find something to sell, something

simple, for the Orchestra. They chose

beautiful silver-plated Reed & Barton bells,

which are engraved with the word Christmas

and the year — Christmas 2008, for

example. We started selling the bells and

donating the proceeds to the Orchestra.

 

Have there been changes

in recent years?

Five years ago, we closed our store in Pepper

Pike. Now, the Women’s Committee of

Th e Cleveland Orchestra and I handle the

project. Th e bells are sold for $20 apiece at

the Cleveland Orchestra Store at Severance

Hall and at seven other stores in the greater Cleveland area.

  The members of

the Women’s Committee all get together to

wrap the bells. I take them to the stores and

track the proceeds.

 

What part have the Silver Bells sales

played in Cleveland family traditions?

The bells are really a part of my family, because

the store was a family business. From

the time I was little, that’s where I hung out

after school. I can wrap those bells in my

sleep! The bells are a huge part of a lot of

people’s childhoods. Every year, fathers

would come into the store and buy them for

their children. They also make great corporate

gifts — people would come in and

buy them for their staffs, as favors at holiday

dinners. They’re a great hostess gift  too

— they’re something different.

 

Are there people who

collect the Silver Bells?

There are several people who have one from

every year, from the last forty years! I know

people who use them to decorate their

Christmas trees. Some people display them

on a silver tray, each bell tied with a red

satin ribbon — that’s really beautiful!

 

Your mother passed away in August.

What has it been like, carrying on the

Silver Bells project without her?

It is the one thing I can’t let go of, because it

was hers. I have been a Women’s Committee

member for twenty-three years. When

my mother died, I thought, I can’t possibly

do the bells. Then I thought, I have to do

the bells. Nobody else knows how to run

the program! The Women’s Committee has

been the most amazing source of support,

and they have rallied around the project.

Th e first night this year, we sold $500 worth

of bells. We made almost $1,000 the first

week.

The money we raise is earmarked for

Th e Cleveland Orchestra’s Education Programs.

I can’t imagine a child growing up

in this city and not hearing this great orchestra

at least once. The money we raise

helps pay for transportation costs so that

students can come to hear a concert at Severance

Hall. We sell the bells because, as my

husband said to me, you never know how a

child’s life might change through

music. The next Mozart could very well

be sitting and listening at Severance Hall!

 

 The Reed & Barton Silver Bells for 2008 cost $20.

To benefit The Cleveland Orchestra, the bells

must be bought from one of these sources:

The Cleveland Orchestra Store

at Severance Hall

Chet Edwards General

Home Furnishings, Aurora

James Alperin Jewelers, Pepper Pike

Mulholland and Sachs, Beachwood

Peter Danford, Shaker Heights

Schreibman Jewelers West, Fairview Park

V Regalo/The Desk Set, Rocky River

Village Herb Shop, Chagrin Falls

 

How about a Survivor Party?

More ideas for your Survivor’ party

Wednesday, August 16, 2000

By JULIE E. WASHINGTON
PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

We asked two professional party planners, Don Pushinsky of All the Rage Unlimited in Cleveland, and Beth Schreibman-Gehring of Schreibman Jewelers in Pepper Pike, to think big and give us their ideas for a fabulous "Survivor" watching party.

From the invitation to the party favors, here are ways to put your guests in an adventuresome mood.

Funky fun

Pushinsky’s party begins with guests receiving hand-delivered invitations on handmade paper stuffed inside a coconut. Tribal percussion group, live tropical birds and a sign made of bamboo and pulled skins welcome guests.

Each guest receives a shell necklace attached to a tag with space for 20 signatures. Guests will have to get all 20 spaces signed by a party guest to be eligible for a prize. A few guests will have "eliminator tags"; those people will confiscate other people’s tags and knock them out of the game.

Name tags are in two different colors to denote tribes. At various times, tribes send a representative forward to compete in activities such as bobbing for "shrunken heads" or coconut rolling.

A 24-inch volcano can light up to call the group to order for dessert. Camouflage netting and vines suspended from the ceiling can help create a rustic jungle look. Palm trees with real fronds and moss accent areas of the room.

An elaborate evening

Schreibman-Gehring felt the food should be simple and flavorful and the decor provocative.

Invitations: Start with the invitation, a construction-paper leaf stamped with bugs and then handwritten. Hand deliver each invitation rolled up in a old wine bottle. Tie the leaf invitation with raffia so that it slips out easily. (Another option is to go to any Pier 1 or World Market and get Japanese paper lanterns and write the invite on those.)

Atmosphere: The decor would be really simple. Go camp style with lots of muslin fabric (tea-stained to look grimy) draped over chairs and sofas.

For lighting, use luminarias made by filling paper bags with sand and a votive candle. She usually punches out designs on the bags with a nail or paper punch or cuts with an Exacto blade.

Make candleholders out of fruit, simply by hollowing out enough space for the candle.

For tablecloths, buy yardage of some funky snake print or animal skin fabric. Wet it, let it dry in a wrinkled heap and then shred the ends.

Make a centerpiece out of a piece of driftwood - any old tree branch will do - and some shells and candles for the buffet table. Add color by sprinkling pieces of sea glass available at craft stores.

Food and drink: Start with pina coladas or fruit daiquiri. Serve with skewered chunks of fresh fruit and cheese for an appetizer, as well as pieces of walnut chicken deep-fried and sprinkled with coconut, with a sweet pepper and mustard dip.

For fun, serve finger food for the main course. Dinner would be a simple curried shrimp with all of the normal accompaniments - raisins, peanuts, chopped coconut, sliced kiwi fruit, lime slices, banana and some assorted chutneys. Add a bowl of buttered couscous with chopped fresh mint.

Wash a head of romaine lettuce and separate it into individual leaves, (reminiscent of banana leaves) and have each guest place a scoop of couscous, curry and whatever garnishes they wish onto it, roll it up and enjoy.

A side salad of chopped avocado, sweet red pepper, cucumber and onion with a simple yogurt dressing would be excellent.

Dessert would be a wonderful fruit sorbet with a cookie on the side.

Thai iced tea also would be great with this meal, and also some sort of great beer, perhaps Singha from Thailand, or Taj Mahal from India or Fosters Lager from Australia.

Souvenirs: No party would be complete without a little favor for guests to take home. How about a shell with a sea-blue votive candle and a deck of cards to fill the evening hours on the island?

©2000 THE PLAIN DEALER. Used with permission.

 

Holiday Tablesettings

Holiday Tablesettings!

I was told that several of my interviews were to be found on the internet, This is one of them from November , 2000 originally published the Cleveland Plain Dealer!

Don’t forget special table settings,

Sunday, November 19, 2000

By MELISSA KOSSLER 
ASSISTANT HOMES EDITOR

 

  Turkey, stuffing and cranberries aren’t the only important Thanksgiving dishes.

There are also bowls, platters and plates to consider.

A turkey dinner and all its fixings deserve a beautifully set table, said Boo Geist, a sales associate at Potter and Mellen, a Cleveland china and jewelry shop. A well-dressed table not only complements the meal, it makes guests feel more welcome, said Beth Schreibman Gehring, president of Schreibman Jewelers East.

Take the extra time to create a beautiful table, particularly if your guests are "just family," urged Schreibman Gehring.

"They’re the ones whom it’s worth going to all that trouble for," she said.

Like your Thanksgiving menu, table trimmings require a bit of advance planning. If you’re tired of pulling out the Tom Turkey platter and salt and pepper shakers, there are other ways to set a table that says Thanksgiving.

 

Tap into the natural elements of fall and the harvest, Geist suggested. Serving pieces in greens, browns and oranges or trimmed with leaves, birds or nuts lend a fall feel to your table, she said. Chargers, or accent plates that sit under dinner plates, can give any china a fall look. Centerpieces made from fruit, vegetables or gourds work well for Thanksgiving.

Look at the colors in your china pattern and determine a fall color that complements it, Geist said. Don’t be afraid to introduce new patterns or colors onto your table. If you inherited grandma’s gravy boat, use it. The history and tradition associated with the piece will conjure up the sentimental feelings associated with Thanksgiving.

"Mixing and matching is today’s trend," Geist said.

People often are afraid to introduce new colors onto their table, Schreibman Gehring said. She suggests taking a plate to the fabric store or the paint store to see what colors it matches. Holding the dish next to a full palette will inspire new uses for color on your table, she said.

Warm with color Color can warm up modern black dinnerware. Adding yellow, rust, taupe or red pieces will create a look that’s seasonal and modern, said Adam Norris, one of the owners of Secret Closet, a new home decor store in North Olmsted.

Often Schreibman Gehring hears from women who have grown tired of their china but are unable to replace it. Schreibman Gehring, who grew up working in the store, encourages them to consider chargers, glassware and linens to change the look. A gold charger under a plate gives the piece a formal look while a wood grain charger makes it more casual.

Glassware also can create a new look. Colored glassware can highlight a particular color in your china. Adding a festive champagne glass to the table is another way to change the mood, Schreibman Gehring said. Mix different styles and colors of glassware, she said.

"I love colored glassware. I use it all the time. It just sings," Schreibman Gehring said.

When introducing new colors, use linens to pull the pieces together, Geist said. Linens are a crucial part of the table dressing, she said.

Don’t limit yourself to traditional tablecloths, said Schreibman Gehring, who has used blankets, hemmed fabric and scarves as table covers. "I like to use a lot of color and texture," she said.

Too often the tablecloth is an afterthought, she said.

"The tablecloth is really the canvas for the whole table and so often people just have a plain white tablecloth. That’s fine. It just doesn’t create something new and exciting," she said.

Centerpieces also add excitement to the table. Geist suggests finding your table decorations outside. Cut down an evergreen bough or branch of fall leaves and nestle pumpkins, gourds, pine cones or candles around. Gather feathers and put them in a vase. Fill a bowl with bright orange kumquats. Use other fruits and a basket to create a cornucopia.

"Be a little creative about it," she said.

Once your centerpiece is in place, sit in every seat to see if it obstructs the view across the table.

To avoid the overwhelming centerpiece, Schreibman Gehring sometimes creates individual centerpieces. She’ll use demitasses filled with flowers, miniature terra-cotta plants stuffed with nuts or mini-loaves of bread trimmed in ribbon.

A glass hurricane globe turned on its side becomes a great low centerpiece, Schreibman Gehring said. Anchor it with some apples or Indian corn and fill it with greenery, pine cones or flowers.

Instead of putting a napkin on the dinner plate, consider laying a stick across the plate, said Marc Goohs of Secret Closet. He suggested a tray full of warm-colored candles and leaves, two or three decorated grapevine wreaths lying flat on the table with bowls of food in the middle and fall-themed topiaries as possible centerpieces.

If you opt for candles on your table, use unscented ones. Scented candles might fight with the food smells, Goohs said.

Homemade centerpieces fit nicely with Thanksgiving, said Schreibman Gehring, who has paid a florist to do Christmas arrangements but prefers to do her own on Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving is really associated with nurturing," she said. "Nobody deserves beauty and enchantment and grace more than your family does."