Cosmetics Girls

Tiffany and Lauren work at the Clinique counter at Belk. They say they like their jobs, helping women look beautiful, but hope on day to be cosmetologists or aestheticians. When I asked if I could take their pictures, they were enthusiastic. Said Tiffany, "This is about as good as I ever look anyhow."

Florist

Above are photos from Dianne Falkner's floral shop. She is a retired professor of music from Ole Miss and opened her shop in 2008. She did two dozen weddings this summer, which she says is a big coup for an up and coming floral shop during wedding season. She is assisted by her two daughters and shih tzu.

Produce Stand

When you go to Kroger, you don't think too much about where the fruit comes from or how the sweet potatoes get stacked just so. When you go to a produce stand the size of your living room, you can't help but notice. There is little inventory, so restocking happens all day, not just by the hands of the overnight crew.

Above: photos of workers and shoppers at the Farmers Market on Lamar Blvd. in Oxford, Mississippi.

Some words before we begin

If you're doing it right, you're probably still sleeping at four each morning. At eight, you get up, mumbling something about how early it is, and stumble into your kitchen to make some a fresh pot of coffee and toast some bread. If you're really lucky, you're toasting some brioche. You get dressed, and that is that.
During that window, between four and eight, the bread you toasted and slathered with jam is being kneaded and let to rise, baked and cooled. When everyone else is turning in for the night, the bread bakers are headed to work, making baguettes and steak rolls and ciabatta and sourdough.

(above: a baker at Honey Bee Bakery in Oxford, Mississippi)