Nancy of Vidakafka
Juliet: What brought you to Woodstock?
Nancy Kafka: It was ’72 or ’73. My boyfriend had a place in Accord. We used to come up weekends. I met him through my sister and brother in law who were his best friends. They came up with us one weekend, we got bored and said “What should we do?” “Let’s go to Woodstock”. We got to Woodstock and someone said “Oh lets make believe that we are buying a house and we’ll go look at houses and it will be fun”. And it was very fun. We bought the first house we looked at. (laughs) So we all moved up together and lived in this big house.
Juliet: What is your first memory of Woodstock?
Nancy: I was here before that visit. The first time I came to Woodstock I was with my ex husband. We weren’t married yet and one day decided to hitchhike up to Woodstock. I remember we stayed at the Millstream Motel. I also remember seeing the A-Frame church. We had never seen an A-Frame structure before … and I guess we went swimming at Big Deep.
Juliet: How long were you in town before starting Vidakafka?
Nancy: I would say about six years.
Juliet: Tell me about the name.
Nancy: M:y name is Kafka and I started with a partner whose first name is Vida.I was in human services for my whole career. I was executive director of the YWCA and that was my last full time job in human services. It wasn’t a good fit for me. It’s a small community so I couldn’t look for a job without my board of directors hearing of it. My daughter is best friends with the daughter of Mike and Robin who, at the time, just owned the Trading Post. I asked them if they could use me just until I got a job. I was a single mother. You can’t … just not work. They hired me and after the first week Mike asked “How much do we have to pay you to stop looking for a job?” They evidently had the best week ever. I didn’t know I could sell things, but it was nice that I was good at it. I thought it over and I gave him a list of my requirements. In those days nobody in Woodstock offered health insurance. Everybody was off the books, it was different … so I told him what I needed and he agreed to everything, but wanted me to commit to a year. One of my requirements was that I wanted to learn the business. I thought I would be bored just selling things and I figured “I’m here, let me find out what business is all about.” Everything worked out fine.After about ten months, I started getting calls about this one job which was really just what I was looking for. I was surprised to feel a big hesitation about taking it. I made a pro and con list. Lingerie was always my love and I thought maybe I would just go for it. There wasn’t anything like it in town and I certainly didn’t want to compete with Mike and Robin. Before I left the YWCA I had hired a woman named Vida as Adult Program Director and we became friends. When I left that job she said “If you ever want to do anything I will do it with you and I can get money.”
Juliet: (laughing) Oh, NICE!
Nancy: Money was the thing I didn’t have. So that’s how it happened.
Juliet: I love it.
Nancy: Yes. She actually didn’t like working in the store and after 6 months she wanted out. By that time I realized I couldn’t support myself and my daughter with half. It was perfect. It worked out.
Juliet: What has changed about town since then?
Nancy: There’s a lot less music now and … I know some of it has to do with my age so I don’t go out as much … But there were a lot of places to go at night … and … act like a fool … go disco dancing. I think Woodstock changes less than most places. There are people who like to say “the good old days” but I’m not one of those people. I think mostly it hasn’t changed that much. I think it’s a different generation doing a lot of the same things. There are so many people now who are young parents or are about to be and are moving to Woodstock. They are more able to because of the internet and all the technology. They are really excited about living here.
Juliet: Like me.
Nancy: But you grew up here, its different. You came back. That is another real Woodstock phenomenon. Not that it doesn’t happen in other places, but I think it really happens more here.
Juliet: What is your favorite thing about being here?
Nancy: I do really like being in the country and being outside but I think it’s a tie between that and the way various lifestyles are accepted here. For the most part I feel like you can be yourself and express yourself, whoever you are and whatever you believe.
Since the publication of this article, after almost 40 years in business, Vidakafka closed its doors. Sharkie’s Meatballs is now open in that storefront.