Jackie Tom started working at age 12, housekeeping for the wealthy and working at a sewing factory in Pompey, France, a small town near the German border.

Then she crossed the Atlantic Ocean at age 21 as a result of marrying a U.S. Army personnel from Hanford.

Once in America, she studied criminology at College of the Sequoias in hopes of become a probation officer.

But she ended up using her sewing skills at the now-defunct Catalina factory. In her late 30s, she finally found her true calling -- running a consignment shop.

It was some 27 years ago when Jackie Tom bought out a business at the center of downtown Hanford now known as Generation Gap.

While many businesses have come and gone, Tom has made it through all these years, with the help of her daughter. They have even expanded their business at Irwin and Eighth streets along the way. It rents costumes half a block away, while selling the merchandise.

To the customers who come from across town, it's a one-of-a-kind store where they can find personal contact, friendship, a patchouli smell and a tinge of French accent -- comfort beyond odd knickknacks, gag items and collectibles.

But the long-standing store's end time may be at hand.

After the recent accidental death of her daughter, Cathy Lopez, a business partner, Tom, 65, who runs the shop alone now, says she may call it quits next year.

Losing her daughter had a devastating effect on her life, Tom said.

"I really miss her," Tom said. "We did everything together. We worked together; we shopped together; we gambled together.

"It hits me more on the weekend, because I can't call her and spend time with her any more. Everybody loved Cathy."

Cathy Lopez, 44, was killed in a motorcycle accident near Hollister in July, which also left her husband severely injured.

Tom said Lopez, one of her four children, ran the store in partnership for years.

With her daughter now gone, Tom says she is inclined to selling her business.

Apparently, her customers have been trying to dissuade her from closing the store.

"Everybody told me to wait for a year," Tom said. "But I'm 65, now. My own mother tells me to get out because we never know. I'm fine now. But next year I may not be able to do anything."

But like many private business owners, Tom has a worker bee streak embedded in her skin. It's hard for her to retire after working for all these years, she said.

For now, Tom is taking her time to think about it. At least she owns the property now.

"I've been working since 12. I don't know if I can sit around at home," she said. "My customers tell me not to close. So I'm going to wait and see what happens."

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3059.

(Sept. 16, 2007)