Please Don’t String This Reader Along

Esther Coleman of Hollywood has long been looking for the small plastic aprons , with ruffled edges, that were sold in markets years ago. These were great for doing small jobs around the house, but now she can’t find them anyplace. Can you help Coleman hit the dirt at home with more enthusiasm, or will she have to realize that there are no longer any apron strings to hold onto?

John Julis of Marina del Rey would like to locate some golf socks that have gold-colored brass tees attached to them; he knows these used to be available in department stores, but he can’t find them in his neighborhood. Can you help Julis out of this hole, or will he be teed off because his sartorial drive will never be up to par again?

For the many senior citizens in a rest home, June Carter of Fountain Valley would like to locate Tuco picture puzzles , which are thicker than ordinary cardboard puzzles. Can you help solve this puzzle for Carter, or will she go to pieces before she can figure out another handy way of coping with cardboard copies?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: To find her family roots, Dorothy at (714) 846-7118 has for months been trying to locate a copy of “The Unbroken Chain,’ ‘ written by Rosenstein and published by Shengold more than a dozen years ago; please do your best to help Dorothy stay in touch with her past. . . . Another voice from the past is a phonograph record called “Tell Me a Story,” which Audrey at (213) 559-5744 has been after for the longest time; she says she first heard it in the ‘50s and would like it for her grandchildren. Please do your best to keep Audrey forever young in heart.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items or for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that others may contact you directly.

More sources for fabrics for formal gowns: C. Schein of Huntington Beach told us about Jenny’s Fabrics on Beach Boulevard, between Warner and Heil avenues, Huntington Beach. And Ruth Rose of Hollywood knows of three suitable fabric shops in the Fairfax area: International Silks and Woolens, Beverly Boulevard and Kings Road; Elegance, across the street from International, and Home Silk Shops, La Cienega Boulevard and Fourth Street.

For Lila of San Diego, who wanted Frownies for a new wrinkle on her life, we have information nobody should frown on. Near San Diego, according to Mrs. Keith Montizambert, is Central Drug on Coronado; the Frownies are also available at Burnes Drug in La Jolla, says Maggie W., and in Long’s Drugs in Encinitas (from S. Stockton). In the Los Angeles area, these are places where Frownies can be bought: Mickey Fine Pharmacy, 433 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills (from Margaret Oconnor), and Better Drug, 315 N. Glendale Ave., Glendale (from Erna Craig). The manufacturer is the B & P Co., P.O. Box 184, Dayton, Ohio 45459. A similar product, called Hollywood Wings, is available from Wings Product Co., Box 680, East Hampton, N.Y. 11937 (information supplied by Lois Jenks and Barbara Vasconcellos).

Marion Mischel of Sherman Oaks, who was looking for a bubble gum lamp, should be able to see the light real soon. Sal Salazar of C W Building Supply, 128 W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, says they have such a lamp, with a red metal base, for $30. Their telephone number is (818) 573-1460.

For Martine Erickson of Arcadia, who was after an electric bun warmer, we have only a small hope. Jill Sherman of La Habra Heights says she recently donated such a warmer to the PTA thrift shop, located on La Habra Boulevard and Euclid Street in La Habra. On the other hand, six readers said they had one of these warmers and would be willing to part with it. If Erickson or anyone else is interested, a stamped, self-addressed envelope to us would elicit a warm response.

Walter Greenes of Southern California Craftsmen, (818) 907-7544, informs us that, in addition to repairing and upholstering household and office furnishings, they also repair ceramics and antiques and are sometimes able to repair--or find parts for--vintage radios and phonographs.

Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.