Fab Russian Goods

Editor:Ellen Verbeek's "Family Talk" this past Saturday smacks of a lack of touch with the quality of Russian consumer goods. Instead of opening a parts shop for Western household goods, I suggest opening a khozyaist-venny magazin to sell Russian versions of these Western things.That said, I can't sympathize with a person who has a Braun vacuum cleaner, a Zanus wash-er-dryer, a Western food processor and a Phillips TV instead of equivalent Russian goods. Russian versions win on price, compete hard on quality and carry locally serviceable guarantees.My ETA 402 vacuum cleaner cost $42 and is strong enough to suck up loose slats from my parquet floor. My Vyatka washer cost about $290 and no, it doesn't dry, but isn't that what balcony clothes lines are for? And while a Rubin TV doesn't have a remote control, your video remote control will do the trick. What's more, my Salyut 3 food processor ($25) makes juices and grinds meat into farsh.All these goods carry guarantees from their Russian manufacturers and can be repaired with parts bought locally. These businesses already exist here and in my experience so far, they work: guarantees are honored.A replacement idea to make a packet could be opening up a shop to sell these fab Russian machines with Western standards of salesmanship. I'd even throw in some Ikea furniture and a cash machine at the front. Slip into our sandwich shop while your Vyatka's being brought up from the storeroom, or get your car washed in the back!John RyanMoscow