Chips down for Lays

HOUSTON (AP) The Kenneth Lay family is downsizing.
Linda Lay, the wife of Enron’s former chief executive, is opening an antique and secondhand shop. The store Jus’ Stuff will sell the family’s personal property and furniture from its rental property, said Kelly Kimberly, a Lay family spokeswoman.
“She determined that some of these furnishings were just stuff and could be sold. Families and friends agreed,” Miss Kimberly said.
Mrs. Lay and her daughter, Robin, also will sell items belonging to family and friends, along with some new merchandise and design services.
A lamp fashioned from antique street lights, a mahogany bed, an antique reproduction desk, artwork and a bright yellow pair of metal fighting cocks are among the wares to be up for sale when the store opens this month.
Since Houston-based Enron descended into bankruptcy Dec. 2, the Lays have been selling off assets. The couple has jettisoned some second homes in Aspen, Colo., and Galveston, Texas, as well as commercial properties.
The store will be opened in a building owned by Mr. Lay’s real estate company, Miss Kimberly said. She said Mrs. Lay earlier considered using the space for storage for friends moving to smaller homes, but then decided to open a business.
“She’s worked all her life,” Miss Kimberly said of Mrs. Lay, who once worked for her husband at Enron.