Story time: Follow your curiosity

A few months ago I walked past this storefront in my neighborhood that I had never noticed before. I felt like it appeared out of nowhere.

It’s a little building, with a green gate and a ton of books with French and Arabic titles lining the shelves.

Once I noticed it, I noticed how weird it was for a storefront. It was never open. There were no store hours. There was no number on the building to mark the address. And other than the books, there was a collection of weird art in the window. Landscapes, and clowns, and bdsm-architecture-screen prints (?!?!?).

I made up stories about this place.

It’s a magic bookshop owned by an elf. It’s the front for the west-Cambridge motorcycle gang. It’s a portal to a different dimension.

I googled. I searched. I took a couple pictures. And I was inspired to make this art:

This place haunts me.

Today there was a man sitting outside my favorite haunt. Early 70’s. Desert Khaki tan complexion. Wearing chinos, legs crossed, drinking a cappuccino, and fingering the greens on a fancy sandwich.

Was this the owner? The wizard?

“Excuse me sir, what is this place? A store front, your home…opium den?”

“Just my place of business,we’re not open to the public,” which to be fair, will be the first line of a short story I’ll write later.

“Ok, so who do you sell these books to?”

“Universities.”

There was some more back and forth like this. I told him I was a professor. He laughed at a couple jokes. I asked why the books were in French and Arabic. I think he insinuated, with just a tinge of threat, that I was way too curious.

Eventually I learned that 30 years ago he heard from a friend that masters and PhD students in foreign language, history, and humanities departments always need rare books. And rare books from North Africa can be incredibly hard to get it. So these universities have a list of books they’ll buy, and the prices they will pay for these books. And they pay about 90% of the time, on the spot. And 30 years ago, this became his one man business. A rare North African book finder- who spends his time collecting art from people in the neighborhood.

So next week, I’m going back to offer the piece I made months ago, for his window collection.

The world is such a big and interesting place.

Follow your curiosity.

Update 7/9/24: My work made it to the window!

Somewhere in Cambridge, MA