Sadly, they're also going out of business due to the death of the proprietor.
Since the store is only vaguely categorized, it's sometimes hard to find things you're looking for. More often than not, you find things that are happy accidents, like the old Dictionary of Slang I got yesterday. It even had a four-leaf clover pressed between its pages--I felt so lucky like I was "sitting in a tub of butter!"
Almost a year ago, we spied this hot '70s-era painting there gathering dust. The price was kind of high for us, so we just let it go. But yesterday we were able to get it for less than half of the 1980 gallery price listed on the back. For what it is (an acrylic mixed media piece) we thought it was cool. Then we found out it came from the collection of a publisher who championed poets and writers like Harold Norse and Thom Gunn, who my partner had interviewed in the past.
I keep lecturing y'all to get some original art in your spaces, so keep looking! It can come from dusty, magical old bookstores, thrift stores, or even from your talented friends. Case in point, my friend Stephen Williams. I recently got one of his paintings and have been hunting high and low for the right frame for it.
I think my/our next acquisition will be something more abstract. Balance is important, too. So many pieces around our flat are figurative or highly graphic or based on typography. Even though those things are near and dear to our hearts (I'm talking about my partner, who's a writer, and me--a former graphic designer), we have to keep challenging ourselves and pushing our boundaries.
Art should provoke thought--whether they're relaxing thoughts or some political diatribe is completely up to you and how you want your home to feel!
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