- from The Keeper of the Shop by Jill Tracy
From the author's collection.
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I became transfixed when stumbling upon the strange little shop in 1992. Having just moved from Manhattan, I was exploring San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury and was instantly lured into the magical storefront. Its textured walls were laden with curios: gargoyles, handcrafted religious icons, occult supplies, voodoo dolls, taxidermy, Chinese money for the dead. Bric-a-brac crowded every inch of space, displayed haphazardly from nails, pushpins, and fishing line. Towering toward the ceiling, this evoked a glorious sense of peril, especially in a city known for its earthquakes. Some of the shelves were so dusty, it looked as though the merchandise had been unearthed from past centuries. Basket upon basket held odd toys and talismans, licorice pipes and dashboard saints.
- from The Keeper of the Shop by Jill Tracy |
From the author's collection. |