06/17 - Hidden "Treasure"

So that's where that is!

I wondered where it had gone/

This must be the place. 


Last night on a run, as is becoming commonplace, I discovered some more new interesting things in my area. I found some potentially good restaurants, including a Himalayan one, and a very intriguing looking men's vintage clothing shop. It was closed on my night time run, so today on my way home from work I decided I'd check it out. I had noticed they had a lot of sneakers and shoes, as well as some sports jerseys, so I was excited. Inside the store was absolutely packed with merchandise, ranging from the downright awful to the quite cool. There was definitely a focus on trying to look "American" style and stock "American" things. There were several old baseball and basketball jerseys. Lots of cool sneakers, including some Rasheed Wallace Air Force 1's. Can't say I expected to see any of 'Sheed's signature kicks in Japan. There were also a lot of Dr. Marten's and many pairs of boat shoes and Vans. Some of the favoured Japanese "American" styles are pretty hilarious. There are a lot of shirts that have American gas or motor oil companies on them, both newly produced ones and vintage ones that go for some pretty high prices. There are also mechanic coveralls and overalls that they sell that some people really like to wear. They even wear them with mechanic patches and things on them. Dickies are also really popular, I suppose for similar reasons. I'm not planning on dressing like a grease monkey any time soon, no matter how in vogue it is. I didn't buy anything today at all, but I am very curious to know where shops like the one I visited get their stock. I think I could actually make some decent money selling some of my old sports gear here.

The haiku for today references the band Talking Heads. As I have mentioned before I have been listening to them while I run here and their music really seems to fit the vibe. I actually was listening to Tapes 'n Tapes on last night's run, who I think have a similar style. They are like a modern poor man's Talking Heads. However, the whole experience of finding then visiting the store and its environs just made me think of the song "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads.

The picture below shows the doorway of the shop. I had to take it because it looks like it be a picture of my best buddy Taylor Burnham's closet. He is a big Yankees and Packers fan (one of those two things is excusable). I actually stayed in his room at his parents' house in Kelowna and saw some of his high school clothes when I was driving to Calgary from Vancouver before coming here. These two items would not have been out of place.