A Windy Wednesday in Niles, CA
So I am looking for store fixtures to use at our next comic book show and saw a listing on Craigslist in Niles, Ca. I’ve never been there, even though it’s only about 20 miles away. I drive down there and it’s like teleporting into another dimension. The street I was on had three dive bars, a bead store, a few other oddball shops, and at least twenty antique stores.
No joke. They all seemed to be about the same size, shape, and inventory, all with shy, mousey employees. I stopped by a candy store and got a huge chunk of fudge. The weather was very cold for California; windy, and raining like hell, but I was so fascinated by the surreal nature of the town I walked all the way up and down the main street. It was like being in the Midwest maybe eighty years ago.
I also saw the local Merchants Association, which was located in an old streetcar (again, no joke). There was a record store that only sold vinyl, a roach coach taco wagon, a pizza place, and a nice looking Italian place. In spite of being there at lunchtime, the whole place was sleepy.
I met a guy at the store I was visiting who was interested in my site. He was a big Justice League fan so I told him about this new JLA shirt I uploaded last weekend to the comic book t shirt section. I hope he checks us out.
