Rant: I used to snap a pic of every window display from the sidewalk, now I actually walk in and ask who made it

Beth Stone · 2026-10-17T17:45:04.957406+00:00

For about two years I did the lazy thing. I would stand outside some little indie storefront on a Saturday, snap a quick phone pic through the glass, and add it to a folder. I had maybe 140 photos and hardly any notes on them. Then last month I was in Grand Rapids and saw this wild window with old taxidermy birds reading paperbacks, and I walked in just to ask. The owner, Carla, spent ten minutes telling me how her staff picks a theme every 6 weeks and builds it after close on a Sunday. Turns out the raven was her dad's and the little glasses were from a dollar bin. I learned more in those ten minutes than from all 140 pictures. Now I go in, say I love the window, and ask who does the building. Most folks are happy to talk. Anyone else do this, or am I the only one who finally quit lurking on the sidewalk?

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Rant: I used to snap a pic of every window display from the sidewalk, now I actually walk in and ask who made it | Bookshop Window Peeks - Librear