The dictionary defines shopping as “the purchasing of goods from stores.” That definition may require some adjustment in the digital age.
What has often been left behind is the neighborhood storefront, especially in non-gentrified and/or minority neighborhoods. No interior designers, ad agencies, expensive commercials, toll-free numbers, dedicated parking or websites. And many, being family-owned, are closed on Sundays – a nostalgic notion in a society that is open 24/7. But when you see the light filtering through the old-fashioned iron burglar bars, the result can be a rainbow of delights just beyond reach — at least on Sundays.
Each of these storefronts is a work of folk art. But the stakes are high – the success and future of a family, a street, neighborhood or even a city. Each window is a unique DIY amalgamation of colors, wares, displays, signage and architectural flourishes. Do we want every Main Street to look the same? Should people have to work 7 days a week to compete and survive?
These images were shot well before the pandemic and it is a given that these small businesses have suffered disproportionately, giving the project even more meaning.
Bio
Mark Indig was born in New York City in 1949 and lives in Los Angeles. He has spent 40 years in the motion picture industry, most recently as a Studio Executive, Producer and Unit Production Manager for companies such as Disney, Miramax, Universal and Dreamworks.
But it was his 15 years as a Location Manager that gave him a love of photography and a unique perspective on the landscape; learning how to tell a story about each location in a few images. He is most interested in the interaction of human activity and landscape, which can create beauty and ugliness, often in the same frame.
