2026 06 03

Sky Ride Tap. Chicago, Illinois. May 2025. © Clayton Hauck

I’ve been thinking a lot about storefronts lately. Mostly because our bookshop is about to open one (shared with a few other small businesses). Realm Books aside, they are fascinating to me. Like little hidden worlds that most people will never have familiarity with. I’m guilty of it too, as curious as I am. Passing them by, that is. Not investigating what is inside. Not getting to know their contents while browsing their offerings.

I long thought it would be a cute art project to put a computer in a long-empty storefront (there are countless of them across the city), sat alone on a table with a chair in front of it. Nothing else in the room. The computer would have a browser open to Amazon.com, with special settings to only allow the computer to access that website and nothing else. Outside, on the exterior, would be a sign reading STORE as generic as can be. And that’s it.

I’ve also spent many hours dreaming up various bars, restaurants, cafes, bookshops, photo studios. Most of the dreams never materialize, but it’s always amazing to me to see how many people put so much of their lives (myself included) into their storefronts, with little to no return on their investment. Maybe it’s our way of seeking connection with others; hoping the adventurous take a chance, open the door, and make a connection. Probably it’s as simple as thinking our offerings are worth something. I have no profound takeaway here, but surely I will tell you about my new storefront once it’s doors are open for visitors (sadly, we won’t have cold pints, but we will have a lot of worthwhile photobooks!).

-Clayton