The Nostalgia Shop

I was walking down the cobbled streets and lanes. These streets were the same as I had always seen in pictures in travel books, or even in films. Small coffee tables sheltered with pretty umbrellas, a little sunny and a little shady weather. I was walking, looking, and absorbing the novelty around. It's not every day you get to do what you dream of doing. As I walked on and on, I passed by stores & stores selling things of all sorts; from antiques to art, from fashion to food.  At such times window shopping is the best one can do especially since it costs nothing and gives pleasure! I continued walking down the streets, skipping and hopping (not quite like in the films) but close!

‘The Nostalgia Shop’ said the plaque atop the store. I stopped. The name intrigued me. The shop had a very old and mysterious look. I tried to look into the shop and peer in to get an idea but alas! I could not trail apart. The name had aroused my interest and just like that, I walked in. The clinking sound of the bell on the door announced my arrival. I looked around, expecting somebody to attend to me especially since I was bursting with questions regarding the peculiarity of the shop name. However, no-one came. I waited. As I waited, I looked around. From where I stood I was unable to get an entire glimpse of the shop but could see a lot of objects that gave me an idea as to what the shop was all about!

The shop had a rustic appeal. It looked like all the old things look. The shop was furnished though not modernly but it accommodated and displayed all the items that it offered or at least I thought it did! There were open racks and lined shelves filled with colorful and attractive things. As I approached the first rack, I went through its contents. The rack had just 2 shelves.    

These shelves had some showpieces displayed on them. On moving closer to the shelf, I saw what it was. It was a ceramic tea –set. It was white in color and had little blue flowers on it. Oh! It brought back so many memories. I was transported to my childhood, playing with a similar tea set and serving fake tea to my friends and sometimes my parents. They enjoyed it as much as I did. It was one of my many prized possessions. An unexpected encounter with this set caught me by surprise.
Taking my eyes off that set with great effort I looked at the other items on the shelf. 

Just beside the tea set, there was a small telephone. The one I had as a kid was red in color. This one was white. However, the resemblance was uncanny. It was an old-style phone that could be found in almost each and every household. This telephone was used to call up my grandma or some of my friends.  I picked up the receiver of the phone wanting to call someone like I did when I was a kid, but adulthood got in the way!

Replacing the phone, I moved to the interior of the shop. I felt like a child in a candy store, looking around and spotting some pieces from here and there that were exclusively me! Or so I thought…
There was a pair of big huge goggles that were a fashion statement of the '90s. I remember having a picture of mine wearing the ones that were my mom's. It was a quintessential picture that almost all kids my age have. There was a line, on the shelf below, of boxes of colors. I smiled as I opened one of them. They smelled exactly the same as they did the last time I used them.

Moving on from the colors, my attention was drawn to the glass jars on the adjoining shelf. These jars were filled with colorful candies, chocolates, erasers of funny shapes, and some other stuff. It took an immense level of self-control to not open and empty those jars in my bag!

I turned around to the other side of the store. This part of the shop had various display cabinets. Through its glass display, I could see its contents. There were toys and books, cassettes and VCD's, video players, tape-recorders, cameras…and many more wonderful things. Going around the shop one would get an idea of what this shop was all about. A staircase caught my attention. There was a hidden loft to this store that I hadn’t notice up until now.

I walked up the stairs that led me to a whole new section of the shop. The ceiling was a little low so I had to stoop and walk around. This part held smaller desks that were filled with some more marvelous things, although they did not necessarily resemble me or my life. I found a small glass box in a velvet pouch. There was a note on top of it. It said 

“Dear Tooth-Fairy, My Mom says that you’ll come for visit and take this tooth back with you to your kingdom. She also says that I’ll get a gift from you in exchange. I don’t want any gifts. Please take it and keep it safe with you. Please bring it back to me when I’m old like my grandma and have no teeth to eat my favorite things. You must have her teeth with you too. If you could bring hers back she would be able to enjoy her favorite roasted peanuts. Thank you! Bye!"

The innocence of the note touched my heart. I did sincerely hope that the deal worked out!

Moving on to the other desks, there were letters, from people whose names I had never heard of. In the era of text messages and emails, handwritten messages and letters felt so personal. There were ink stains on the yellowed papers with a typical smell. These letters were living proof of an era where letters were the only way of communication. I did not open these letters to read. I just stared at the bundles of correspondence that were stored in this shop.

On another desk, there was a sparkling snow globe. It had a ribbon tied to it, with a small note that said, "To my dear Katie, I hope this X' mas brings in the same snow back home. – XOXO Frank” 

Then there was a stack of hand-made cards. Messages from the heart filled the cards and reminded me of those times when making a greeting on any occasion was my one point agenda!

Then there were small vintage mirrors, old boxes with pieces of broken jewelry, some old watches, old frames which were adored by photographs of smiling faces of strangers. There were numerous things, small and big, familiar and unknown, that were marked with memories. As I reached the end of the room, I stopped to look back and take it all in…what I felt at that moment can't be described in words. 

Those things may not belong to me, but they belonged to someone and were itched with their memories and thoughts. Though they were complete strangers it felt so good to experience something so personal.

Walking down the stairs, I was stunned and nostalgic, emotional, and euphoric all at the same time. I was too overwhelmed to talk, so as I reached the end, I sat down on the last step. Thinking about everything that I had witnessed in the shop I noticed that there was another peculiarity of this shop. There were no price tags on any of the items. Were these not for sale? What sort of shop is this that does not sell? I had questions but no answers. Unable to move, I continued sitting and staring at everything. Suddenly I caught movement behind the counter. Getting up, I saw someone at the counter. An old couple. They looked up as I approached them.
 
"Found anything that you like, my dear?" the old lady asked.
 
"Almost everything!" I said.
 
"How is it that all those things are related to me? What exactly is this place?" I asked.

"You've read the name.  It’s called the Nostalgia Shop. Everyone who visits finds something belonging to them. That’s the idea. Anyone who comes here will certainly find a piece of their soul in here." explained the lady.
 
"But how?” I asked curiously.

"A good trader never reveals the trade secrets!" the old man replied with a twinkle in his eyes.
 
"Just go in, look around and buy what you feel is missing from your life right now.” the old man replied.

"How do I decide what to buy? All these things are precious. On top of it, how much do I pay? There's no price tag on any of these items" I said.

"You seem to have entered the shop in a hurry. You missed out on reading about the payments. Go out and read. If you still want to buy we'll be here." the man said. I looked at the couple. They were smiling mysteriously.
 
In a dilemma, I stepped outside and looked closely. There was a small board near the door of the shop that said, ‘For every piece of Nostalgia we charge the worth, not the cost. What would you trade for a piece of Nostalgia? What would you trade for a piece of Nostalgia?’

I thought about it. What was the worth of all these? My happiness and my laughter? The love that I got and the memories that I've? Yes, the memories were precious but what was its worth?

Thankfulness! My heart replied. I smiled. The idea of choosing and buying just one of so many escaped. I couldn't possibly select. I decided that its worth wasn’t money and walked out, without feeling the need to go back in again. That's the thing about nostalgia, it hits you like a wave and leaves you wondering about all that was. But the thing to remember almost every time is that a moment that passes gets placed in the past. Nostalgia brings in a lot of things but never gives anything. That is when I got the idea of the shop. It never meant to sell. If it can be bought, it needs to be valued. But none of our geniuses have invented a "nostalgia-meter." This moment of epiphany answered all my questions.  I was happy and skipping and hopping again! It was a good day, a day well spent!