Minding the Store is a charming piece of graphic nonfiction, chronicling the rise and fall (and rise again?) of Fishs Eddy, a famous local business in New York specializing in the resale of hotel industry flatware. Julia Gaines recounts how she and her husband rode the tumultuous waves to operate the store they love so dearly--from making a business out of their niche collection interest to the business's expansion to its near demise, attempts to employ family, encounters with celebrities, weathering the September 11 attacks, and on--and thus cemented its place in New York's history in its own right.
I had a lot of fun reading this, mostly because I'm a NYC-phile and love reading histories of how the city's neighborhoods have developed over the years. Minding the Store puts you right in it and has a lot of really funny moments while you're along for the ride. I can't believe I've never visited the store before, but my fingers are crossed that it will weather this storm so that I can visit it in the future.
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