3043 – What’s Left Behind, inside what used to be Orr Books, Hennepin Avenue, Uptown, Minneapolis, Minnesota, photo © 2007 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
While walking to dinner in Uptown a few weeks ago, I snapped a few photos of the shadowy insides of 3043 Hennepin Avenue, last location of the (almost) 40-year-old Orr Books.
The independent Minneapolis bookstore closed last summer. Read a full account of its closing in the related post, What Happened To Orr Books?
-posted on red Ravine, Sunday, October 7th, 2007
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I don’t know quite why but there is something deeply disturbing about bookstores closing, especially independents.
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Sorry to hear about the store closing. I love the picture though. Great play of light.
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It’s a great picture, but it’s also kind of sad.
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This is an atmospheric photo – i want to bring my eyes close to the dusty window, shade areound my temple with a visored hand and penetrate the dark absence of once familiar stacks, perusing readers. The projected shadow of 3043 is surrounded by a haze like smoke. Did you by any chance make photos of the various stages of the dismantling of this iconic place? Now there would be a photo essay that would be so eloquent. This is one hell of a photo – it has heart! G
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neath, it is disturbing in that kind of Orwellian way.
jason & Robin, I was kind of sad when I walked past the empty store that day. I wasn’t expecting it to still be empty, especially in that market area. So I was surprised by what I saw. The light was filtering through the windows just right. I couldn’t resist snapping a few shots. (Notice how I still use the term “snapping” even though I don’t recall hearing a shutter click these days. Old habits die hard)
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Ah, QM, wonderful photo, in a bittersweet way.
G., I can picture the shadow of someone peering in with hands cupped around the side of the face like a visor. That’s exactly how it felt looking at this photo.
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G, I kind of wish I had documented its closing. But I was completely unaware last summer as it was winding down. It had threatened to close so many times that I began to think it would survive anything!
It was actually Liz who brought it to my attention after I got back from a trip to Taos. Here’s a link to another photo of the inside. It’s a little too burned out on the right side near the windows, but it captures the size of the space. That desk used to be covered in books!
PHOTO LINK: Bones Of Orr Books
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yb, that’s exactly what Liz and I were doing that day, peering inside with cupped hands. People were staring at us and wondering what we were doing!
On a positive note, all is not lost. The Twin Cities still have quite a few independents left. Right across the street from this photo is a huge independent that has diversified and so is able to stay open. There’s another one down the street, too, maybe a couple of them. There’s hope!
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Hope. 🙂
The picture is very sad though… evokes a left behind feeling.
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Excellent shot, so barren. The light and shadows play very well and add direction to the emptiness. Sad, but nicely captured.
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Stevo, thanks. I like your line about how the light and shadows add direction to the emptiness. I had not thought of it that way before. But it’s something I can feel today. And it offers some ground.
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