The Architecture of Browsing

Fonts, Facades, and a Pair of Nikes.

I was at a store. A bookstore. A bookstore that specialized in books on just one topic. One topic that was all about architecture. Architecture of all realms. All kinds. I saw a lot of books. On all topics that architecture could contain. And a bit on the fringes of architecture. Like typography. And some maps. Some about events around architecture. And typography. Yes, typography. So fonts. Some logos. But typography.

The music was great. It was not about architecture. There were books about shoes. About shoes from that brand in Oregon. Yes, Nike. That.

So, I was at a store. In a city. A city like no other. Because no city is exactly like another city. But I mean, this city was a good one. Not like other cities. But other cities can be good too. So this city was San Francisco. Yes. There is one. In California. So the store. Yes, the bookstore was in San Francisco. In North Beach. It was lovely. Some people seemed regular. Some, like me, just happened to walk into it. Attracted. Attracted by the vibes of the bookstore. Well, it was a different kind of bookstore. A specialized one. You see, books on architecture. Different. Specialized.

I spent about thirty minutes there. Walking. Absorbing covers by the second. Feeling the fonts. Yes, because there were books on typography. I did not wake up thinking of going to a bookstore. Also, this was a special one, one about architecture. I learnt a lot. Like that shoe maker based out of Oregon. Their styles keep changing. A book with hard cover, big binding had all about the styles that keep changing. The book was heavy. It was big. It felt good to hold. The font was great. But this was not a book on typography. Heavy books are great books. Great books are about great things. This shoe maker must be great.

There were maps. And prints. And prints of maps. Maps of places. Places where people collect on this topic of architecture and talk. Posters of places too. Places on posters too. There was a tiny corner with those maps on display. And posters. And prints. All. I spent a few minutes seeing through the vintage paper behind the glass frames. Some prints were old. Old prints preserved over centuries. Must be important.

San Francisco has beautiful architecture. Architecture of houses. Very good painted ladies. And more than just ladies. Fine custom painting. I saw a house in my neighbourhood. Undergoing construction. And the board read “Fine Custom Painting”. It said more. It said, “Helping San Francisco to Remain the Most Beautiful City in the World.” San Francisco is beautiful. The bookstore was in San Francisco. It must be beautiful.

The bookstore taught me a lot. Like, about San Francisco. That shoemaker from Oregon. Typography, yes, Typography. Maps. Prints. Posters. Music. Paint. Architecture. The music. The music was not about architecture.

I did not wake up thinking of going to a bookstore. I was at a bookstore.