A Piece Of Garcia

 Have you ever wondered what an imaginarium looks like? As one walks
Down East Main Street they will notice a unique establishment that is unlike "the other ones".  Althea's Imaginarium is a special place. It is a store that displays and sells beautiful handmade artwork from the locals of Bloomsburg. Along with organic artwork, there are also many tapestries and posters that are for sale. Through the front windows of the store you will notice two hula hoops, one yellow with blue stripes, and the other red with yellow stripes. If a customer or a person walking down the street is familiar with the artwork of the Grateful Dead culture, they will immediately realize what the purpose of the store is. The mission statement of this store is evidently based around the band "Grateful Dead". It is easy to tell this due to the variety of band artifacts displayed. As I curiously strolled into the building, my senses were flooded with the scent of lavender. This was caused by the small stand of burning candles and arrangement of different types of incense for sale.
Behind the arrangement there was an aquatic inspired tapestry with the design of a vibrant seahorses.
The bottom right corner of the tapestry contained a bright white flower surrounded by violet and indigo swirls. These swirls reflected characteristics of an unconfined wave. The employee dressed in baggy clothes wearing a collared shirt was having an in depth conversation with a frequent customer. The customer had a question about a piece of artwork that he had bought a few days ago. The purchased item was a small handmade wooden box. It was carefully crafted by a local artist who knows Greg, the owner, of Altheas. This wooden box had beautiful designs carved deeply into the wood. Within the design, the image of three deer were present. The customer wanted to know more about the artist whom he had purchased this item from. The employee, whose name I later learned was Dylan, talked to him with a sense of clarity. Dylan knew all of the details of this piece such as how it was created, how long it took to construct, and what kind of tools the artist used to carve the intricate pattern into the wood. He answered all of his questions with confidence and also gave the customer the artist's contact information.

  If you walk towards the back of the store you will notice tons of grateful dead memorabilia along with records and glass artwork for sale. Dylan greeted me with a smile and promised to answer all of the questions that I had about this strange establishment. Originally the owner Greg had no intentions of starting a lucrative business that was split up between two stores in PA. He considers himself a "deadhead", this means that he has followed the band around for years attending countless amounts of shows and festivals. "Greg initially began selling trinkets at Grateful Dead shows such as hemp woven necklaces, clothing, and different types of minerals and crystals" Dylan said. As time carried on, his small stand began to grow financially. Greg also loved the idea of making money doing what he loved. He still sells products at concerts and festivals, however, he now has expanded his business through two major stores where he can further help people be Grateful.

  On the radio, Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix was playing at a quiet volume. Dylan approached me from behind the maple countertop which displayed different crystals and glass artwork. He stated that being one of 5 workers at the store, work can be hectic from time to time."I do my best to make sure that all of the customers leave here satisfied" Dylan stated. His daily routine involves stocking shelves with new clothing and artwork, along with making personal connections with the customers that shop there. He was the only employee in the store at the time, however the stores activity seemed very slow since the only people that were inside the store were the initial customer and myself. Dylan began explaining to me a crazy experience that he had encountered years ago working for Greg. He described that a previous worker at the store had robbed the cash register and attempted burning the place down. The arsonist was a close friend of Greg, and no one was sure why she had done this. However, she has serious charges on her record because there was a family with little children living above the store and she could have severely injured or even killed them.

Dylan and I sat on the white cloth couch covered in designs of different types of red and blue flours. He explained to me how he is also an artist and has dreams of his work being recognized one day. On the blue wall hung a painting of his which displayed his talents of a visionary artist. The painting was filled with many bubbles and spirals that were all inside of the logo of The Grateful Dead which is a skull. "This store is very special to me because it's so diverse and it really displays the strong connection between music and art." It was clear to see that Dylan truly cares about this business and his personal friend and boss, Greg. This was the first time i met the man and he spent an hour with me telling me so much information regarding the store and about his life. As I thanked Dylan and walked out of the glass door I thought to myself, what a wonderful place. Althea's Imaginarium is a place for anyone of any race or culture to come together and enjoy fantastic artwork and The Grateful Dead.