This is amazing. I agree with you. Maps don’t just show you a place. They tell stories. They show you what people thought was worth showing you about a place, about a context, about a purpose. They’re art. I love quirky little businesses like this. I’m a software engineer so I find your flight from GIS relatable too, LOL. I find myself wondering what quirky anachronistic thing I should start a shop and sell and wait to become my towns eccentric shop owner that the kids makeup rumors and origin stories about. Ok, this comment is way off the rails, but your story is cool as hell man. Best of luck.
If you aren't aware, there's a really cool map store called Metsker Maps in Pike Place here in Seattle. It may be worth reaching out and establishing a relationship. Kind of like sister cities, you could be sister shops on opposite coasts!
I cannot even begin to tell you the additional market you'd have (probably mostly online, but still) if you ALSO sold Fantasy maps. People in the Fantasy world go wild for a really gorgeous map (as a wooden artpiece on the wall, in color or without, embossed or with foiling, on a blanket...). It's a great way to both commemorate and have a sentimental piece of a series you love, but also doesn't look totally out of place in an adult home. My friend even painted a map of someone's fav series as a Christmas present this year. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the Cosmere... if you look up "Illumicrate map" you can see the wooden one they did of the Daevabad series.
I agree! I'm local, just over the border in MA, and I'm not a big (real world) map nerd but I LOVE fantasy maps, I have two from lord of the rings (one is the filming locations on a map of New Zealand, got it on my trip there) and one from Tamora Pierce's Tortall. they look great amongst my books, and I would love to add more from other favorite series.
So, as the proprietor of a map store, I am accosted on a regular basis by old people lamenting the shortcomings of the young and I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder as a mapping professional having to hear kids getting dismissed as being dumb for not using maps in exactly the same way that their parents do. I own a sextant but I never hear my elders complain about how no one knows how to use THAT. In the US today, we have schools and we have homes and parents are expected to drive their kids between the two. Of course kids don't have a sophisticated spatial understanding of their communities! What would a kid need with a map in the cities we've built them? Lots of neighborhoods are actively hostile to unaccompanied minors. It's a problem I guess that kids can't read maps but it's a real fucking tragedy that kids don't have a reason to need them.
incredible story! thank you for sharing :) If im ever near rode island i'll try and remember to stop by! I'm not a self proclaimed map nerd, although I am a massive fan of beautiful things.
There are a lot of TH-camrs who investigate history, and they use a lot of old maps. If you can collaborate with them to uncover forgotten treasures, I can see a lot of interest being generated.
I can't read the text behind you, but am I right that (besides being a Mercator) the map is also a projection of future sea levels? Noticed the Great Lakes were wonky, then took a closer look at all of the coastlines....
This is amazing. I agree with you. Maps don’t just show you a place. They tell stories. They show you what people thought was worth showing you about a place, about a context, about a purpose. They’re art. I love quirky little businesses like this. I’m a software engineer so I find your flight from GIS relatable too, LOL. I find myself wondering what quirky anachronistic thing I should start a shop and sell and wait to become my towns eccentric shop owner that the kids makeup rumors and origin stories about. Ok, this comment is way off the rails, but your story is cool as hell man. Best of luck.
I'm so glad you instantly clocked us as Mercator Haters
Merc-haters was *right there*
I actually have complex apologist opinions about the Mercator Projection but I just went viral and I'm gonna wait at least a week to get cancelled.
If you aren't aware, there's a really cool map store called Metsker Maps in Pike Place here in Seattle. It may be worth reaching out and establishing a relationship. Kind of like sister cities, you could be sister shops on opposite coasts!
so far as I can tell, Metsker's is the only map store in the US that's older than the Map Center. They're big. They're good. They're totally #goals.
I cannot even begin to tell you the additional market you'd have (probably mostly online, but still) if you ALSO sold Fantasy maps. People in the Fantasy world go wild for a really gorgeous map (as a wooden artpiece on the wall, in color or without, embossed or with foiling, on a blanket...). It's a great way to both commemorate and have a sentimental piece of a series you love, but also doesn't look totally out of place in an adult home. My friend even painted a map of someone's fav series as a Christmas present this year.
Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the Cosmere... if you look up "Illumicrate map" you can see the wooden one they did of the Daevabad series.
I agree! I'm local, just over the border in MA, and I'm not a big (real world) map nerd but I LOVE fantasy maps, I have two from lord of the rings (one is the filming locations on a map of New Zealand, got it on my trip there) and one from Tamora Pierce's Tortall. they look great amongst my books, and I would love to add more from other favorite series.
This would be very popular, I am certain!
Congrats on becoming the owner of a map store! To be fair though, kids really should know how to read maps.
So, as the proprietor of a map store, I am accosted on a regular basis by old people lamenting the shortcomings of the young and I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder as a mapping professional having to hear kids getting dismissed as being dumb for not using maps in exactly the same way that their parents do. I own a sextant but I never hear my elders complain about how no one knows how to use THAT. In the US today, we have schools and we have homes and parents are expected to drive their kids between the two. Of course kids don't have a sophisticated spatial understanding of their communities! What would a kid need with a map in the cities we've built them? Lots of neighborhoods are actively hostile to unaccompanied minors. It's a problem I guess that kids can't read maps but it's a real fucking tragedy that kids don't have a reason to need them.
I put reading a map on the list of things everyone should know how to do. Writing in cursive is also on that list. Yeah, I'm old. OH WELL.
That’s amazing! Best of luck to you. (Btw I’m actually this account owners son and my dad showed it to me)
Russell D. Age 11
incredible story! thank you for sharing :) If im ever near rode island i'll try and remember to stop by! I'm not a self proclaimed map nerd, although I am a massive fan of beautiful things.
This is lovely; I'm sharing it everywhere I can, with the hopes it will reach your potential clientele. (I am not, alas, a map nerd myself)
There are a lot of TH-camrs who investigate history, and they use a lot of old maps. If you can collaborate with them to uncover forgotten treasures, I can see a lot of interest being generated.
Listen I read someone say they inherited something "Willy Wonka style" and I WILL be finding the back story, this was very fun
As a map nerd, this is the beginning of the Christmas Hallmark movie of my dreams. 😂😂❤
I can't read the text behind you, but am I right that (besides being a Mercator) the map is also a projection of future sea levels? Noticed the Great Lakes were wonky, then took a closer look at all of the coastlines....
Best I can tell it's from the early 80s. It's just faded.
Do you have any thoughts on carrying maps that are fantasy/sci-fi/alt history?
I have an atlas of video game maps, Tolkien maps and a comic series about a post-human earth dominated by intelligent octopus. Does that count?