Earthbound Trading

New Age stores seem to be sprouting up like dandelions in the malls of America lately, bringing a sense of countercultural renewal and multicultural mysticism to Suburbia. There are the incense sticks, the anti-​war buttons, hippie dresses for the ladies, Buddhas, amulets, ankhs, crystals, wooden dragons and other such things you might find in a Pyramid Collection catalog.
They don’t sell vibrators *ahem* massagers though. Try Spencer’s.
Asmat Man haunts the shelves, keeping a watchful eye on unattended children.
Masquerade ball masks have their own dedicated corner of the shop.
The star attraction for Kay and I however, were the sandbox full of hermit crabs.
Hermit crabs! $ 14 a piece!
Each one has a hand-​painted shell. There were a couple with Spider-​Man on them, a Superman, a few Harry Potters.
These little buggers of the sand are more fun than Matchbox cars and can live to be in their mid-​twenties! Collect ‘em all kids!
P. S. The guy/​gal tandem (didn’t catch their names) running the store are irreverently funny and appear to make the most of their shift without taking their jobs too seriously. If nothing else, stop in, browse, and enjoy the askew conversations that result. The guy liked my Mastodon t-​shirt and was envious of our New Dimension Comics purchases, so as you can guess we ended up hanging around for a while.
P. P. S. This is number 532 on the Pittsburgh Mills map.