PHOTO OF THE DAY: Almost Closing Time (or, Business As Usual).
Almost Closing Time (or Business As Usual). Taken January 10 2012 in Philadelphia, PA.
I shot this on Chelten Avenue in Germantown, as the sun was beginning to go down. It’s the point at which businesses along this strip begin to close up shop for the day.
As I was editing this photo, the first thing that jumped out at me was the quiet desperation in the owner’s posture and position in the doorway, looking out, wondering if maybe a last-minute customer would wander in so he could make an evening sale. It got me to wondering how small business owners hold it together in this economic downturn.
And the juxtaposition of this with the owner’s wife (?) in the background, casually reading the newspaper, among the rows and rows of shoes, is powerful. It quietly speaks to the notion that we shouldn’t give up the simple pleasures of life, even in the face of more immediate challenges. Life goes on, right?
