Bunchland

The Storefront at 826 Valencia

When Dave Eggers began a drop in tutoring program for kids aged 8-18, he wanted to place it in the middle of the action. He wanted a lot of walk-by traffic and he wanted it to be in a place that kids wanted to go. The building he lined up was zoned commercial, so how could Eggers put a tutoring centre there? By creating a storefront first. Thus, the Pirate Suppy Store (at 826 Valencia St in San Francisco, California) was born.

Of course, this is only one reason why the store at 826 Valencia works. Like all the subsequent 826 National branches, the Pirate Supply is a rich, fantastical, full immersion experience. Visitors to the store are whisked away into a world of imagination and inspiration. What better way to prepare kids to sit down and create?

Within the store, in addition to such vital pirate products as hooks, flags, and message bottles; rat traps, peg legs, and pirate perfume; wax seals, designer glass eyes and dice; “Scurvy Be Gone”, spy glasses and messages in a bottle, there are interactive elements. A large tub of lard is available to poke, prod or sculp as visitors see fit. When questioned about the lard, Eggers is quoted as replying
“All kids love lard. I used to bathe in lard as a kid.” He seems to be correct (about kids loving lard, at least, we suspect he’s pulling our legs about the baths.) Each young visitor takes their turn at poking the greasy mound. There’s also a vat of sand that kids can dig through to uncover buried treasure, which can be bartered with at the counter.

In another section of the store is the fish theater, a small alcove, plastered with signs about the resident puffer fish. Kids enjoy watching one of the twice daily feedings of freeze dried shrimp. Elsewhere, a trap door in ceiling periodically opens, and unsuspecting customers are subjected to a mopping (according to the store log, one girl described it as “like [her] bat mitzvah”

Instead of feeling embarrassed about after school tutoring, instead of the literacy centre being some place where parents have to cajole their kids to attend, kids can tell their friends all about popping by the Pirate Store, and maybe even bring some along. 

Previously on Bunch:
Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair
The Boring Store
Literacy in the Inner City: 826 National