Walking, Thrifting, and Drinking Coffee With a Dash of Magic
Documenting a day well spent and why unplanned outings are the best.
The best way to experience Durga Puja in Kolkata is on foot. Get to the area you want to explore and spend hours exploring the magnificent pandals.
By the end of my exploration yesterday, I came across an aesthetic neon pink and blue sign with Love Me Twice written in a thin, cursive font.
The name, the colours, and the elegant typography were in complete juxtaposition to the loud celebration on the streets. And it attracted me like a moth to a flame.
I walked in the direction of the sign situated on the top half of what looked like a one-storey maroon brick building.
On a closer look, I noticed it had ‘thrift shop’ written underneath it.
Two more signs became visible on the building. One for a Bistro on the ground floor and a boutique on the first floor beside the thrift shop.
Lately, I’ve been watching Via Li’s YouTube videos a lot. In her videos, she explores thrift shops often and it made me want to visit one as well. There aren’t many where I live. So when I came across this sign, I was elated.
<< Cue Manhattanhenge by Corner Club in the background >>
We immediately entered the establishment and went on to the thrift shop on the first floor. The door had a note attached that said- it was the first thrift shop in Kolkata.
Now, I’ve been to local marts and fairs before. But never to a thrift shop. Not the urban ones, anyway.
It was a small shop with boots and shoes lined up on the sides. Ornaments on high table tops. Clothes on hangers and jeans on a small stack in the corner. The woman who owned the store greeted us. She mentioned that that part of the store is a thrift shop and through the door is the boutique.
Apart from home-grown clothes, the boutique curated soy wax scented candles, pen art, environment-friendly journals, ceramic mugs, handwoven dolls, pouches, wooden chests, and local photography prints.
Everything was sourced from eco-friendly brands and was handcrafted. On a window, scraps of fabric were cut out and stitched together to create a Christmas hanging.
After leaving the shop, we wanted to get some coffee. So we headed to this new cafe we’d wanted to check out, which I’d discovered on a walk.
It’s called the Waypoint Cafe. It was empty beside a family.
The interior was beautiful. White brick walls decorated with frames, a large counter with coffee machines and cookies, books in one corner and plants on the window sill.
They even had outdoor seating options and raised booths for solo dates or for working.
We got our coffee, talked, and read for a bit. I was reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.
On the way back, I was thinking about how unplanned outings are the best.
Life surprises you in ways you cannot even imagine.
I didn’t plan on visiting the thrift shop. I didn’t even know a thrift store existed in that area. I did not plan on getting coffee at the Waypoint.
But here’s the thing- if I hadn’t planned on going out that day, I wouldn’t’ve come across either in the first place.
What I mean to say is- you need to take the first step and leave the rest to the Universe. It has something extraordinary planned for you.
It will also test you and teach you the same lessons over and over until you learn. And help you dodge bullets, even though it may not look like that at times.
But it is the most reliable guide. Kind of like the North Star.
Plus when things are unplanned, you don’t attach a lot of expectations to it.
I like documenting and observing the little things in life.
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B Yeats
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Thank you for reading!
