Five Points Rare Books/Introduction
The sign above the door bears a large upright pentagram symbol and advertises this store as the "Five Points Rare Books" store, with a line below that reading "Occult Books and Goods". A smaller sign on the door shows the hours as "Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, or by appointment". There is an email address and phone number listed. (OOC: @mail, +text, or +phone Mark)
The doors open onto a large single room store area, with a brightly lit area at the entrance arranged to first draw the eyes of customers to racks of colorfully bound books on new age spirituality, self help, meditation, and other mass market works. The average customer probably never makes it past this section, finding the quite basic thing they are looking for and then going on their way satisfied. The walls are adorned with faded tapestries depicting celestial alignments, alchemical symbols, and arcane rituals. Just beyond that though, to both sides of the checkout counter, are a maze of bookshelves set up in an irregular pattern. Angled so that none of them can be easily looked down from the front of the store, they beckon those seeking something more out of the ordinary.
Heading deeper into the store to slip among the stacks leads to the discovery of a collection of the unusual. The lighting is kept dim here, antique lamps casting a warm amber glow to create an atmosphere that feels both comforting and eerie. Old used paperbacks, tomes bound in leather, hand written manuscripts, the out of print, the rare, even the unique? Some shelves are taken up by trinkets, from crystals to candles to carvings of bone and ivory. The method of organization seems unclear, at best the items are grouped by topics such as histories of magical traditions, discussions of cryptids, Victorian Era spiritualism, and guides to performing rituals. One thing all of the shelves have in common is that they are cluttered and overstuffed, with things crammed in wherever they can fit. Dead ends and corners even contain small tables and padded chairs for secluded reading or discussion.
In the back end of the store closest to the office door are glass cases with the more valuable books and artifacts kept under lock and key. The collection here is even stranger, with shrunken heads, preserved skulls both human and animal, and sealed pouches holding who knows what. Several of the items have small cards reading "Reserved" propped up in front of them. A sign is hung conspicuously on the end of one of the cabinets where it can be seen from the check out counter, declaring "Can't find what you're looking for? Ask, and maybe we can hunt it down for you."
