A Museum of Memories

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Story By Wil Crews Photos By Robert Noles

AB, C or D? Answer: All of the above.

At Almost Anything, located at 221 S. 9th St. in downtown Opelika, it doesn’t matter what you’re looking for, you’re likely to find it. If you happen to stumble in, something might just find you.

Established in 1992 in Auburn, Almost Anything specializes in dealing retro video games, vinyl records, comic books, magic cards, toys, posters, art, musical instruments, jewelry and LOTS more.

It’s an avant-garde museum of memories; A fun-factory that pays homage to the past — going about it in a zany, dreamlike way.

“There’s not going to be another store like this,” said Ben Cash, an Auburn native who has worked at Almost Anything for nearly a decade. “It’s truly one of a kind.”

Downtown

Aaron Bushey

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Upon arriving at this wacky, distinctive and mystifying shop, you’re greeted outside by two men who — without knowing the backstory — can flummox customers almost as much as the store itself. Those men are none other than ‘80s music icons, The Blues Brothers.

Of course, the fedora wearing R&B legends aren’t the real Blues Brothers, just statues. But the blacksuited ceramic figures set a fabled tone for what customers should expect when they step into the enigma that is Almost Anything. “After we put them out there, we had a price on them for a while, but they just started bringing us so much publicity,” Cash said, regarding the statues. “There were people taking pictures with them and they became a landmark … so then it’s like, this is better than any advertising we have ever done.”

Once customers have reconciled the perplexing nature of the propagandistic soul singers, that’s when the journey of Almost Anything really begins.

When customers enter the store, they are transported to a relic age with artifacts, collectibles and hard to find items that are somewhere betwixt the nostalgia of childhood memories and decades past. Vinyl records to your right. Classic movie posters to your left. As you move down the aisles, antique knickknacks heighten the rustic character of the exposed brick wall, jewelry lies daintily in its’ glass case and virtually every video game console ever made lies in wait.

Almost innately, customers can become transfixed by an item that piques their curiosity, fulfills a lifelong desire or makes childhood innocence feel attainable again.

“It’s not even a store anymore,” Cash said. “You’ll find the most absolutely unique thing. You’ve got easily a thousand peoples worth of childhood memories hiding in one place.”

It’s those memories that have

a profound impact on the epic nature of Almost Anything.

Things that were once treasured belongings are now on grand display for the perusing pleasure of any shopper who strolls in.

“When you’re buying people’s memories like that, it’s really weird,” Cash said. “You’re buying a piece of a person. So at that point, it’s like, how do I put any

monetary value on these items?”

Despite working at the store for years, and in the face of becoming accustomed to random items making their way in, Cash still gets surprised by some things that are walked through the front door.

“There’s some video game stuff that I didn’t even know existed,” Cash, a purveyor of electronics, said. One of the more unique items he cited was a paraplegic special needs controller for the NES gaming console that he said is maybe one of 10 in the world. There is also a neon PS2 sign that came out of GameStop around 20 years ago. Apart from seeing one sell on eBay a few years ago, it’s the only one Cash has ever seen.

Because of the nature of buying and trading video

games, Cash said his side of the store gets “a lot of the action.” However it’s Dustin Bushey, the brother of Almost Anything’s owner Aaron Bushey, who keeps watch over the more archival side of the store. Dustin, the catalyst behind the now infamous Blues Brothers purchase, is about as close to the enigmatic head man as anyone can get. Aaron’s forte at the shop is comic

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Downtown

P H O T O C O N T R I B U T E D B Y B E N C A S H

Ben Cash

books, specifically the horror genre. However, since he bought Almost Anything at 19 years old, Dustin has always shared a grandiose vision for the business with his brother.

“I’ve always had high hopes,” Dustin said. “My brother lived in an apartment in Auburn when Almost Anything used to be on Opelika Road next to the bowling alley. He rode his bike and worked there and then he bought it. Then he’s like ‘hey man do you want come work for me?’ and that was like a lifetime ago.”

Now, Dustin watches over his turf of countless curios while helping where he is needed. As Dustin put it: “I run shit.”

Whether its ancient coins, a first century roman ring, civil war bullets, a hand crafted and molded Michael Meyers mask or a local artist’s papiermache Jack-O’-lantern, customers can find something new every time they visit his side of the store — even if it’s been there for years. From a rocket launcher to correspondence letters from a serial killer, everything is for sale.

The only exception to that is a

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15-pound champion bass that Dustin’s wife caught. There are numerous nearpriceless items in the store as “some things we will never sell,” Cash bluntly stated. However, anyone who has gone bass fishing knows that a catch like that can only be received through merit. Nonetheless, there are plenty of other madcap what-d’you-call-its, thingamajigs and doohickeys to keep wide-eyed shoppers coming back.

Put plainly, the innumerable historical and uncommon items at Almost Anything render it nothing short of remarkable. It’s ability to make a room full of antiquated items feel so vibrant and modern deserves to be celebrated.

Above all, however, it’s the personal connection that customers can make with the store’s small staff that keeps people coming back.

“People that come here all the time become your friend,” Cash said. “We have regulars that I’ve seen for 10 years. When you have the ability to make friends with customers like that, it’s really surreal.”

To find out more, visit www.facebook. com/almostanythingopelika/.

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Downtown

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