Box Seven: Photocopied Flyers From the Basement Shows

Box seven came from a basement that flooded twice. The flyers inside survived better than the box did.

The box was labeled only with a year and a marker drawing of a skull. Inside were about sixty zines, a handful of show flyers, and a letter from someone asking to trade.

We scan everything at 600dpi before anyone reads it, because old toner flakes and staples rust. Then we read the originals once, carefully, and put them in acid-free sleeves.

What stands out is how little has changed. The fonts are different and the phone numbers have too many digits missing, but the reasons people made these are exactly the same.

We keep a guest book by the door. Some people write their name, some write a poem, and one person drew the entire floor plan of the shop from memory. It is the best zine we have never printed.