Esmé W.
Yelp
Judd Apatow. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Dave Eggars. Spike Jonze. The LA Lakers. Jenny Lewis. John Krasinski. Patton Oswalt. No, I did not steal the guest list to the craziest LA party in existence. I did, however, look to see who donated to make The Echo Park Time Travel Mart possible, and in hand, supported the promotion of literacy in Los Angeles.
If the robot shaking hands with a Neanderthal in the front window is not enough to lure you in, then look up. Emblazoned on their marquee is the statement "Whenever you are, we're already then." Think about that, and if you are intrigued, go take a look. If smooshing your face up to the window after to catch a glimpse of the books, posters, stellar selection of faux facial hair, t-shirts and eco-friendly tote bags, and their purchase going to an incredibly worthy cause, isn't enough to convince you to step inside the door, then, just keep walking.
You have officially lost your youth and were probably the kid that didn't clap when Tinkerbell was dying.
Yes, there are a lot of gag-y, kitschy, cheesy, face-value jokes in the Mart, but, seriously, if you can't feel giddy to 6 year-old excitement levels at the idea of "Caveman stationary" (slabs of stone) then you are past hope and probably would never get what the Time Travel Mart is selling.
But for those of us who can appreciate genuinely what The Echo Park Time Travel Mart brings to the storefronts of Sunset Blvd, it is a little piece of childhood magic brought to life.