The Cheers-to-You Guy

A job to get through college. That’s all it was supposed to be. Eric Bernabo laughs. Before he can say more, a customer comes in, apologizing for her “stupid question about wine.” Eric never intended to buy Jolson Liquor. There’s nothing too silly to ask, he tells her. When he clears up the matter, he rings up the sale. Like Eric, you’ll have to get used to the interruptions. Even when Jolson Liquor is not busy, and by not busy, we mean a dozen customers every half…

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The Wide-Eyed Girl

She wants to be photographed in her sunglasses. It has nothing to do with the sun, which, by the way, is shining but not bright enough for serious shades. Casey has been taking photos since she was 16. Fashion photographer Casey Brooks is used to being on the other side of the lens, and she doesn’t think any pictures taken of her look good. She’s posing in her favorite alley, a long crossed-shaped space that oozes with urban chic. This golden-haired Alice in Wonderland has been shooting…

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The Guy Who Paints the Fire Alarm Boxes

He never would have done it if he hadn’t lost his job. But John Colgan got bored. He’s not the kind of guy who can sit on the sofa surfing channels. No, he has to be out doing something. When his paychecks stopped, he moved back to his childhood home and the company of his mother. As he sat on the front stoop, he watched the rest of the world walk by. That’s when he noticed the fire alarm pull box on the corner. John lost his job and found a purpose in life. He and that box had…

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The Guitar Man

Three guitars and a chin-up bar. There’s not much else in this monk cell of a living room. The shy guy doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he starts strumming. Once Jon Christopher Allen finds his voice, he loses himself in the song. And everything’s all right. Jon’s working on album No. 5. Jon’s music has been a long time coming, and in a sense, his whole life has been a rehearsal. True, he’s been performing for nearly two decades, and he has released…

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