LAX-C, known as Thai Costco, holds not just a fish counter but a treasure trove of stories through its aged artifacts, particularly the rusty knives on display since its opening in 1998. Unlike traditional museums, neighborhood markets like LAX-C celebrate lived experiences and history, showcasing their role in cultural endurance through small details that reflect community struggles and triumphs. The rot and wear of everyday objects invite visitors to view them as integral parts of societal narratives, blurring the line between grocery shopping and historical contemplation.
Neighborhood markets often offer something the Broad or the Getty simply cannot. The artifacts within them live and breathe, signs of age like rust and sun stains tethering them to our world in a way that traditional exhibits divorce.
Many small grocers would chuckle in my face if I dared call them curators, let alone gallerists, but they are both. Signage drawn by hand or created with democratized digital tools...are folk art.
The knives at LAX-C look like they earned their retirement; the handles are eroded, the blades chipped. One can only imagine what aquatic delights met their timely demise on their watch.
Whether at LAX-C just north of downtown, Sahag's in East Hollywood, Vince's Market in Atwater Village or other shops that are among our most beloved third spaces, these collections tell stories of war, family, recession, embargoes, immigration, spirituality.
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