Obscure Store and Reading Room

Dear readers: After 13 years, I'm closing The Obscure Store

It was very tough to write that headline, but it's time for me to hit the REFRESH button and try something new.

Some of you may know that I announced on Wednesday that I'm "semi-retiring" from Poynter and launching JimRomenesko.com. Buried in the Huffington Post story about my decision is news that I'm closing the Obscure Store after next week. I'll post "best of" OS&RR stories -- some of the "hits" -- in the remaining days and let you recall your favorite ones, tell us when you discovered Obscure Store, and share any other anecdotes.

HOW THIS SITE STARTED
For nearly a decade -- starting in 1989 -- I published a print "fanzine" called Obscure Publications. Its mission was to review fanzines and profile their editors. In early 1998, I decided to start selling fanzines online through a new site called The Obscure Store. My challenge was to get "customers" to my website. I decided to do that by linking to stories that I found interesting. I had general interest articles on the top of the page and "Media Gossip" items on the bottom half. In May of 1999 I decided to create a separate site -- MediaGossip.com -- for those media stories. It was a life-changing decision: the Poynter Institute heard about Media Gossip (via this story), hired me, and let me work on my own out of coffee shops in the Chicago area -- while paying me a salary that I never thought I'd make as a journalist.

THE OBSCURE STORE EVOLUTION
Over time, Obscure Store shifted from a general-interest news site to a weird-news site. As a former police reporter (and the author of Death Log), I was always attracted to those kinds of stories. Over the years, many similar sites launched -- Fark! -- and many of my readers drifted away. Those other blogs allowed comments, while I resisted them for a long time. Readers will probably remember that I allowed comments for a while, then pulled them after the discussions got out of hand. I eventually (2005?) reinstated them, realizing that I couldn't (and shouldn't) control every word and thought on my site.

I know I have some readers who've been with me from the start, and I'd love to hear their memories of the site's evolution. (I want to hear from Obscure Store "newbies" too!) What's always amazed me is how civil the comments section has (generally) been. While there've been dustups and disagreements, it's been rare when I've had to ban someone or delete an offensive comment. (Maybe I'm just missing them!) A great community has formed and one of my biggest regrets is breaking that up. But.... that doesn't have to happen. There's the Obscure Store page on Facebook where stories can be posted and comments can continue. It's up to you (and I'd be happy to put up stories, too).

So, that's that -- the end of a long and memorable run. Thanks, readers, for being with me for the ride!

> This Q&A about Obscure Store from 1999 remains one of my favorites

Jump to the eighth page of comments.

From 2006: Man sues over exposed genitals in yearbook photo

My summary of the story on July 16, 2006, said that the offending photo showed the student shooting a basket on a day he wore boxer shorts instead of a jock strap to the game. The story from New Jersey Law Journal remains online.

From 2005: Mall Easter bunny charged with harassment

We've had drunk Santas, pervy Santas, and this guy who disgraced the holiday rabbit uniform with his bad behavior. Here are some other "hits" from a few days in March, 2005:
* Coach accused of climbing to ceiling to watch girls undress
* Leprechaun robs laundry of $322 on St. Patrick's Day eve
* Auto-repair shop employee takes woman's SUV on 200-mile drive
* Man wants the right to have his eyes closed in license photo
* Woman who weighs 600 pounds is no longer allowed on city bus

From 2004: Killer/robber claims a "blue smurf" was in the bank

It's just another page of weirdness on the Feb. 26, 2004, Obscure Store -- "Man in diaper, pink tights nabbed after making day care visit" -- that includes a creepy masked man armed with a Barbie doll; a kid suspended for the SI swimsuit issue; and a dad spanking his daughter in front of a high school class.

From 2003: Traffic offenders get reprieve by singing Christmas carols

There are a lot of "keepers" on this OS&RR page from December 2003, including:
* Man is tired of woman sneaking into his yard to take care of his dog
* Seniors citizens calling for tax info get adult chat line instead
* Drive-thru customer gets a bank bag instead of her usual bagel
* Teen suspended for five days for swiping nuggets from the lunch line
* Mascot pops the question during high school basketball game

One thing we've learned: Fast-food lovers can get awfully testy!

The many excellent (if I may so myself) OS&RR offerings from October 1, 2003 included a story about a Burger King drive-thru customer who got out of her car, went into the restaurant and slapped an employee over a screwed up order. There's been a lot of fast-food violence reported on my site over the years!

From 2003: Cops catch semi-nude suspect fleeing in wheelchair

When people were nude in public and made the news, there was a good chance they'd be mentioned on The Obscure Store. My summary of a Jan. 30, 2003, story read this way:

Shane Michael Walton, 25, is suspected of breaking into and vandalizing two museums. He was nabbed as he tried to roll away from the scene of one crime in a wheelchair -- wearing only a top hat and cape that he apparently took from the museum.

There were a lot of great stories on this page (with a new design!), if I may say so myself. (You have to wait a second for The Wayback Machine jumps to the archived OS&RR page.)