Visual Art

A Mural on Wax Paper

local artist gives familiar building a “face” lift

Mitchell See, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

 
WINDOW DRESSING. Water Street’s Wax Paper bookstore tapped local muralist Cyndee Kaiser for a makeover.

Many of you probably have wandered past a business on the corner of Water Street and Sixth at some time or another, wondering what it was, or if it was even open. Boarded up windows might have kept you from peeking inside, or discouraged you from taking the risk of venturing in. Well, not any more. The garage-turned used bookstore known as Wax Paper is changing that with a big helping hand from local muralist and illustrator Cyndee Kaiser.

Bringing some extra color and a lot of creativity to the storefront, questioning what this shop has to offer will be a thing of the past. Since you cannot actually look into the business still, the mural is supposed to give you a sense that the place is not only open, but also that the famous authors portrayed are almost inviting you in to read with them. (Test your literary knowledge and see if you can name all six of them before coming inside.)

After meeting with the owner of Wax Paper, Cyndee said they wanted to do something to “brighten up” that end of Water Street and find a way to connect it more with downtown. Calling the building “A bookend,” they thought it would hold together the buildings between there and downtown, almost giving them a sense of unity.

This head-turning piece of art is definitely worth taking a second look, as are the books inside, so don’t hesitate to stop in and check it out.