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L.A. County Coroner building entrance. Photo: Eric Gonzalez
Considering how death rates trend upward during the holiday season, this macabre December 25 New York Times article profiling the L.A. Coroner’s Skeletons in the Closet store is oddly timely. (Still, it probably would’ve been better timed before Christmas to help last-minute shoppers needing gift ideas for those hard-to-please people on their lists.)
Ever on the lookout for interesting L.A. stories to forward me, my Atlanta writer pal Hilda Brucker spotted and emailed the article just as Eric Gonzalez, my photographic partner in crime, happened to be touring East L.A. cemeteries with his camera. One quick text was all it took for him to swing by the morgue and snap some pics. (Talk about oddly timed coincidences!)
Ironically, while bemoaning the shop’s moribund profits, the article had this to say about the clientele:
“Everyone who comes in here is kind of weird,” said Edna Pereyda, who handles the shop’s day-to-day operations. “Why else would you come here?”
Ouch! I resent that insinuation!
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Photo: Eric Gonzalez
I visited the L.A. Coroner’s store about six years ago and still have the nifty baseball cap and beach towels I purchased — definitely quality items that continue to generate plenty of conversation today. Perhaps it’s time for another buying spree before the little shop of horrors ultimately goes belly up.
