Business of nostalgia could be industry of the future

The Taipei shop is described by Flavorwire.com as “almost utilitarian but filled with simple old-world grace” that resembles “what we might imagine our ideal ship's main cabin to look like.” In addition to a small collection of mainly architecture and design books curated by the owner, the petit shop also sells unlikely articles of nostalgia such as handmade iron nails, vintage metal locks, old typing machines and oil-paper envelopes.

The shopkeeper at VVG (short for Very Very Good) Something told The China Post that since the local media reported on the website's accolade, she has seen significant increase in visitor flow to the place, which began as a hobby of the restaurant-running owner.

People have been drawn to nostalgia throughout history. What people are experiencing now, however, is nostalgia specific to the revival of senses increasingly truncated by cutting-edge technologies.

What “old-world grace” shops are mainly offering are not the items of the past — who would need a handmade metal nail, after all? — but more importantly the sounds, smells and textures of ages bygone. In an era of unscratchable touch screens and sleek, perpetually Internet-connected devices that seem to smoothen all the edges of the world, people suddenly find themselves yearning for the reassuring roughness of the imperfect.

While digital cameras have replaced analog models as the mainstream photo taking device, and are themselves being replaced by smartphones, currently many of the popular camera apps are ones that allow users to create slightly out-focused or excessively saturated “vintage photos.” In an age of computer-generated action blockbusters and 3D adaptations, the most-talked-about picture in Hollywood this year is a black-and-white mime called “The Artist.”

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