The Cafe is about coffee, but the collection itself can be either a walk down memory lane, or a glimpse into literary history. People should be going in for the coffee, and a nice spot to rest, but the books are amazing. If they’re interested at all in browsing/buying/reading some vintage stuff, this is the place to go. All the items in the store are pieces that Max himself has collected over the years and he could probably tell you a story about each and every one.
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How did you come up with the concept of Pulp Fiction?
Well pulp is the name of cheap paper, and these novels weren't made to last. They were made to just read and throw away basically. That is one of the reasons they are so rare, because people never kept them. If they keep them they were all dog eared and torn up. To find one in nice shape is hard. So that's the reason we started making the images. Then I wanted a concept that would marry well to the antiques and the books and I thought that coffee would be the best thing. The whole concept of everything being retro ties together very well.
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What would you say you're passionate about in relation to your store Pulp Fiction?
I like the images on all of the old books. My criteria for buying a book was it had to be old and in good shape, but I wanted it with a dust jacket. If you have a book with a dust jacket it can be ten fold the price of one without the dust jacket. Regardless, the thing that grabbed me was the image. Most of the images on the books tell the whole story if the artist has done the job properly. So basically I'm very passionate about the images on the books and the stories they tell. You don't see books like this anymore.
What were you doing before you opened up Pulp Fiction?
I was in the oil business for many years.
Have you thought about opening Pulp Fiction for a longtime or was it just a random idea that you decided to act on?
Well I've always thought that I would do this. I've been collecting for many years. It's basically been over forty years of warehousing. I also wanted something to keep me busy for when I retire, so it's working quite well! I don't golf, so I have got to keep busy with something! It's great seeing all the customers who have come in already, a lot of them are very passionate and excited to find all the things we have throughout the store.
Has there been anything like this in Kelowna before?
No, there's nothing that makes it this accessible, especially marrying the three concepts together like this. Coffee, antiques, and books! There's a shop in Los Angeles, Chicago, something in Toronto that's similar, but nothing quite like ours.
What are your goals for Pulp Fiction?
Basically just educate the young people. I'm really eager to get the university crowd in and retro 50's really seems like it's coming around again. I'd like to introduce them to things that I used to take for granted. It's all new to them, and to me, well I've been around a lot longer, and been around it all my life.
Do you have any general comments that you would like to say to your customers?
I just want people to not feel any pressure to buy anything, I want them to feel comfortable. The books up front are books that anyone can sit and read. I want people to just have a coffee and relax. There's no pressure to move on. I've got the fastest internet downtown so people can come and do their homework. I want it to be a hang out for the younger crowd, it keeps me young! We're offering incentives to university crowds and giving them a break in price. We also have a fireplace so we can create a nice ambiance. It will pick up a lot in the winter I think. We also have two groups that are coming in and reading poetry, and two groups coming in to do theatre night, so I want to encourage that type of thing as well. I basically want to be fun for everybody!
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