Pro Forma Nails

There is a ubiquitous category of shop (e.g. cafe, laundromat, bar) called "nails", that most people couldn't name. No one would say they're "going to a nails", but the name clearly exists. I am intrigued by this disconnect.

Thousands of independent business owners all converged on a naming convention, presumably by market forces. I am galled by this effect of capitalism.

There are countless human stories playing out around us all the time. Some of them have a nails as their stage. I am reminded of this reality by noticing these liminal places.

When I visit somewhere, or even travel near home, it's easy to take the same routes over and over. I am motivated to see new neighborhoods in pursuit of photos.

Nails exist worldwide, so distant friends can participate. It's like a global treasure hunt. I am playing a shared game with all of them, and each photo is a tiny gift.

The names are goofy.

The ground truth of every post comes from the primary sign on a physical storefront. Secondary signage and external indexes (e.g. Google Maps) aren't considered. All tags can be identified (and reevaluated) based on this sign.

An #archetypal nails has signage like "X nails", where "X":

Is a 1-2 word adjective phrase

Is not a person's name

Uses equal or smaller sized font than "nails"