You could get people together and do something at the drop of a hat. Over the past decade, Normals has narrowed its focus to selling books and music, shed five of its nine original owners, and moved from building to building along East 31st Street. The secret, according to Berndt, Wondolowski, and fellow owners Alfred Merchlinsky and Walt Novash, is the role the store plays in the community. Open seven days a week, it's a stable place on a sometimes unstable block. Students from Johns Hopkins University come in to buy and sell books and records throughout the semester.
Collectors visit from as far as Great Britain and Japan to peruse the stock.
When the store's residential neighbors voted in a blanket condemnation of live music in the neighborhood, the Red Room's supporters rallied, joining the neighborhood association and helping to smooth over the residents' concerns. And there's always the scene at the counter, where employees Blaster Al Ackerman and Courtney McCullough hold court, offer opinions on request, and tolerate customers who bark, growl, and sometimes refuse to leave at closing. Normals itself is a scene, with the landscape alternating between signed first editions and the goofy album covers that grace the walls. Framed newspaper articles and postcards decorate the store, and anything from opera to James Brown pumps out of the speakers. Merchlinsky says Normals isn't subject to the same business challenges as independent booksellers who specialize in new books and are watching their customers flock to superstores.