Inside Dharma Emporium, the psychedelic thrift shop on Kirkwood Avenue that sells a cluttered and expansive array of all things ‘60s and ‘70s, it takes only a moment for owner Rick Barbrick to point out his favorite possession. It is a framed photograph, enlarged to almost triple its original size, of a 26-year-old Barbrick, jubilant with a wide smile, wedged between Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong.\nThat picture, one of the few items in the store not for sale, hangs slightly crooked on one of the pale, purple walls, just to the right of where Barbrick sits behind the counter. Now 55, Barbrick looks almost nothing like his former self. The top of his head is bald, and the hairs that remain intertwine in a mix of white and gray strands that hang wispily around his ears. He is tan and thin, like in the picture, but he now has a slight gut that pooches out against a faded white and pink tie-dyed shirt. He wears Teva sandals, and from his neck hangs a tattered IU lanyard. His eyes, a clear, sea-blue color, bulge ever so slightly out of their sockets. \nBarbrick admits that business has never been great, so he’s had to supplement his income through online book sales. It’s been difficult keeping Dharma Emporium at the same space on Kirkwood for the last 10 years, he said, especially since his rent recently increased by $400 per month.\nBecause of this, he has decided not to renew his lease next year. The store will close its doors in October 2008.
The hippie business\nTapestries, hemp necklaces, glass pipes, old Moody Blues records, tie-dyed dresses, Converse sneakers, concert posters – these only begin to fill the messy and eclectic space that is Dharma Emporium. Barbrick purchased the store in 1995 from a man named Dave Zintel, who he said looked and lived the part of a hippie. He said the acquisition of the store, then located in downtown Indianapolis, came together partly by chance. \n“I just walked in as a shopper and I found out Dave was looking to sell and I just thought, ‘Gosh, if it came to pass, what an opportunity,’” he said, shaking his head. “I thought ‘Man, if someone is going to buy this store, they are going to be a lucky person.’”\nIn 1997, Barbrick moved Dharma Emporium to Bloomington, and he settled into his first location on 15th Street. When he heard that a space on Kirkwood was available for rent, he jumped at the opportunity. \n“When I managed to get this place, I thought my financial troubles would be over,” he said. “I’m still here, but it’s been tough.”\nAt the moment, Barbrick is the store’s sole employee. He works an average of 60 hours per week, and though he’s had hired help in the past, the store has never generated enough revenue to keep additional employees around for long. He hasn’t taken a day off in years. But he’s happy doing what he does, and said it truly has been a labor of love. \n“The business just hasn’t been popular,” he said. “I’ve had some good months, but this is a town where people come and go. I depend on word-of-mouth, and this is a niche market. But I knew that when I bought it.”
Bohemian dreams\nThe store is not only a reflection of its proprietor, but of the time period it so authentically represents. \nBarbrick’s interest in the counterculture began in 1970 when he was a freshman at IU. The son of two conservative parents, he grew up in Indianapolis and attended a Catholic, all-boys high school. IU was different than anything he had ever experienced growing up.\n“I remember my employer at the grocery store saying before I went to school, ‘You’re an all-American boy now, but you’re gonna go to IU and you’re going to change,’” he said. “I wouldn’t say that I became a hippie, but I interacted with some who certainly seemed to be.”\nBarbrick spent the next few years at IU, but didn’t graduate. He decided to go back to Indianapolis and began working at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in 1976, where he stayed for 19 years. The job paid well, he said, and for eight straight years he never missed a single day of work. \nBut Barbrick was ready for a change the day he walked into Zintel’s emporium. He applied for a $30,000 loan and got it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Traveling on\nIn looking back at the past 11 years, Barbrick said he’s completely satisfied with his decision to purchase and run Dharma Emporium. Though he had to make sacrifices, he said he’s pleased he did something for himself. \n“I consider it a personal accomplishment,” he said. “I’m happy about what I’ve done. I’ve sold a lot of cool things at a fair price.”\nOnce the store closes, Barbrick, who is unmarried, will expand his online book business. He will go to Nebraska, the only state in the continental U.S. he has yet to see. He will continue to religiously watch “Antiques Roadshow.” \nHe will, for the first time in a number of years, relax.
