Andrew Middleton: “There’s something poetic about running a map store.”

Very Expensive Maps

In early 2023 GIS analyst and cartographer Andrew Middleton saw a tweet about Andy Nosal’s search for someone to take over The Map Center, Nosal's map shop in Pawtucket, RI; six months later Middleton left California to move into one of the last map retail stores in the U.S. We discuss his goal of turning the shop into an inviting retail space and field trip destination, inciting new maps of New England with cartographic challenges, making space for local and expressive maps, and summing it all up with “This is a thing I get to do with my life; how amazing is that?” Bonus: former owner Andy Nosal joins us to drop pearls of retail wisdom and confirm that Andrew has the “irrational drive in the right direction” needed for this biz. Next time you're in Pawtucket drop by mapcenter.com

• @themapcenter on IG
• Anne Hall Antique Prints
• Muncie Map Company
• Schein & Schein
• The Map Shop
• City Maps coloring book by Gretchen Peterson
• Landforms of the United States by Erwin Raisz
• Maps by Great Swamp Press
• Lay O’ The Land Rhode Island map by Legend Bicycles
• RI map embroidery kit by Savory Stitch
• All Mapped Out coasters
• All Over the Map by Betsy Mason & Greg Miller
• Hugg-A-Planet Globe Pillows

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