Photographer Lisa Kereszi is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this social documentary photography. These images are from her project ‘Joe’s Junk Yard‘. To see Lisa’s body of work click on any image.
What was the junkyard like yesterday, Nannie?
Same as always—lousy. Not too many customers.
— From a conversation with my grandmother,
When I was growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania, my father ran an automotive junkyard founded by his father after World war II, and my mother ran a series of small antique shops. I was surrounded by junk. My mom routinely dragged us out of bed at sunrise to go to the flea markets and yard sales, in search of treasure–a painting by a famous artist, a valuable piece of pottery, or an important document or silver certificates stowed in the backing of a frame. My dad ran the family business, and started a motorcycle department to satisfy his second, more pressing interest: Harley Davidsons. He built one of his motorcycles from the ground up, using parts he acquired in the business. I was shaped by the idea that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This story is about one family’s version of the American Dream – earned, and then lost, through a series of personal tragic events coupled with a larger, fast-changing post-industrial and cultural landscape. In business for over fifty years, the gates were closed, and JOE’S sign changed to read “LOU’S,” in 2003.
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By Lisa Kereszi