Collector Charles Phoenix discovered thrift stores, or "museums of merchandise" as he likes to call them, when he was shopping for local theater costumes as a teenager. But it was in adulthood, when he stumbled upon a little blue shoe box filled with slides, that his simple interest blossomed into something more.

Charles began thrift shopping and estate sailing for slides like a maniac, and quickly started to segment the images he found into categories: world's fair, fast-food stands, men at work, alternative Christmas trees, women in the kitchen, miniature railroads, girls with dolls, boys with guns, taxidermy, and much more. After building up his collection, Charles approached the California Map and Travel Center, and began holding vintage slide shows for live audiences in Los Angeles.

"There's something about slides," says Charles. "The color is almost a little exaggerated, and it makes everything a little magical." Developed using a Kodak-invented process called Kodachrome, slides are the Rolls Royce of transparency film. Marketed to moms and pops after World War II, the medium is now extinct.

Caring for Slides
Slides should be stored in archival sleeves in a dark, cool room. They are a very hardy product -- as long as they are not subjected to extreme heat or moisture, Kodachrome slides will not deteriorate; if you have old family slides hanging around the house, take them to be scanned onto a DVD, but do not throw the slides away -- they'll outlive the DVD.

Resources
For more information about collector Charles Phoenix and to sign up for his Slide of the Week, visit godblessamericana.com.