Bricks tend to have a story to tell. At least they hint at stories to be told. East of Seattle, in rural King County, near the confluence of the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers, lies the small town of Carnation (population 1,786).
The north wall of Miller's Mercantile in Carnation hints at a story. It has character and a little history. If you've seen Macklemore's "White Walls" video, you've seen this brick wall. The building currently houses Miller's Mercantile. Howard Miller passed away in 2013 at the age of 97. He founded Miller's Dry-Goods in 1938 and ran the business for decades. His obituary states that one could "set a clock by his 8:45am walk to work".
Mr. Miller was a town legend known at "the Stamp Man" and "Mr. Carnation". The local athletic field is named after him. He collected stamps his whole life. In 1996 he began volunteering in schools and would give each student a stamp, tell them the history behind the stamp and let them keep them. Mr. Miller was born on Leap Day. In Carnation, every four years they celebrate Howard Miller Day. Certainly a small town story.
