Balloons, Outside the Perimeter, Oct 2013
2013tarascos
The billboard for the Tarascos Mexican Restaurant in Cartersville, Georgia disagrees with the spelling for Torascos on the more temporary Daily Specials sign stuck to the fence, but I didn't notice this when I took the photo. What I saw was that bright red shiny truck echoing the red field on the sign, and those balloons gaily inviting one to dine, none of which would be as eye-catching without the odd chalet-type structure behind it of the wasteboard situation stuck upon what looks like a legitimately old stone structure. What is this thing? The establishment purports to do taxes and is also a barber shop, but I'm skeptical. A sales listing for the site states it was formerly a restaurant, which is the point at which this structure begins to maybe make sense (or maybe not). The downstairs is office space now while the upstairs is a 640 square foot one bedroom "home". It's prime billboard leasing space for $125 a month, which is perhaps why the owner thought they could get away with trying to sell it for nearly $400,000 in 2016 after purchasing it for $100,000 in 2012. The property sold for $180,000 in 2019. Living in an area that is still pretty rural yet having your living room's view blocked by a billboard would seem pretty damn discouraging ("It's easy money in your pocket, honey, don't complain!"), and begs a story about a young woman who doesn't own the property, she just rents the upstairs apartment and wakes up every morning to the monstrosity of the billboard. Then one day instead of advertising accountants or lawyers or restaurants the billboard instead has on it the beautiful palm-adorned beach sands of Anitgua. "You belong here" the billboard reads, which she determines is a personal invitation to escape to paradise. And perhaps it is. But how shall she get to Antigua on the money that she makes waitressing at Tarascos, which barely affords her rent.
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