The curiosity shoppe

North End

You wouldn’t expect to find nostalgia in a lawyer’s office. After all, for the past 25 years Don Buikus, 68, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., has dealt with the practical needs of his clients, regarding real estate, probate law and much more. Yet the shelves and cabinets in his suite of offices overflow with highlights of his past and openly reflect his irrepressible love of collecting curios.

It all began when Buikus moved into his windowless inner space. To make it more interesting, he began filling the walls with assorted items that remind him of his past. Some items recall the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead or el Día de los Muertos. As a student, he spent two years in Mexico. Gazing at the deli photos,recalls his fun-filled youth growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. A framed Cuban cigar reveals him as an ex-smoker.

A large dog bed in one corner invites a query, “That’s where my dog Stella sleeps,” he said. “She’s a ‘Velcro dog,’” he explained. “Stella insists on sticking close”.

The vizsla – a Hungarian breed – spends most of her days keeping him company while he works.

I leisurely inspect his treasures. A framed newspaper article pinned to his outer office wall is headlined “A People’s Lawyer.” The father of four said his collection grew naturally oveg the years and friends were happy to add to it. A bodiless hand cradles an 18-inch sword that he forged himself and google-eyed coconut figures stare out beside an oversize cup stating, “I work hard to give my dog a better life”.

I see a cabinet in the corner brimming with miniature porcelain figurines, once shipped from China or Japan. I remember seeing similar items when I was a child. How I would have loved them.

Then something in the corner catches my eye. On a varnished crate, with FRAGILE printed on its side, stands a leg lamp. It’s identical to the one from the 1983 film A Christmas Story. On glorious display, the curvaceous leg is covered in a black net stocking. In the film, the husband expects the wife to be as thrilled as he us when he wins the lamp in a newspaper contest. But she can’t wait to get rid of it.

I asked Buikus to describe his wife’s reaction to the gift, sent to him 15 years ago. He chuckled and admitted that his wife of 35 years wasn’t pleased. She diplomatically suggested the best place for it was in his office.

Leaning next to the lamp is a Red Ryder Carbine 200-shot BB gun, like the one in the film. In the popular movie, which has become a classic, nine-year-old Ralphie, who has longed for this Christmas present, gets in his wish but then has a near-tragic accident when the BB gun ricochets. Shaken by his experience, he decides not to use it again. Still, he’s delighted to have received this much-desired gift from his dad, and he falls asleep with it tightly cradled in his arms. I’m not surprised that Buikus has a similar appreciation for this ancient artifact.

Surrounded by memorabilia, the down-to-earth lawyer reflects on the present. His clients live in the surrounding area. “They don’t have to travel to Miami for an hour to deal with a high-priced litigator,” he declared. “I really like to help people”.

It’s nice to meet someone who still celebrates old-fashioned values. Filled with discord and upheaval, the U.S. has become a curiosity shoppe, where consideration and empathy for others are forgotten relics of the past.

A leg lamp and Red Ryder BB gun (as seen the film classic The Christmas Story) are part of the prized curio collection of Florida lawyer Don Biukus.