The end of March marked the end of a kind of era in Athens, a small hallmark of the changing character of downtown. Paul Thomas’ X-Ray Café has shut its doors(owing somewhat to rent increases) and will be forever relegated to Athens’ history. The lively, quirky, eclectic mishmash of a business was thoroughly enjoyed by many people over its 20-year lifespan and will be dearly missed. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Paul isn’t going anywhere, and will continue to make art and music and sell memorabilia online, and generally “keep on keeping on” in his unique way.

Pete McCommons

Paul Thomas

Thomas first ran his own business in 1987, when he and then partner, Joey Tatum, started their first vintage store on Hull Street called the Swap Club Carnival. Locals remember it as a place where you could find vintage clothes, books, records and interesting bric-a-brac at reasonable prices. This original incarnation evolved over the years as Thomas moved to four different downtown locations, and reworked his focus. More than simply running a store, Thomas was always interested in providing a kind of meeting place for the avant-garde. His bands practiced there, and tourists often sought it out. Even Thomas’ thrift shopping excursions to various country junk stores were open to anyone interested in rummaging side-by-side with him and stopping to eat questionable roadside food.

Most townie hipsters eventually wandered into Thomas’ store, like moths to a psychedelic flame. Initially captivated by his eye-catching artistic window displays (perhaps a four foot Easter bunny surrounded by Japanese lanterns, art books and vintage postcards), the crazy vinyl he played, or the video images he projected on the back walls, they were inevitably taken in by Thomas’ open and charismatic personality. He engaged his customers in a way that may have been off-putting for some, but for others was inspirational. Motivated by a desire to meet and associate with like-minded people, Thomas’ love of art and music, his intelligent curiosity and offbeat sense of humor made him like the cool uncle everyone wished they had.

“The place was definitely a focal point for thousands of people over the years,” Thomas says. “It was specifically geared to exposing people to the most up-to-date experimental pop music and film, and that was very popular. There were people from all over the world playing there. In 2004, we even got a grant to put a record out - an enhanced CD with some of my video art and about 12 tracks from groups who played there,” he adds.

These days, Thomas has been more focused on his artwork - now carried by the prestigious Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta and garnering some serious attention. His series of collages, "Portraits of the American Subconscious: Presidents, Clowns and Indians Chiefs," is on the gallery’s website. Three by four feet tall, some of Thomas’ images consist of textbook-looking color prints of American presidents who have been given a slightly demure overhaul. The "headshots" of Abe Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson look typical enough, except for the addition of a kind of Dippity-Do flip pasted to their austere heads. Thomas has revealed the feminine side of some of our founding fathers, giving the patriarchal hierarchy a little twist.

“I’m really busy with my art career. I’m working on a wonderful series of video portraits and have formatted around 12 so far,” Thomas says. Sublime and surreal, Thomas’ latest work, entitled "Portraits of the New Subconscious," expands the creative potential of the portrait, mining the nuances of the psyche as revealed in experimental video photography. These shapeshifting images are extremely compelling, and eerily similar to the masterworks of Francis Bacon.

Even though it appears that Thomas’ plate will continue to be full with his art and music, it does seem that downtown Athens will be a bit less colorful with his absence. He admits that he has seen Athens change a lot over the years: “When I came to Athens it had this spooky Southern gothic quality - it was a strange and beautiful Southern college town and because of that, it drew more outside people - but as more money came in, it didn’t necessarily make it more charming or give it more of a sense of community,” Thomas says. “You end up with a place that’s more homogenized and alienating for the community, instead of a place that draws a community together.”

With our small downtown and limited amount of commercial real estate, it seems only the really heavy-hitting moneymakers can stay in the game. The little coffee shops, galleries and stores that add to our local color are the first to fall as rents escalate. Sometimes referred to as "third places," these public buildings/businesses act as social meeting spaces separate from the environments of work and home. In his influential book, The Great, Good Place, Ray Oldenburg argues that "third places" are important for civil society and the establishment of a "sense of place." And when our “third place” meeting spaces disappear - or only consist of bars - will there be a lasting effect on the community? Thomas thinks so.

“Athens used to be filled with really genius interesting characters, artists, musicians record collectors… What is it that makes a community go from vibrant to blah?... It used to be really charming downtown and drew a big mix of people, but who wants to sit between a bunch of sports bars?” Thomas asks. “It’s kind of like a beach town. It's seasonal and these people don’t have a vested interest in the community. They just want to use their credit cards. They’re not bad people, just boring,” he adds.

Having said that, Thomas is still hopeful concerning the local art/music community - he merely wishes there were more places for those interested to meet and exchange ideas - a return to the café culture of old. “I think there are still interesting people out there. I think the local galleries like Athica are great. We need more places like that," he muses. "I still have that 'pop' sensibility - the whole idea is about liking things - it’s good to be positive.”

Christina Cotter

Paul Thomas will continue to sell books at the Jittery Joe’s on the Eastside, and vintage paraphernalia at Agora and online at http://stores.ebay.com/online-books-and-curios.