Tent and I strolled the remainder of the afternoon along Zin Sasi's central street, in front of the stores. He had put much effort into this being a hipster haven, and it succeeded. The town was alive with consumers browsing through the vintage stores, drinking specialty coffee, and photographing the quirky murals on the red brick walls. It was all part of Tent's strategy—appeal to the trendsetters, then watch the suburban family types follow, and finally the snowbirds. It was a vicious circle, and he was excellent at maintaining it.

For now, at least, I was enjoying myself. There was something comforting about digging in for old toys and baubles...