Elyria Store Does Wicked Awesome Airbrushing
BY NINA LALLI

What year is it? If you have to think about this at all, you might be in Lorain County. You may have noticed that it appears to be 1989 around these parts. If this offends your aesthetic sensibility, you lack the nostalgia which the the era of your youth deserves. Consider this

(photo from online source)

Outside the Bubble a public service, and realize that I toyed with the idea of keeping it a secret altogether. 
I was returning some motorcycle boots to the Harley Davidson store on Cleveland Street in Elyria (you should also go there — you can buy important paraphernalia) when I happened to glance across the street and notice Aerografix, a store offering airbrushing services. Yes, airbrushing — as in flames creeping down the side of your motorcycle, palm trees on your license plate, perhaps a Native American chief on the back of your leather jacket or a huge portrait of Jesus on your truck. This is the stuff that makes Ohio the magical style capital it is. No joke, I am not being ironic. This stuff fades out and becomes unattainable for many of us, then the eighties come back and Stella McCartney has Naomi and Christie in t-shirts with their pretty names airbrushed across their chests. You can’t afford to relive the eighties? Don’t let them rob you of your childhood.
Recall that scene in St. Elmo’s Fire when Demi Moore walks into her apartment and the camera lingers just long enough to allow a look at the huge Billy Idol airbrushed mural on the wall, his earring an actual light in the wall? This is the epitome of the powers of airbrush. You can own a little piece of that magic. 

The shocker here is that perhaps you have to leave New York to be ahead of the fashion game these days. Although the airbrush craze came and left the world of high fashion last year, airbrush is out, only if it comes in the form of a Chloe shirt. Clearly you are a sucker if you are wearing something inspired by down-and-dirty midwestern mall-rats that costs you several hundred dollars. Having an authentic, made-to-order, wicked-awesome airbrush item can never go out of style. A decent sized design on a jacket costs about $25. You can have a huge eagle on your back in a matter of minutes. However, you should be careful not to make these decisions flippantly. It’s crucial to consider the implications of which pop-culture icon you sport. I was drawn to the sunset beach scene, complete with palm trees and, obviously, my name in one corner — dot that “i” with a star, please. I dragged the guy behind the counter through a myriad of possibilities including cowboys, unicorns, couples embracing, weaponry, hearts, roses, etc. 
This can be a stressful decision, but don’t be shy about consulting with the amazing guy behind the counter, who clearly thought my friend, junior Emma Straub, and I were completely insane. Insane but charming. Keep in mind that he has seen it all before and is an artist. He understood my vision and assured me that it could become a reality. 

He made me feel I could trust him, because he had the same passion for his work as I have for my denim. He said things like, “I see it in a dark blue, and we can fade it out at the corners, maybe with a little splash of color behind.” I just stared back mesmerized and said, “That’s what I see too, dude.” I instantly removed my beloved denim jacket and placed it in his capable hands. I ended up with a mudflap girl silhouette on the back, my name on the front. We went with a chrome-tinted hot pink and purple. 
Straub plans to transport her entire wardrobe from Oberlin to Elyria for the express purpose of covering a portion of everything in some kind of airbrush motif. I wish I had a car. It would be ornamented with a cityscape or a night sky, a butterfly here, a lion there. This is why I was drawn to Oberlin. I have finally figured out my purpose.