A heartfelt “goodbye” message from NOMAD to Germantown. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

How does the infamous bold NOMAD face, looming across Germantown, transcend from being a divisive topic in local Facebook groups into a shared symbol of community?

Well, when a local artist has the chance to experiment with space for three months, anything is possible.

And that’s how you got the Good Samaritan Clubhouse.

The clubhouse launched on March 17 of this year and lived a double life — harmoniously — as both a consignment shop and a space for other artists and makers to sell their work, while also serving as a chill spot and a third place.

It’s where some folks, oftentimes repeat visitors, would sit for hours at a time and meet new people, and circumstantially find themselves purchasing a few things (guilty!). 

And that’s no mistake; it’s by design.

The thought of a multi-purpose space is one the street artist has had for years. But, a push from the Our House Culture Center owner, Courtney Childs, finally changed things for him.

The clubhouse came as part of the Our House Residency, offered by Childs, where artists and makers use the space for a month to bring their imagination to life and connect with larger audiences.

Watching NOMAD’s imagination brought to life put a whole new meaning into “see the magic to feel the magic,” leading Childs to extend his residency by a month, a first for the OH owner.

A considerable amount of that magic was put on display by Dame, the clubhouse’s steward, who sought to get any and everybody inside.

“He did not let a person walk past this door. He did not let a car be sitting at the red light and just glancing over at the store. He’d be like, ‘Hey, what’s up? You want to come in?’ And people would pull over, and people would come in,” Childs shared.

The steward serves as the model Good Samaritan, showing and giving love to any and everyone who enters or passes by the door.

On some days, I’ve witnessed the steward win the hearts of children by giving them free items. Other days, like during the shop’s closing celebration last Saturday, I’ve watched him meet what appeared to be strangers at their cars outside, only to later realize he’s helping a nearby neighbor carry groceries to their door.

“I’m gonna have to start picking up trash bags again,” Childs laughs, revealing that she hasn’t taken out a single ounce of trash since Dame’s presence. She calls him a “great support.”

The number one rule

For Dame, it’s not about extending kindness based on the person or the ability, but understanding the clubhouse’s number one rule: “Read the room.” 

“I grew up in a house where you didn’t sit around and watch people work. If it’s a cookout, if it’s a birthday party, or anything that needs cleaning, everybody in the house is cleaning,” shared the clubhouse steward.

“If you see someone could use a hand, why not help?” he asks. Plus, he says he gets it back in other ways.

But, it’s the flair filled with care that you can’t find in other places that helps to set the vibe and keeps folks coming back to the clubhouse. And it’s what brought folks out for a final goodbye on Saturday night, June 20, after a last-minute call on social media.

“I found out today is the last day, and I’m sad because it’s like my living room,” said nearby neighbor and certified Good Samaritan, Braylynn Nahja.

She’s one of many repeat visitors to the Clubhouse, as mentioned, going at least 2-3 times per week. While it’s easy for her, as a lover of thrift shops, to appreciate the retail aspect, she believes the social aspect has far more impact on why she spends her time coming back.

She says that being able to stop by for a general hello or having the opportunity to meet a new person boosted the social cache of the space, elevating it from just a shop to a gathering place.

“We talk a lot about third places, and this was definitely one of them. We talk about finding ways to gather community with the culture and with art. This was definitely a space for that,” Nahja expressed.

Nahja’s love for the space can be seen in the many uploads on the shop’s Instagram, where they celebrate all the folks who come through.

Good vibes, good business

The ease in the atmosphere, ironically, lent itself as an unofficial, yet omnipresent, support for the buyer experience. Coupled with the average affordability of thrift stores, this is undoubtedly the case for Bakari Clark, another Germantown resident.

“Even today, I came in and the first thing I started doing was dancing to music and sitting down,” she shared. “So, it’s kind of like a mix of energy and what feels comfortable.”

In the clubhouse’s three-month lifespan, Clark says she got out to it at least three times, a habit not often practiced for other shops. She’s also recommended the space and brought friends during her trips.

Local DJ Isaac ‘Heat Wav’ Rowland-Townsend calls the space an “interesting model,” giving additional affirmation to Clark’s sentiments.

“In a lot of retail settings, you kind of feel like you might not want to linger that much… you don’t see it that often where there’s a communal vibe to the store, unless maybe a coffee shop,” said the DJ.

Rowland-Townsend credits a sense of collective autonomy that the community is instilled with through the shop steward’s laid-back and trusting nature. He notes examples like not roaming and surveilling people in the shop, whilst a variety of items, both upscale and consigned, sit in and out of the shop.

“You know, we’ll watch the shop for five or ten minutes while Dame runs to get food,” the DJ shares, revealing one of the other ways Dame gets his kindness back. Only Heat Wav’s laughs could validate what he calls the most “organic” experiences fostered through little displays of trust.

It’s this underlying theme of trust that begins to be the cycle in which one can see how the Good Samaritan Clubhouse was able to thrive, as it’s not just a theory, but a praxis for all those who enter the space.

Trust is extended and always present, whether it’s Dame on a hiatus with loyal customers assuming a 15-minute volunteer shift within the Clubhouse to watch over it, or NOMAD giving Dame the green light to be able to operate the Clubhouse in ways he feels are best without restriction.

One can only imagine how many organic experiences had, based on the growing number of people that continued to fill the indoor space and the outside section, between what was supposed to go from 7-10 p.m., but skirted a bit closer to midnight.

NOMAD states that the energy of the Good Samaritan Clubhouse was merely a reflection of its Germantown roots, saying it’s a thing he couldn’t see anywhere else in the city or beyond, whether pop-up or full storefront.

He says the clubhouse also served as a reminder that there should be no confusion about whether Mt. Airy spills over past Johnson Street. 

It’s a mistake he thinks is often made, and you’ll catch a reminder if you walk past the Freedom Park sign right down the street.

“Germantown has all the culture,” he clarifies, reminding folks why those big yellow letters spelling “G-Town” hovered over the shop on the wall.

For NOMAD, watching a concept turn into a reality just around the corner from where he grew up is only what can be defined as a dream come true.

“My whole world started on Duval Street,” said the mind behind the concept shop. “And then I have a shop that’s right down the street from it.”

He says he’s proud to walk in the footsteps of the local legends who have helped make the 6300 block of Germantown the historical thriving Black corridor that neighbors remember it as, mentioning late names like Lucien Crump, James Paige, Deborah Gary, Charlie Grey, and even his old childhood barber.

When asked what it feels like to go from being a debate-sparker in the neighborhood on what art is — a subject where his street tags always seemed to rock the boat — to a symbol of community, NOMAD is clear that while it could be attributed to evolution, it’s much simpler. 

“I’m not one way,” he said. “This was to show another side of me.”

It’s a classic life lesson – you can’t judge something until you see all sides of it. 

But that doesn’t mean you should never expect him to lose his original flair, or the “Bad Guy,” he laughs (shout out to Freedom Park). He says the part of him that has evolved, and is still learning, is picking and choosing the battles worth fighting.

I asked NOMAD if there was anyone he wanted to give credit to for the success of the clubhouse, to which he named Dame, Childs, and one uncredited individual in this whole process – Matthew George.

Dame, for the obvious, Childs for being a “catalyst” for arts and culture in the neighborhood, and George for doing all the invisible labor some folks didn’t get to see, from event planning to sourcing items to crafting promotional materials.

“I want folks to know that if Dame is Jordan, Matt’s Pippen,” NOMAD said.

And just like that… what was just a routine for some neighbors is now a memory that lives on in Instagram feeds, iPhone photo albums, and maybe even some camera SD cards. 

But I think I need to be clear. Memories could never compare to what I got to sit in on and document over the past three months, helping to inform this very piece. What happened at 6380 Germantown Avenue over the past three months can only be described as once-in-a-lifetime.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because we got to witness,” Braylynn Nahja advises all who did get to see the magic.

Some of that appreciation was cultivated in the final cheers of last Saturday night, where all the Good Samaritans raised their red cups in salute to all the things and people that made this clubhouse a home.

The future looks clear for the street artist, who is currently taking a brief break. But, in true mysterious fashion, he tells folks to “stay tuned.”