Until it closed last year, Monarch Novelties was the only souvenir store in Washington, D.C., that sold campaign memorabilia exclusive to the three presidential elections of the 1960s. The store was an oddity, a decaying building on 14th Street that, for more than 80 years, trafficked in eccentricities: not just Kennedy– and Nixon-era nostalgia but also carnival trinkets, defective bingo sets, and false teeth. It was one of the last remaining fixtures of a weirder, seedier side of the city that urban revitalization has all but wiped out in the last two decades.

Monarch was owned and staffed by Douglas Robinson, one of 11 children in a sprawling Catholic family, all of whom were brought up in the carnival business. Robinson lived above the store, and his health was poor. All day, he sat by the front door, which he kept locked. He only allowed in customers who rang the bell, promised not to take pictures of his merchandise, and paid in cash. For decades, he refused to sell the store, despite many offers. When he changed his mind last year, he passed the place on to Drew Mitchell, a trusted neighbor who, in a statement, promised to “bring the Monarch building back to its original beauty while also preserving its unique, rich history and character.”