When on tour, I find that I make some of my favorite images during the “free time” that is usually granted at the end of a particular visit. In this case, we were given an hour or so to prowl the streets of Helena, Arkansas. Most of our cruise passengers used the time to visit local museums, and do a bit of souvenir shopping. I used my hour to seek expressive photographs. Many of Helena’s shops were closed or vacant, but its lone music shop was still in business. Musical expression is at the core of this region of Mississippi valley. We would hear a gospel choir in a neighborhood church (see the two previous images), and the town also is widely known for its annual King Biscuit Blues Festival. For me, this long established music shop symbolized what Helena is all about. I talked with the man behind its counter, and he told me that the world seems to have forgotten this place. I asked him if I could photograph him, and caught his melancholy mood in this environmental portrait. He stands surrounded by musical instruments of all kinds, yet his store remains virtually empty of customers most of the time. In a world where most people now can buy anything on-line at a cheaper price, such establishments as this are an endangered species.