Have you ever sat and thought about the person behind the counter who is making your sandwich? If you go to West Duluth's Erberts & Gerbert’s, located on the corner of Grand Avenue West and 45th Avenue West, you are likely to meet Bradley Barrows, who is not your average sandwich maker. Barrows is a 29-year-old resident of West Duluth who not only loves interacting with his customers, but also loves the outdoors and photography. Originally from Eau Claire, Wisc., Barrows moved to the Northland in the early 2000s. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior and majored in both photojournalism and mass communication.
Barrows has been working at Erberts & Gerbert's for about three years now. The correlation between Barrows' degree and current job may puzzle many, but once you meet Barrows, his career choices are quite interesting.
In fact, Barrows also runs a personal photography venture, Hopeless Abyss Medium Photography. At Hopeless Abyss Medium, Barrows has done many photography jobs, from weddings to birthdays and band concerts. Outside of this though, there is nothing Barrows loves more than getting outside and photographing nature.
“My hometown Eau Claire doesn’t have as much nature as here," Barrows said. "The outdoors life in this area is just great."
Those who are around Barrows on a consistent basis notice his passion for the life outdoors.
“If the weather wasn’t so cold here, you probably would catch Bradley living outdoors with his camera," said Paul Whyte, editor of the Reader Weekly.
Whyte and Barrows met at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and have worked side-by-side on photojournalism projects.
“I know Brad primarily for our shared interest of music, politics and horror movies,” Whyte said.
Another thing that many people do not know about Barrows is that he has actually been to about half of the United States and captured memories of a lifetime.
People often ask Barrows why he chooses to work at Erberts & Gerbert’s when he could be making more money doing something he loves.
“Photography is mainly a hobby for me now," he responds. "It’s time consuming for me, and now it’s just an expression for me rather than a job. Plus, I love people."
Barrows is just a typical, every day resident of West Duluth who loves photography. He gives families and people in the community memories of a lifetime when he works at events such as weddings, birthdays and band concerts.