Waking Up At Walmart by photographer Nolan Conway explores the little known world of people who stay in Walmart parking lots.
As you may or may not know, Walmart has a policy (at most stores) that allows travelers to spend the night for free in their parking lots. Some of the people who take advantage of the mega-store's policy are sometimes homeless who sleep in their cars or people traveling in their RVs who didn't want to spring for a hotel. Some spend the night in spacious luxury RVs, others are huddled up in cramped cars or vans, but what unites them all is the Walmart parking lot.
Walmart lots are a place Conway is intimately familiar with, having stayed in plenty of them when he used to be out on the road, before starting his Waking Up At Walmart series.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Parking Lot Living
- Developing affordable and nomadic living solutions that can transform parking lots into temporary homes.
- Alternative Accommodation
- Creating alternative accommodation options for travelers who cannot afford hotels or prefer mobile living arrangements.
- Photographic Storytelling
- Exploring photography as a powerful storytelling medium to shed light on unseen or misunderstood communities.
Where This Applies
- Real Estate
- Real estate companies can develop mobile and affordable housing solutions that can accommodate individuals who prefer to live a nomadic lifestyle.
- Hospitality
- Hospitality companies can create alternative accommodation options for travelers, including overnight parking lots with basic amenities such as toilets and charging stations.
- Art and Photography
- Photographers and artists can leverage their skills to capture and tell the stories of marginalized communities like parking lot dwellers, creating awareness and empathy.
