By: Rachel A. Curry
Throwing old junk out on the curb in Jacksonville is becoming a bit of a hot topic. Consider this a warning, if the old family sofa has been replaced by a new one, and the old sofa is found by C.J. Bahan on his bike ride, the old sofa will be seen on Facebook. Bahan will take a picture of the piece of furniture by itself, with his bike and then a selfie of himself getting comfortable with what was tossed. Rain or shine, hot, cold temperatures, no season will keep Bahan from taking a photograph that captures the absurdity of finding a piece of misplaced furniture outdoors.
“I kept posting photos to social media as a joke, and I guess the joke was on me because people like them,” Bahan said.
Each time Bahan goes to take pictures, an adventure awaits. He has jumped out of his vehicle to get pictures taken. His canoe, which was strapped to his car one time, even got captured in the moment. There have been times where people at home have looked out and seen what he was up to. Some people will stop and talk to him too. What has touched Bahan the most is when a woman who is a home healthcare provider, told him the elderly she takes care of love seeing his pictures, it makes their day. If people are enjoying his photos, he will keep taking them. “As long as it makes people happy, I will continue to do it,” he said
Bahan does not consider himself to be a mini-celebrity in Jacksonville. There is a running joke among the members of the Jacksonville Vent (forum) of social media celebrities. “I’ve been told I am one,” he said.
While Bahan has taken photos of discarded chairs, commodes, couches, even an office desk, he is also an environmentalist. He has even organized clean-ups for the Jacksonville Recreational Trails. “I am very against dumping,” he said. His photos have nothing to do with drawing attention to environmental needs.
The first picture Bahan took was two years ago in Jacksonville. In front of one of his family’s friends’ home was a piece of furniture. Bahan, who is a loyal bicyclist, then started taking pictures when he found furniture on his bicycle rides. His bicycle is in the pictures because many of the photos he takes even today, are when he is on his bike. Bahan credits the Jacksonville Vent (forum) with his popularity. The forum caused more people than just his friends to start telling him where he could find abandoned furniture. Dozens of people have contributed to the hundreds of photographs taken by Bahan.
Bahan is originally from Jacksonville, and currently resides there. He graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1996.
CUTLINE: C.J. Bahan of Jacksonville relaxes in just one of the many pieces of furniture he has found in Jacksonville. Numerous people tell him where to find discarded furniture as well. He has never kept any of his discovered treasures for himself.
