A funny thing happened when I went into Maps Unlimited at the Livery to buy a map to track where our readers are taking photos with their Weeklies: I discovered a map paradise. I knew it was heaven because of the music – not harps but classical music playing softly in the background.
While the proprietor helped other customers, I found treasure after treasure: globes of all hues and sizes on stands, travel games and stickers for children, maps mounted and hung on the walls, and a world map puzzle (only $16.95!) with 92 countries, 50 states and the 13 provinces of Canada each one of the 600 pieces. Near the door hangs a wooden map of the world with countries formed by trees native to the area, including bird’s eye maple, yellow cedar, alder and redwood. The store also carries travel accessories and more types of magnifying glasses than I ever imagined.
I eavesdropped as the owner, Peter Bedegi, helped the other customers. One couple was planning a trip to Germany and the Czech Republic and wanted to follow their adventures on a map. After some discussion and looking at various choices, Peter found them a map specific to the area of their trip. He ordered a map of Russia for someone else.
This personal service distinguishes shopping there from buying maps at bookstores or on the Internet plus, Peter said, folks like to actually see maps before buying. He knows his way around the world of maps so he can help people hone in on what they want. He also noted that more customers travel to his shop from around the Bay Area since Rand McNally closed its stores in San Francisco, Berkeley and Santa Clara.
Bedegi, 57, just returned from a trip visiting extended family in Hungary, where his parents originated. He was born in Austria, en route to the United States, where they settled in Idaho. His father offered a ticket to Europe to any of his children who graduated from college, and Peter took advantage of this after finishing the University of Idaho. On that trip, he first traveled to his parents’ village where he met many Bedegis and stayed in the house where his father and even his grandfather had been born.
He returned and settled in the Bay Area. In the mid-’70s, he and his wife had saved $13,000 and made an offer on a stately old house in Montclair for $39,000. They were outbid by $500. Instead of renewing their home search, they used the money to travel to Europe, buy a Volkswagen camper at the factory in Westphalia, and spend two years visiting 38 countries on the continent as well as the Mideast and North Africa. They camped at the foot of the Great Pyramid at Giza and climbed up its face the next morning, ignoring a guard who shouted at them before turning to other business. Peter’s face lights up as he tells of the view at the top – the Sphinx right in front with sprawling Cairo and the green Nile valley in the distance and, on the other side, the vast barren desert. Soon they were joined by an Egyptian university student who spoke English and they ended up dining together that evening. This is just one of his many travel stories.
Great Britain was their last stop, where they – and their van – boarded a Russian ship to sail to New York. It docked at the 42nd Street pier, where customs officials told them they should not have treated the VW as though it were a big suitcase; their belongings should have been packed into boxes. Peter blamed the Russians and customs waved them through.
Peter worked for many years selling printing in the East Bay, and his wife became a financial consultant. But he often frequented Maps Unlimited, located at the time in San Ramon. In 1996, the owner mentioned he was looking to sell the store and Peter recalled that it sounded like fun so he made the career move. He soon moved the store to the Livery, which he says is a much better location.
By the way, the Bedegis did get into the local housing market and raised two children in a house they built in Pleasanton. Peter said he occasionally drives by the big house in Montclair but has no regrets over not buying it at that low price. As a matter of fact, he calls being outbid “the best thing that ever happened.” Now there’s a man who appreciates travel – and helping others find their way in the world.
