In every size, color and theme, the postage comes from all over the world, with some stamps dating back to more than 100 years ago - and they're free for anyone to take.

They were put there by 95-year-old Brian Wood, a non-traditional collector, who wants to inspire people and maybe make them happy.

"There's a sign that says 'don't be greedy,' but as far as I'm concerned, they can take as many as they want," Wood said. "My purpose is to stimulate their imagination."

Wood has given Kaya Coffee & Tea Co., 1029 S. University St., thousands of stamps from his personal collection. He has between 50 and 60 pounds of stamps at his Mount Pleasant home, with as many as 2,000 stamps in a single pound, he said.

"I had decided I would give away stamps," he said. "Some people try to sell them, but that's not my style."

But, it's not the rarity or age of the stamps that makes them valuable, Wood says. It's the anecdotes that come with each.

"There's a story with every stamp, even if you might not know it," he said.

One stamp from Norway portrays what appears to be a doll. But, it's not, Wood explained. It's a decorative cover for an extra roll of toilet paper.

Another stamp, one of Wood's personal favorites, is a portrait of a young woman from Argentina. It immediately sparks a conversation about Wood's longtime fascination with the life of María Eva Duarte de Perón.

"A lot of people ask why they're there and you tell them and they're interested," said Kaya barista Meghan Borland. "Some people think they're stamps you can mail bills with. But everyone looks through them."

The Mount Pleasant sophomore has a large freezer bag filled with stamps with which she replenishes the bowl every time it runs low.

"It's cool when people come in and say the different things they do with the stamps. Some people frame them, some people make altered books, some people collage. One girl made a bracelet out of them," she said.

Wood moved to Mount Pleasant two years ago from Orlando, Fla., to live with his daughter after a family meeting with his children concluded that at his age, he shouldn't be living on his own.

"I knew I wouldn't know anyone here. I wouldn't have transportation so I set up projects as a way to pass the time."

As part of one of these projects, Wood re-picked up stamp collecting, an inexpensive hobby he enjoyed in his youth during the Great Depression. He hoped to create an alternative activity to help young children learn more about geography. When no one seemed to grab hold of the idea, he thought he'd try something different.

"It's gotten to the point where I give her (Borland) lots of stamps, several thousand," he said. "She picks out the ones that are interesting and puts them in the bowl."

Since a little over a year ago, Wood has been making the walk to Kaya from near Fancher Elementary School on Fancher Street using a walker. Weather permitting, he comes to Kaya every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and typically orders the same thing: one short decaf with creamer.

"(The coffee shop) - it's for students, not for old people, but my goodness they were very friendly and so I came back again," he said. "I sometimes talk to people and never approach people. I don't want to bother them."

"I see people looking over the stamps and they don't connect them with me. But, that's not why I do it," he said.

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