Walter Kozbiel had a question for me: "Do you want to know what the square root of my badge number in reverse is?"
Sure, I said.
The answer, he told me is 77, the same number of papers that Walter buys when the new issue comes out each week.
Walter is superstitious; for him digits carry significance.
"I enjoy numbers," he said. "They are an important thing in my life. What is interesting is that 7s have always been a part of my life."
For example, the highest number of free throws he has ever made is 77.
In addition to numbers, Walter believes in the power of healing and sees himself as a healer, and a number of people in the Upper Queen Anne neighborhood, where he sells, can attest to it.
"I have healing ability; I can give other people healing. This one lady was having problems with her back, and after I helped her, she felt better."
Walter's ability to interact with people and his desire to learn more about those who buy the paper is theraputic.
"People ask me all about my story; however, I would like to know the customer's story as much as they would like to know my story," he said.
Essentially, Walter has the desire to get to know people on many different levels.
He enjoys what he calls "waxing poetic" with customers. When people ask him how his day is, he likes to exclaim, "My day is creative, enjoyable, eventful, beautiful, different and worthwhile."
This positivity makes him memorable, and customers say it's why they continue to come back for more papers. Walter's creativity serves him well, especially when he is selling the paper. His approach to selling is friendly and creative.
"I am always willing to explain what Real Change is to the people if they are interested. I respect everyone's opinion about the paper and am willing to listen to them," he said.
Walter said he reads Real Change every week because he enjoys it and considers it important. In particular, he likes the writing, the interesting subject matter, the information about current events.
Walter loves Real Change and the opportunity that it gives him to make some money.
"Real Change gives a person a chance to have a work history. It is something that allows you the ability to buy food; you don't have to worry about not having any money."
Walter wants his customers to know he is thankful for what they bring to him and happy that he gets a chance to sell at Metropolitan Market.
In case you were wondering, Walter has been selling the paper for -- you guessed it -- about 7 years. Maybe seven is his lucky number.