The patron deity of shoppers grows stronger with each passing year.
I take a back seat to no one when it comes to love for online commerce. As the universe’s greatest shopper, I’m compelled by the very forces of nature themselves to leave no retail arena unexplored. Craigslist, eBay, AbeBooks, Biblio, GEMM, tons of free-floating sites and random, Google-assisted finds–even Amazon in a pinch–I’ve dallied with all and, sooner or later, end up trafficking with most. For me, shopping is a sport, and everything is shopping–right down to choosing the link that ends the sentence you’re just finishing…now.
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A little advance research always helps us avoid wasted time.
Nonetheless, brick-and-mortar holds a special place in my heart. Not all: big boxes (Target excepted), leave me feeling as if I’ve blundered onto the set of a They Live remake, and the sight of once-glorious, corporate-owned entities in decline (say, the downtown Minneapolis Dayton’s Marshall Field Macy’s) saddens me immensely. It’s killer independent retail and mini-chains that flip my gizzy and the Twin Cities offer plenty. Being able to physically walk into physical spaces and physically assess the merits of physical objects is especially handy during holiday shopping season, when many of us are pressed for time and shipping schedules slouch toward iffyness. Below lurk introductions to seven magnificent facilities, alll easily accessible via public transit.
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The Yardbirds performed at Dayton’s way back in the ’60′s, but the department store retained its cool for two more decades-plus.
You don’t need mad skills to assemble a PC, just patience, good screwdrivers, and assistance from one of countless online tutorials. Assuming sufficient dough, wouldn’t it be great to be able to pass on the usual crafts projects and make your favorite gift recipient a computer? With dozens of component and peripheral prices posted on a huge white marker board to accommodate an ever-changing array of specials, General Nanosystems is a DIY enthusiast’s dream-come-true. If you’re daunted by the prospect or pressed for time, the company offers a full range of customizable systems, along with a platoon of friendly supergeeks dedicated to making sure you get exactly what you want.
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Putting the right stuff in a desktop tower; easier than brain surgery, knee surgery…even tree surgery.
Conveniently located just across from the downtown Minneapolis Hilton, Khazana is as much cultural resource as retail outlet. No place in the metro has a more extensive selection of Indian and Nepalese art, textiles, jewelry, books and CDs. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, by all means ask. Not only is the shop’s expansive warehouse right downstairs, owners Ashu and Anju Kataria will gladly special-order pretty much any southern Asian item imaginable.
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In their free time, the Katarias help bring the likes of master drummer Zakir Hussein to town.
Contemporary, independently-owned record stores in America almost invariably fall into one of three frequently overlapping categories. A few–the mighty Amoeba, for example–actually function as tourist destinations and pilgrimage sites. No metropolitan area on the globe has more than one of these; we have exactly zero. Still, we should thank whoever or whatever for our abundance of specialty and neighborhood facilities. Like many of the latter, Treehouse boasts a hefty destination component, thanks largely to its killer vinyl selection. That the longish, narrow room’s bins encompass everything from blues and folk to all kinds of experimental music by way of the Upper Mmidwest’s best indie rock section doesn’t hur one speck.
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Beardrock prodigies Akron/Family perform at Treehouse.
Don’t be fooled by First Amendment’s size. The compact Northeast Minneapolis exhibition space is just the tip of an artberg dominated by graphics powerhouse Burlesque of North America, conveniently located in a much larger adjacent room (several, actually). While neither entity shies away from fine art, both emphasize graphics in a manner that’ll leave your wallet’s contents almost intact and your lucky giftee glowing.
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Don’t be afraid; the First Amendment complex isn’t always quite this crowded
Like Powell’s, Strand, and Elliot Bay, Magers and Quinn offers a massive selction of new, used, remaindered, and collectible books in pretty much every category imaginable. Unlike its fellow indie behemoths, the sprawling store is conveniently located in Uptown Minneapolis. While prices generally skew reasonable, M and Q sometimes slips shocking bargains onto its shelves. Need an example? At a time when everyplace else in the country was asking at least $150.00 for softcover copies of Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama, I found one there for a measley 35 bucks.
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Magers and Quinn does double duty as a cultural hub and source of free entertainment.
Snuggled into a cozy boutique node just off bustling Snelling Avenue stands one of Minnesota’s most charming mysteries. How Lula proprietress Haley Bush stays afloat asking near-thrift shop prices for fabulous attire from yesteryear is anybody’s guess.Maybe the tiny shop’s stock turns around quicker than the Farmers’ Market’s, just as it should.
Lula: if you can’t find it here…
This 16-year-old, Dinkytown supernatural superstore’s vast subterranean chambers boast the Upper Midwest’s biggest, most eclectic selection of metaphysical supplies. While its inventory emphasizes alternative spiritual approaches, even Christianity gets the kind of ample shelf space that makes holiday shopping at Magus downright pleasurable no matter how stressed you feel upon entering.
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At Magus, you don’t just shop, you delve.
