Art Scraps and Ax-man provide similar environments and are both downtown St. Paul, so I was able to get to both of them in one trip. Since they’re so similar, I decided that, rather than create two similar posts, I’d lump them into one description of “stuff stores”.

I don’t use the term “stuff store” lightly. Wal-mart and Target sell all of the commercial products you would ever need. Thrift stores sell that product again, gently used. Stuff stores sell stuff, the kind of stuff you never knew that you needed until you saw it on a shelf. They sell the kind of stuff that you probably won’t find at Target or a thrift store. Stuff stores are an important part of creative processes; these stores truly provide inspiration.

Art Scraps is a recycled supplies store run by Art Start, a local organization that runs art outreach. If you’re not looking for supplies for art projects, they probably don’t have much for you there. The store is quite small, and when I visited, there were half a dozen patrons. It felt very cramped.

As an artist and especially as an artist that employs collage, one visit to Art Scraps started to give me ideas. How could I use hundreds of old CDs? What about giant sheets of sticker paper? Some things in that store spoke to me, but most of them didn’t. I definitely have to remember to go back when I start on my next major project, which will almost certainly feature in an Exploration post.

While Art Scraps is an art stuff store, Ax-man is the platonic ideal of a stuff store. While I was growing up, Ax-man was a regular stop for our family. There was so much for our growing brains to take in, and if we saw something fun, it was probably only a dollar. I hadn’t gone back in probably over a decade, but some things have stayed the same, like the sarcastic hand-written price signs. A brief, non-exhaustive list of products available: bull whips, rubber chickens, camo-patterned tissues, solid fuel for camping, and selfie sticks. This list was pulled from what I could reach from the checkout counters. The store is the size of a CVS pharmacy, and it is packed with the most eclectic collection of surplus items.

Much of the product available is commercial product that is no longer being sold in stores, but Ax-man also boasts an extensive collection of electronics, both materials and antiques. If you need transistors or an ancient predecessor to the USB hub (for the computer nerds, they had an eight-port serial hub old enough to use printer port-sized plugs with serial adapters), this is your store.

Art Scraps and Ax-man are not stores you shop at every day. That’s not their business model. They are stores you shop at when you need to, and when you need to, there is no other store like it. Ax-man especially is an experience best had when you can take fifteen minutes to walk the aisles and look for all the bad puns, collage’d signage, and products you never knew existed. If you want to find something to do, a good first stop would be Art Scraps or Ax-man.

Art Scraps is on the corner of Snelling Ave and St. Clair Ave. Ax-man is on University Ave and Fry St near the Snelling Ave light rail station.

This is my first Inspiration post, so I’ll give you the what’s what. Every week, I’m going to post a brief recap of my experience somewhere I’ve either never been before, or I haven’t been to in a long time, here in the Twin Cities, MN. I’ll talk about what it was like, what I liked or didn’t about it and why, and throw in a few pictures. The goal is to encourage other stay-at-homes like me to get out there and be inspired by the world that’s already around them.

For my first excursion, I didn’t want to be adventurous. The Greater Twin Cities boasts multiple cave systems, scrapyard art galleries, and an electricity museum (oh, you’d better believe I’ll be going to the Bakken). But for starters, I settled on St. Paul Corner Drug.

First, some backstory on this small drug store. Many people have heard of Wall Drug, a small drug store in South Dakota that has turned into a shopping mall complex of a store. By contrast, St. Paul Corner Drug, which opened in 1922, has stuck to its roots and remained a small drug store. It doesn’t share the notoriety of Wall Drug, but this also means that for the people of St. Paul that want the intimate experience of a mom-and-pop store, St. Paul Corner Drug delivers. Prescriptions are dispensed with the advise of seasoned veteran pharmacists.

One of the benefits of such a small store is pricing. There’s not a lot for sale, but what is for sale is very competitively priced, and nearly every essential basic health product can be found. Vitamins, off-the-shelf medicine, floss, cough drops; if you need to feel just a bit better, this store has you covered. But sage medical advise and affordable products are not the only draws.

In ye olden times, drug stores were not only a place of healing, but a place of relaxation. Soda fountains were commonplace, providing refreshing sodas and phosphates. In keeping with this tradition, St. Paul Corner Drug has a soda fountain, although it has been upgraded to a more modern design. They offer fountain soda and hand-mixed sodas advertised as phosphates. I must be critical, however, and inform you that if you looking for a true phosphate, they are missing the phosphoric acid that gives phosphates their name and distinctive sour twist.

I selected an orange phosphate; the medium was only $1.25, which is a great deal in comparison to nearly every restaurant soda. It was very good. It tasted like orange, unlike commercial sodas like Fanta, which feel like they’re beating you over the head with orange flavor. This was a very pleasant orange soda. At the same simple counter, bar games sat between nickel-and-dime candy and a selection of sarcastic buttons, neatly juxtaposing traditions of old and new. If I go back (and I probably will), I’ll have to pick up a few buttons and try the chocolate phosphate. I’ve never had true chocolate soda; maybe it’ll be good.

St. Paul Corner Drug is by no means the only small, independently-owned business in St. Paul. However, I know that in my day-to-day, it feels easier to just run into Wal-mart or Target to get quick essentials. Big stores sell everything, so it’s the safe bet. Based on my experience today, I feel like not stopping into this small business does me a disservice, and I would be more inclined to shop at smaller businesses.

St. Paul Corner Drug is located on the corner of Snelling Ave and St. Clair Ave.