# Most oddly specific retail store **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981 "2017-03-25T02:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/201 "2023-06-20T02:25:44Z")
I buy my birdseed from a local shop that sells exclusively birding supplies, including feeders, houses, coffee-table books, videos, greeting cards, etc. but most of his business is from birdseed. He’s the person to ask regarding anything birds. I stopped by a few days after the “Birds Aren’t Real” segment aired on “60 Minutes” a while back, and to my surprise, nobody had told him about it, not to mention that he hadn’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/202 "2023-06-20T02:33:12Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I buy my birdseed from a local shop that sells exclusively birding supplies That’s cool. I didn’t mean to put birders down. My mother was quite the artist and painted a lot of birds. I live in the ‘wild’ I guess and it is really frowned on to feed anything. My feeling is that we are in their space, and animals share it with us. It’s a rather weird relationship. I’m happy with them, as long as they are OK with me. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/203 "2023-06-20T05:45:26Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > They sell facsimiles of the Voynich Manuscript on Amazon, if your still interested. If you like the Voynich Manuscript you might enjoy a book called Codex Seraphinianus. I have a copy of the _Codex Seraphinianus_. Found it in a bookshop in Oshawa when I was feeling rich from my second summer job (on the line at GM). It’s the second weirdest book I have ever …uh, ‘viewed’ (you can’t exactly _read_ it). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/204 "2023-06-20T05:53:02Z")
Does anyone else remember the “Sony Only” stores? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/205 "2023-06-20T14:54:14Z")
Yes, there used to be one near me. Not really all that different from an Apple Store, in that each sold primarily the brand’s products. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/206 "2023-06-20T15:20:32Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > When I visited the Mall of America, something like 25 years ago, there was a store selling just socks. And six years later, there’s a sock store in historic downtown Folsom, CA. And the last time I was in Grass Valley there was a sock store in their historic downtown, as well. But speaking of the Mall of America, when I went there for the first time, which was probably also around 25 years ago (from the perspective of 6 years in the future from your post), there were a ton of very specific stores, which I found delightful at the time. Like a store that just sold neckties – someone up thread mentioned The Tie Rack; that’s probably what it was. I bought a Star Wars tie while I was there. Also at the MoA was a store that sold nothing but flags. I’m pretty sure you could get a flag for any nation on Earth, and any US state, from that store. And even some countries that didn’t exist anymore, because I bought a Soviet flag on a lark. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/207 "2023-06-20T15:21:36Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > I thought about it a bit > > iswydt Heh. It took me a minute to realize what I _unintentionally_ had said. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I buy my birdseed from a local shop that sells exclusively birding supplies, including feeders, houses, coffee-table books, videos, greeting cards, etc. but most of his business is from birdseed. A friend of my gf has an Audubon Store. They have birdseed and a birdseed “subscription plan” for those buying on a regular basis. They also have $20 bird-feeders for $95 and lots of “high end” bird stuff like solar powered fountains for birds. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/208 "2023-06-20T15:26:49Z")
Didn’t notice this is an old thread. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/209 "2023-06-21T03:18:59Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Also at the MoA was a store that sold nothing but flags. I’m pretty sure you could get a flag for any nation on Earth, and any US state, from that store. And even some countries that didn’t exist anymore, because I bought a Soviet flag on a lark. I just posted about that store in the thread about Obsolete Things: My town has a flag store that’s been in business since 1992. It’s kind of fun in there, with hundreds of different flags on display and in boxes (I needed a flag for our scout troop). I think they’re also behind the store in the Mall of America. He’s part of the effort to redesign the Minnesota state flag (about time). > **[Herold Flags | Flag Store | Rochester, MN](https://www.heroldflags.com/)** > > Get flagpole finials, flag patches, flag lighting, and county flags at Herold Flags. Call us today for a free estimate on our custom flags. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/210 "2023-06-21T06:23:24Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > And six years later, there’s a sock store in historic downtown Folsom, CA. And the last time I was in Grass Valley there was a sock store in their historic downtown, as well. There’s a store right in the middle of Times Square that only sells socks. I don’t know how just socks can pay the rent on a location like that but somehow they’ve been there since 2018! ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/211 "2023-06-21T11:11:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My all-time favorite store was just outside of River Falls, WI. There was a sign out front that said “Cheese and Taxidermy”. Very Wisconsin. In my hilly rural part of New England I often drive past a farm which has a sign which says: HAY ROCKS ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/212 "2023-06-21T14:31:04Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > HAY > ROCKS This reminds me of the strangest sign I’ve ever seen. This was in 2015. It didn’t seem to be associated with any store. In fact, it was on a dirt road that veered off a paved road in a small village in England that I visited during my vacation back then. This sign was on the side of that dirt road. The sign appeared to be either cardboard or wood. It was about two feet wide and one foot high. The letters were about an inch or two high. They said, “DUST CHILDREN PENSIONERS”, with each word being on a separate level, like this, with no other writing or anything on the sign: DUST CHILDREN PENSIONERS ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/213 "2023-06-21T14:37:56Z")
So, they’re warning you that driving on the road kicks up a lot of dust and you might not see the kids and older people walking? Burma Shave ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/214 "2023-06-21T15:29:46Z")
No, they’re suggesting an interesting and useful hobby for bored elderly people: “Dust children, pensioners!” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/215 "2023-06-21T16:22:39Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Six years and one pandemic later, Nothing Bundt Cakes has two locations in my region, both of them going strong. > > (Never been into either of them, FWIW) The wedding I went to two weeks ago had two Nothing Bundt Cakes for the wedding cake. Also a large platter of cupcakes. I had two slices of cake, and several cupcakes; they were really good. And I’m not usually a fan of cake in any form. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/216 "2023-06-24T17:08:46Z")
I haven’t made it through the whole thread yet, so hopefully no one has mentioned it yet. We used to have a local store that sold pool supplies and Christmas decorations. Which totally makes sense. Then they have some income in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/217 "2023-06-24T17:40:39Z")
If they were really clever, they’d sell Halloween decorations and costumes in October and perhaps cover Valentine’s Day and Easter in the Spring. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/218 "2023-06-24T19:30:21Z")
I remember seeing a store like that once. It was weird walking through the displays of pools, Jacuzzis, and Christmas trees. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/219 "2023-06-24T19:43:32Z")
There is (was?) a store in Gibraltar called Booze. Not an unusual kind of stor, but I loved the name. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/220 "2023-06-24T19:46:51Z")
Lids is a chain of stores that sells baseball caps. [Lids (store) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lids_(store)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981.md?page=12)