# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/141 "2017-04-07T02:25:13Z")
Albuquerque used to have “Stomps & Threads” which sold shoes and costumes to strippers. I never got around to stopping in before a fire shut them down. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/142 "2017-04-07T19:15:05Z")
Those must have been some really hot outfits… [sub]Maybe that’s what was really stored under the I-85 bridge in Atlanta[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/143 "2017-04-07T19:56:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I suspect that their real business is in resetting odometers so a car can be fraudulently sold as having fewer miles on it. Obviously, the car companies take measures to make this more difficult, so a specialized skill set and/or tools are needed to pull it off. That specialized skillset/tools are what the shop is advertising. No, they actually repair speedometers. Replacing your whole dash is expensive, rebuilding your mechanical speedo is not. Any of them that i know of, the only way you are getting a zero odometer is you had it replaced, and then you had to sign a form stating such. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/144 "2017-04-07T20:43:15Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Albuquerque used to have “Stomps & Threads” which sold shoes and costumes to strippers. I never got around to stopping in before a fire shut them down. > Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk The Broadway play “Kinky Boots” is based on a real-life English shoe factory that specializes in footwear for shoe fetishists. In the play, the factory makes boots for drag queens. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/145 "2017-04-07T20:55:18Z")
Here’s one that wouldn’t have been odd forty years ago: [California Typewriter](http://www.californiatypewriter.com/) It’s not just a repair shop. They sell old typewriters to collectors. Someone made a [documentary about this place](http://californiatypewritermovie.com/). It’s currently showing on the festival circuit. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/146 "2017-04-09T13:32:00Z")
I was in a mall near San Francisco and they had one of those ‘kiosks or stands’ (I don’t know the proper term, they are in the hallways between stores) and it sold only Mustard. Apparently there are over 100 types all homemade… ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/147 "2017-04-09T18:39:27Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > I was in a mall near San Francisco and they had one of those ‘kiosks or stands’ (I don’t know the proper term, they are in the hallways between stores) and it sold only Mustard. Apparently there are over 100 types all homemade… Was it next to a hot dog stad? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/148 "2017-04-09T18:44:42Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Albuquerque used to have “Stomps & Threads” which sold shoes and costumes to strippers. I never got around to stopping in before a fire shut them down. > Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk > [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Those must have been some really hot outfits… > > [sub]Maybe that’s what was really stored under the I-85 bridge in Atlanta[/sub] There are one or two little shops like this in Bangkok’s Patpong red-light area. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/149 "2017-04-10T03:26:54Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > A constant flow of tourists has the same effect. I think I’ve been to an oil & vinegar shop in Savannah GA. And I stopped at a hot sauce shop in New Orleans. > > By the way, in Tokyo there is a [bookstore that only sells 1 book](https://www.takram.com/projects/a-single-room-with-a-single-book-morioka-shoten/). Each week they pick one book to promote and sell. I’ll only go the week they sell _Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying_. But I can’t read! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/150 "2017-04-10T05:06:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > By the way, in Tokyo there is a [bookstore that only sells 1 book](https://www.takram.com/projects/a-single-room-with-a-single-book-morioka-shoten/). Each week they pick one book to promote and sell. Makes sense. After all, you can only red one book at any given moment. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/151 "2017-04-10T11:09:54Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Makes sense. After all, you can only red one book at any given moment. But what do you do if you want to read it again and they aren’t selling it that week? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/152 "2017-04-10T18:15:10Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > [Luna Truck and Caster](http://www.lunacastertruck.com) I remember them from when I was a kid! They’d advertise on the local independent station (KPHO) and the ad was always the same: Fade in to a box with a castor mounted upside down on it with the wheel rapidly spinning. It would gradually slow down while the announcer would exclaim, “Luna! L-U-N-A! Luna for your truck and castor needs!” and on in a similar vein until a dissolve to a card with the logo, address, and phone number on it. This was before tape so I’m sure it was done live with some stage hand giving the wheel a spin just before the camera came on. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/153 "2017-04-10T18:25:44Z")
When I lived in NYC there was a store called “Think Big!” Because that’s what they did. > **[Think Big (store)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Big_(store))** > > Think Big! was a retail store originally established in New York City in 1979. It was closed in 1994. > The store was a joint endeavor by two friends, an artist Phyllis Prinz and a business man Robert Malkin. The two, who had an affinity for collecting oversized antique display pieces, opened their store against the advice of friends and experts. The product line started with a small offering consisting of giant 6 foot pencils and replicas of giant 5-foot Crayola crayons. > > The entrepreneurs had ... That’s what they did until they closed. I am greatly (hugely? :D) pleased to see that Think Big is now online as “Great Big Stuff.” > **[Common objects. Uncommonly BIG sizes! The place to be for people who think...](https://www.greatbigstuff.com/)** > > GreatBigStuff is a brand name and registered trademark associated with and describes a unique line of products that are oversized replicas of everyday items. So ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/154 "2017-04-12T20:06:27Z")
Probably the most specialized store I’ve ever been in was a store that just sold Sci-fi and Fantasy books. There’s a light bulb store near me. I’ve actually seen a lot of hot sauce stores. Also two different stores that just sold things made out of brass. A store that just sold replicas of weapons. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/155 "2017-04-12T20:49:32Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I used to go to a store in Midtown Manhattan that sold nothing but seashells. > [@williamweigand](#): > > It should be by the seashore, especially if it’s a woman selling them. Your post deserves more recognition. In the absence of “stars” and “likes” from forum programming - please accept these smiles: :):rolleyes:🆒:p;)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/156 "2017-04-12T20:52:55Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Probably the most specialized store I’ve ever been in was a store that just sold Sci-fi and Fantasy books. A Change of Hobbit in Southern California lasted 19 years. “The Other Change of Hobbit”, in the Bay Area, is still open, although now it appears that it’s only online. ---
**Author:** ![BeerCan4BeanCan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@BeerCan4BeanCan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeerCan4BeanCan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/157 "2017-04-12T21:18:06Z")
I have lurked in the SDMB forever and never had anything worth contributing until today. Loveland, Colorado: Probasco’s Bibles and Wigs I’ll go back to the dark corner now and keep quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/158 "2017-04-12T22:50:53Z")
> [@BeerCan4BeanCan](#): > > I have lurked in the SDMB forever and never had anything worth contributing until today. > > Loveland, Colorado: Probasco’s Bibles and Wigs > > I’ll go back to the dark corner now and keep quiet. I was in the Ozarks once and went into a general store that apparently only sold two things, shovels and religious VHS tapes, and this was in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/159 "2017-04-12T23:53:58Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > A Change of Hobbit in Southern California lasted 19 years. “The Other Change of Hobbit”, in the Bay Area, is still open, although now it appears that it’s only online. How in the heck did I never hear of that place? I’ve been to many Berkeley bookstores, often buying in those genres. Aww, Shakespeare’s closed a couple years ago too. > [@Asuka](#): > > I was in the Ozarks once and went into a general store that apparently only sold two things, shovels and religious VHS tapes, and this was in 2009. I know a place that sells mainly guns, porn, and liquor. If they rented rooms there would be no reason to go anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981/160 "2017-04-13T00:12:44Z")
I’m working in Vegas this week and walked past the [Beef Jerky Store](https://www.beefjerkystore.com/) while doing the tourist thing the other night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-oddly-specific-retail-store/782981.md?page=9)