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Today I was in a part of town I never have before.

I saw a store JUST for badminton.

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[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 50 points 5 days ago

Rubber stamp store. Just shelf after shelf of rubber stamps and rubber stamp accessories.

[-] Jagarico@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Wouldn't be a surprise somewhere in Japan, but still pretty cool!

[-] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

Childhood me gasped. We loved stamps!!

[-] speckofrust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 5 days ago
[-] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

Me and my twin. I just use we a lot cause of that.

[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 33 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Screws. A whole shop especially for screws and nuts, and you could buy bigger boxes, or smaller boxes, or only one or two, and they took their time to give advice, always with the same friendliness and helpfulness, whether you left a few cents or some real money.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago

I wouldn't go in there often, but I'd be grateful for it when I did.

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[-] ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world 19 points 5 days ago

I came across a very narrow, 5 story store in Japan, a bit off the beaten path in Akihabara, selling exclusively N scale model trains. They had a floor or two dedicated just to the models, another one for scenery, and at least one just for repair parts for your trains. It was really cool to get to see a store that was pretty clearly a passion project for the owner(s) apparently doing well, and filling quite the niche in the hobby (I imagine)

[-] BrickEater@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Tennis rackets and Kites

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 20 points 5 days ago

I think my favorite is Nothing Bundt Cakes that sells Bundt cakes. It's a chain, and yes I only like it because of the pun.

[-] velma@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 days ago

A good pun will get me in the door every time.

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[-] Hungry111@lemmy.today 13 points 5 days ago

In Turkey we have shops that only sell pickles!

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[-] kboos1@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago

I've been in a Christmas store that all year long only sold Christmas stuff.

[-] toynbee@piefed.social 1 points 2 days ago

I used to live in Lancaster, PA and the outlets had one of these. I've only ever seen the one, but I was given to understand they are a chain.

[-] MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago

True story. My niece went into a Christmas shop in our home town looking for a nativity set.

Assistant: "A what?"

"A nativity set - you know, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus..."

Assistant: "What's Jesus got to do with Christmas?"

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[-] CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

There used to be a store in my town called “Just Socks” that sold, just socks

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[-] vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 days ago

there's a store in seattle called The Purple Store that only sells purple stuff!!!

[-] Blibly@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

An entire store full of african-american romance novels. In a VERY white area. It did not stay open long 😞

[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

The existence of that store feels more like a statement than a business decision

[-] CalypsoGirl@lemmy.today 2 points 3 days ago

What statement do you suppose they were trying to make?

[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

https://youtu.be/ilsef7LrrYw?is=HrIRX-yHF2gJ8dxa

In all seriousness, I didn't take the time to really think it through before, but: the store chose a narrow market and went out of business rather quickly, so it didn't have a good business plan; but it would make an interesting statement to see that store close so fast compared to bookstores which sell romance novels with characters likely to match their clients' race, which might reveal a sort of widespread casual racism. Or just that readers prefer characters they think they will relate to more strongly. It's an interesting conversation point whichever way you look at it, is my point.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 10 points 5 days ago

Batteries + Bulbs.

They sold nothing but batteries and lightbulbs.

[-] CalypsoGirl@lemmy.today 2 points 3 days ago

I went there once because I needed a specific type of light bulb. But it wasn't in their inventory. So I don't even think of that place anymore when I need bulbs. Anyway they're rather small stores. How could they possibly stock all the millions of varieties of those two specific things? Spoiler: they don't.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 3 days ago

I never went in for bulbs, but they certainly had a wide range of batteries. They were more reliable than Walmart or other places when I would need a random button style battery, like a CMOS or watch battery.

[-] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 11 points 5 days ago

Cycling clothing. No bikes, no helmets, just more lycra than a gimp convention.

[-] blackbrook@mander.xyz 14 points 5 days ago

My town has a mushroom shop.

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[-] Truffle@lemmy.ml 9 points 5 days ago

I had to go to a store that only sells custom made stirrups as my kid needed some for their horse. I was absolutely overwhelmed about how many differences there are about them. Kid was happy.

[-] GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

Those stores that only sell Rubber Duckies come to mind.

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[-] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago

It's very recently closed its doors, sadly, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more specific shop than long-time Edinburgh landmark, Borland's:

[-] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 12 points 5 days ago

I used to live across the street from a ballbearing shop.

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[-] 4grams@awful.systems 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

It’s not super specific, and makes sense for where I saw it, but I’ll never forget the Wisconsin tourist trap I drove past as a kid that has a big sign out front advertising “Cameras, Cheese and Guns”.

[-] stickly@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

I have seen lots of niche stores, but what usually gets me is that they're in very premium locations. How is that empty Custom Umbrella Emporium still open while the packed coffee shop next door can't afford their lease?

Tap for spoilerMoney laundering, probably

[-] leaky_shower_thought@feddit.nl 11 points 5 days ago

spirit halloween seems just the place for a certain one night event.

[-] nocturne@slrpnk.net 10 points 5 days ago

For some of us, Halloween is not a night, but a way of life.

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[-] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 10 points 5 days ago

There's a bunch of oddball stores in the Pike Place Market in Seattle but the Left Hand store was the most specific place. All left hand tools and stuff. Lots of different scissors.

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[-] artifex@piefed.zip 10 points 5 days ago

I’ve been in a knitting store before. Just yarn and needles and patterns. I can’t imagine how they stay in business.

[-] starlinguk@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago

There are lots of those. Many people knit.

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[-] poolitzer@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

I have been in a shop only for set equipment for cooking book pictures

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[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)
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[-] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

There's a "craft"-art shop in the same cave I work in that exclusively sells racism.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

Name and shame man

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[-] JonnyW@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

There’s a small town I drive through frequently that, for many years, had a Christmas shop. It was always open, usually empty. It closed down last year.

[-] idunnololz@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

I went into a store that specialized in selling canes when I visited London.

[-] InGodWeThrust@lemmy.zip 6 points 5 days ago

It sounds really British to pay a visit to the local canist when you find yourself needing a new cane, who is a super detailed professional who knows and supplies canes of all kinds to all walks of life

I'm sure that would have made a great Monty Python scetch

[-] tal@lemmy.today 7 points 5 days ago

I have not, myself, been there, but San Francisco has the Pirate Supply Store.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/826_Valencia

826 Valencia is a non-profit organization in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, United States, dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

826 Valencia runs San Francisco's "only independent pirate supply store". The store is the front entrance of the tutoring center and has the look and feel of an authentic pirate shop.[5] It sells pirate clothing, eyepatches, compasses, spyglasses, pirate dice, skull flags, and secret treasures. It features handmade signs, scattered around the store, offering tongue-in-cheek wisdom, such as "Uses for Lard" (#5: "Lard Fights") and "Guidelines for New Shipmates" (#4: "No forgetting to swab"). Unsuspecting visitors are sometimes treated to surprise "moppings."

Shoppers can also find back issues of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, books published by McSweeney's, and literary compilations written by 826 Valencia students. The books of student writing published by 826 Valencia include forewords, illustrations and interviews from public figures such as Former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom and actor Robin Williams.

The Pirate Supply Store was originally created through necessity. After being turned down for regular use of church basements and school facilities, the founders discovered an empty store on Valencia Street. City ordinances required businesses in that area of the city to be either retail or catering, so the Pirate Supply Store was opened in 2002 as the "legitimate" business front for the writing center. It also helps fund the tutoring program.[6]

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[-] Professorozone@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Mixed tape store. This was like 12 years ago, long after streaming was a thing. A buddy of mine went in and asked if they sold CDs and the guy legit said, "No. Just mixed tapes." Pretty sure it was a front for something.

[-] noxypaws@pawb.social 7 points 5 days ago

Synthesizer store. RIP to Seattle's Patchwerks. Such a damn shame they went out of business.

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[-] onlyhalfminotaur@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Disc Golf Mart in Columbus, Ohio.

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[-] slothrop@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 days ago

There was a store in Vegas that was magnets. Fridge, city, anything magnets.
And sardine stores in Portugal, airports and elsewhere.

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this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2026
99 points (99.0% liked)

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