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

I saw a store JUST for badminton.

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[–] 2 points 2 days ago

I just bumped into another oddly specific store: Darts Central in SF

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  • [–] 52 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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

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    [–] 34 points 1 week ago* (3 children)

    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.

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    [–] 21 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    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.

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    [–] 21 points 1 week 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)

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  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

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  • [–] 7 points 1 week 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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    [–] 17 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

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    [–] 15 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    Those stores that only sell Rubber Duckies come to mind.

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    [–] 15 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    In Turkey we have shops that only sell pickles!

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    [–] 15 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    My town has a mushroom shop.

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    [–] 14 points 1 week 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:

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  • [–] 13 points 1 week ago (1 child)

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

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    [–] 12 points 1 week ago

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

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  • [–] 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

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  • [–] 11 points 1 week 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.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 week ago (10 children)

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

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    [–] 10 points 1 week 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”.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    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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    [–] 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Batteries + Bulbs.

    They sold nothing but batteries and lightbulbs.

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    [–] 10 points 1 week ago (1 child)

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

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    [–] 9 points 1 week ago* (1 child)
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    [–] 8 points 1 week 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

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  • [–] 8 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    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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    [–] 8 points 1 week ago (1 child)

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

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    [–] 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

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    [–] 7 points 1 week 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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  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago

    There's a chain of shops in my country that, at least for a while, pretty much only made and sold bean bags. Freaking fantastic ones, too.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

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    [–] 7 points 1 week ago (1 child)

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

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week 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

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago

    My favorite was Wizard's welding and hair salon, sadly closed now.

    The Catholic gift shop near me that's open like 8 hours a week. Maybe it's money laundering.

    Envios a Cuba, some shops here just send items to Cuba for you. Only to Cuba, only from here

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week 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.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    There's a store not too far from me that sells rabbits and guinea pigs, and accessories for them. That's it. Need cat food? A leash for your dog? Fuck off, is not a 'pet' store, lol

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    [–] 6 points 1 week 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.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago

    In County Cork in Ireland I once saw a shop that was a "Gentleman's hairdresser and railway bookshop."

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