Practical Goods Open Again on Selby

I’ve been a big follower of Wendy and her Practical Goods thrift shop for years. I say follower because the store has moved twice now, bouncing around Saint Paul from Randolph Avenue into the JAX Building, which was then sold out from under her (and a hundred artists), who were forced to look for new digs.

Luckily Wendy has a new place on Selby Avenue, right next to Eggplant Urban Farm Supply, and just two blocks away from the Blue Door Pub. I love this stretch of Selby Avenue!

“I signed a three-month pop-up lease,” Wendy told me yesterday when I popped in.

Momma Cat was planted in the middle of the shop counter, furry forehead pressed like a burrowed ostrich against the wood. (The other cat was still hiding. “Kitty cats don’t like to move,” Wendy explained.)

“The place is kinda small,” she admitted. “But it’s nice to have windows and an entrance on the street. I’ve had a lots of my old Randolph customers visit, and a few from the JAX as well. Tell all your friends I’m here.”

The sidewalk display isn’t cranked up to 100% yet, for insurance reasons apparently. And all her winter stuff is put away in her brothers’ garage, as there’s not enough room in the small space for all of Wendy’s amazing kitchen implements, quality used clothing, and like practical material.

Go check it out. Hopefully she’ll be there for a long time to come.


[See also: Why Neighborhoods Need Bricks and Mortar, and Great Small Shops #1: Practical Goods.]