Spree

I went on a retail bender this weekend. Notable stops included:

• Sophie Joe's Emporium. This vintage store, on West 7th Street in Saint Paul, is both cozy and expansive, a huge space crammed full of eclectic, affordable clothing, shoes, jewelry, household goods, and knick-knacks. My friend Sarah J. and I spent a solid hour and a half foraging, an activity I always find more challenging and enjoyable than merely shopping. I refer to this as the "buried treasure effect." Secondhand shoppers and garage salers know what I mean.
  
• Grand Old Creamery. This place smells delicious, it has a jukebox, and the ice cream was great even on a crisp autumn morning; on a hot summer night, all those homemade flavors would probably give me a seizure, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's on Grand Avenue.
  
• Cooks of Crocus Hill and The Yarnery. I don't cook or knit, but I can see why cooks and knitters would appreciate these stores, both also on Grand Avenue. I appreciated the abundant natural lighting.
• Magers & Quinn Booksellers, at the corner of Hennepin and Lake in Minneapolis. They've got everything--and what they haven't got, they can get. (Little known fact: the average independent bookstore carries more titles than the average Barnes & Noble or Borders.) The guy who rang up my books asked me what my favorite Beatles song is.
  
• Everyday People, next door to Magers & Quinn. This used clothing store is an old favorite, and they have a second location in Dinkytown. (Reasonably well-known fact: buying used is lots greener than buying new. It's also more fun: see "buried treasure effect".)

I also stumbled upon an independent gas station, which I was surprised to find. There aren't many of those left.