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| - I have a particularly soft spot for exploring clutter. I like mishmashed collections of "stuff" and I especially like it if I have to work a bit to find it. This is probably why I enjoy thrift shops so much, and it's definitely why I like Ransack the Universe -- while they don't actually encourage me to ransack everything, it's ok because they already did the legwork of weeding out the undesirables (like old used syringes, so that I don't stab myself with HIV).
Equal parts vintage shop and craft store, RtU is a smorgasbord of creativity, a "best-of" shop where you won't find any stank crud... awesome hides awesome, which conceals wicked, while wicked obscures the super-secret stupendous (you'll only find it if you're extra careful and James Bondian).
Some personal favourites: truly old, vintage buttons; silk screened ties; sketches by local artists; weird Dungeons & Dragons paraphernalia; t-shirts that aren't threadless (not that I don't like threadless, I do!); antique typewriters and sewing machines; softcore pornography of all sorts.
I also like the owners/clerks/managers/whomever-happens-to-be-hanging-out-down-there-at-the-till. They're pretty universally excellent, in the Bill & Ted sense of the word.
In closing, I'll say that I also appreciate the ethical message of RtU -- they firmly believe in not being assholes to the planet or the things that inhabit it. That gets them the elusive fifth star. So lesson learned, shops-out-there: want a 5-star review? Be a great store AND a great global citizen.
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