before the hills, before 90210, im talking tootie time, it was also archie time. before archie came…read morein the thick, book sized crap it came long and lean, in plastic baggies with individually stickered prices from shinders. they had a special stock of rare, hard to find and vintage archie. yes, vintage archie. old school archie, before the ronnie and betty got breast implants. many a long shower i faked as a child, so i could read my new weekly archie on the same day, pre homework. never a fan of the ginge- i saved my love for reggie and my hatred for veronica. what would last longer, my laffy taffy or that weekly wonder that was archie? if youre not into archie i think they have every other comic or magazine ever created ever. and if they dont they will get it for you.

Shinder's is a great place to go for any type of magazine known to man. I think I have only been…read morethere once when they didn't have exactly what I needed, and it was really obscure.

The most amazing selection of Leftist books, periodicals, and journals. Everybody was very kind -…read moreit is cash only so come prepared. Fantastic prices. If you voted for Biden or Trump this place is not for you, unless you are open to alternatives to the hellscape that is the Democratic and Republican parties.

All new books, no used ones that I saw. Very small place but had parking right out front. Lots of…read morelocal and regional authors, good place to find unique books. They have a little comfy sitting area where you can curl up and decide what you want to leave with.

This is a neat little store tucked away in Minneapolis. The owners are just genuine and nice guys,…read moretaking the time to talk and answer questions. Walking in here ad looking around took me back to my childhood in more ways than one and I loved every moment of this trip down memory lane.

Comic book heaven. I love the smell of stores like this - the smell of tens of thousands of comic…read morebooks. It's wall to wall in a small space but the staff know where what you are looking for is. Fantastic first experience with my 11 year old who whispered "wow!" when we walked in. If you are into comic books, or know someone who is...just yes.

Dear Lavender, As a…read morereader of your magazine for 10 years, I thought it well past due to write you in the spirit of constructive criticism. It is tempting to assess you as a "lifestyle" magazine. By this measure, you do several things quite well. Your reviews of restaurants, theater/classical music/opera performances are readable and engaging, and your calendar of events are crucial to gay-friendly businesses and organizations throughout the Twin Cities. The sophistication of your packaging (with its glossy pages and covers) makes similar queer publications in San Francisco or New York appear amateurish by comparison. But even as we hold Lavender to the "lifestyle" genre, I call for a major face lift of your publication. To many of your readers, the folks you seem to be targeting are gay + white + middle class + Christian. With few exceptions, lesbians, the trans- and bi- communities, and people of color find few images or articles that appeal to their diverse tastes, interests, and beliefs. Lavender demonstrates its loyalty to a small segment of the LGBT population in several ways. For example, your pages are front-loaded with ads for new condo developments and related services, such as realtors, home and garden supplies, and window treatments. Note: mass home foreclosures and the current credit crunch are not just figments of the heterosexual imagination. Until recently you featured a column titled "Faith in Action", which intended to highlight spirituality in the LGBT community. Unfortunately, its writer (from your targeted demographic) seemed to view the project as his own budget psychotherapy service, allowing him to air his rants against the Christian church and share his personal journeys through religion. Fortunately you exorcised his column before his conversion to the Kabbala or Scientology. Please be assured that I am not suggesting you revamp yourself into a journal of queer theory. Most of us are incapable of reading three pages of Foucault without developing a brain tumor. Nor do I recommend that you expunge those adverts for escort services, which feature shirtless models and their vacant faces. In this struggling economy those pretty boys are cat-fighting for jobs, too. But I am encouraging you to consider the possibilities of your role in the community. Why not include more stories about issues affecting the broader LGBT community? Why not strengthen your work with queer movements that have raised awareness about our issues, and continue to work for equality? Until then, I will continue to pick up each new issue of Lavender at my local coffee shop, gay bar, or restaurant. After all, despite the tone of this letter, I'll still look forward to your previews of the Guthrie season, and reviews of the newest gay owned business in town. And, of course, I want to know when's the next Miss Gay U-S-of-A pageant at the '90s.

It's the perfect marriage of food and gossip. It's a great way to find out what's really opening…read moreand closing. They had a closer relationship with Yelp when Aaron Landry was in town, it seems he's in Hawaii now. There is so much to read on this site you'll get info overload, and manage to have a couple of hours pass by. The name is so Minnesotean, and we're lucky to have them. I think the website and photography of food and restaurants is gorgeous. I find the restaurant reviews are just as reliable as Yelp. Great to have on facebook and the newsletter, too. I'd like to see them continue the Yelp relationship.

Single best food resource hub online. I read the Churn ("skimming the cream of local food news")…read morereligiously. Minnesota is lucky to have this site.

Well, I really like to get the Star Tribune for local news, sports and national news. i have been…read morea subscriber for over 35 years, if that tells you something! But, now, sadly, we cannot get the paper delivered to our box on a daily basis. Some days, we can get it in the evening, other days, never. They say we get "CREDITS". How can we be sure that is the case? But, it isn't the credits I want, it is the newspaper. If you can't deliver, and we don't live in an area that is inaccessible and without other subscribers on our street, what is the REAL problem? I understand that wages might keep people from wanting to take delivery jobs, but, it is your responsibility as a business to keep the customer happy and deliver the product. Do what you NEED to do to get this fixed. Bad business if you can't deliver the product that the customer has ordered and paid for for almost 4 decades!

should have read the reviews before subscribing to receive a physical paper - day 5 of my…read moresubscription and have yet to receive a single one.

Milkwood Edition Books is a small bookshop located within Open Book! My friend and I stopped by to…read morevisit when were exploring downtown Minneapolis over Memorial Day. It's small but well curated (there dozens of books that caught my eye - and tons of books I'd never heard of). They sell their own books (Milkweed is a publisher) but also lots of other books/authors. Definitely stop by if you're in Open Book!

What a warm and inviting place to spend some time. Grab some coffee. Browse some books. Head…read moreupstairs to the outdoors patio and relax and enjoy. Great space. Great books. Outstanding coffee.

Amazing curated collections with beautiful pieces! We could have been in here for hours.read more

It describes itself as "A unique collective of specialty vintage retailers under one roof + local…read moremakers & artists." Hours: Open 11am-6pm daily (closed Tuesdays). I appreciated the open non-cluttered space in this store! Walking in didn't overwhelm me at all, and I found some cute household items in the back. They also had cookies and beverages out for shoppers. There is no bathroom in the store, so go before you walk in. The clerk was very helpful and even offered to call the artists when I had questions about how a piece of jewelry was made.

I had a fantastic experience working with Wise Ink on the publication of my first book, Difficult…read moreGifts. Victoria was a great, professional publishing expert to work with. She was always very responsive, kind, and professional. When I had an issue with the first cover designer the team found, they did everything possible to improve my experience and worked with me until we found my dream cover. I'm so grateful to the entire Wise Ink team!!

Loved this cozy and unique bookstore. I also appreciated the history behind the buildings previous…read moretenant, the phone company. Great photos of he switchboard room and operators! I could have spent hours here!!

This was my 20th stop on the Indie Bookstore Passport tour. It sells used and rare books. The…read morestacks here felt curated and well organized, which I appreciated. Often times a used bookstore chooses to organize in a somewhat random fashion, so their eye to detail and curation is welcomed. The wood tones and lighting here were cozy. There is street parking available.