I went and checked out Ypsi’s newest store, “The Rocket,” yesterday and found it to be a lot cooler, better stocked, and well thought out than I’d expected (having just peeked in the window briefly a few weeks ago while on my way to Puffer Red’s). Having them there on Michigan Avenue will certainly help Linette and me fulfill our pledge to buy all of our holiday gifts here in Washtenaw County, from locally owned stores. (More on that later.)
I didn’t have time to take an exhaustive inventory, but, I’d say that, in terms of what they stock, they fall about halfway between Ann Arbor’s Middle Earth and Depot Town’s Gordon’s Five and Dime. There’s a lot of candy, especially novelty candy, but most of what they have could be classified as classic toy and novelty. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t necessity items. There are t-shirts, glassware, teapots, etc. The emphasis, however, is clearly on 50’s and 60’s era robot reproductions, re-issued classic metal lunch boxes and the like. It’s cool stuff…
The Rocket is at 103 West Michigan Avenue. As of right now, I believe they plan to be open every day, except for Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. (One of the owners told me their Sunday Hours, and I wrote them down somewhere, but I can’t seem to find them now.)
6 Comments
That place looks great! I so wish I could afford to fly back to Ypsi just for a weekend to do my xmas shopping at the Shadow Art Fair and places like this.
Hmm… maybe I’ll have to keep an eye out for something cheap’ish.
If you were to fly from LA to Ypsi to do your Christmas shopping, I’m sure it would be front-page news all over SE Michigan.
Per capita/population density, Ypsilanti is already the nation’s undisputed leader in:
– Fried Chicken joints,
– home and micro beer brewers,
– ballshavers,
and now we can add:
– retro candy shops.
And folks wonder why I love living here.
Per capita/population density, Ypsilanti is already the nation’s undisputed leader in:
– Fried Chicken joints,
– home and micro beer brewers,
– ballshavers,
and now we can add:
– retro candy shops.
And folks wonder why I love living here.
I KNEW you got your clothes at Puffer Red’s!!!
“Ypsilanti: Come for the Candy, Stay for the Crack”