Walked into an old drafting supply shop last week in St. Louis

I was in St. Louis visiting family and stumbled into this shop that's been around since the 80s. The guy running it was probably 70 and still had stacks of vellum and Mylar sheets in the back corner. He told me he still gets a few old school drafters ordering lead holders and eraser shields through the mail. Has anyone else seen one of these old supply places still hanging on?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer20d ago

Read an article saying those shops are almost extinct now. Sad.

fiona98519d ago

@the_jennifer yeah I saw something similar, but did the article mention which ones are actually holding on? I know there's still a tiny shop near me that sells nothing but vintage buttons and ribbons, been there since the 1940s. The owner told me she survives by doing online orders too, which I thought was smart. Just wonder if that's enough to keep the others afloat or if they're all on borrowed time.

josephmartin19d ago

The really old specialty shops that survive usually have a side gig like repair work or archival restoration... regular retail alone just doesn't pay the rent anymore for that niche stuff.