cool places to shop

I've recently placed orders with two of my favorite companies - their catalogs are newsprint and not glossy, their images are black and white inks. Their stuff is wonderfully priced and their selection is right up the eccentric individual's alley.

I placed an order with American Science and Surplus for mylar blankets to keep in the car for snow emergency, some costume glasses for the girls dress-up, and a prism. They have everything weird you can imagine and their descriptions are bizarre and entertaining too. For example:

What Wood You Do? tell a friend about this item so they can check it out. We're pretty sure this was meant to be part of a classy golf umbrella, but the sculptured, varnished, light-wood handle 5-1/2" x 1-1/4" dia OA still opens a world of possibilities. With the 1/4" bore that runs completely through it, you could make a jump rope or any kind of pull. With (1) flat end for it to stand on, and the other, more-rounded end, you could build tiny totems or curvy dolls. Ourselves, we're trying to decide between starting an umbrella business, or staying home to play miniature tenpins. What to do? What to do?
36050 WOODEN HANDLE $2.95 / PKG(8) add to cart
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The Zippers of Dixie Romance tell a friend about this item so they can check it out. There's a story behind these zippers and we're sure it has something to do with moist nights under a Southern moon. We received a shipment of shredded pink lingerie from Georgia, you see, from a charming group of young ladies who must be awfully cold at night. Anyway, the lingerie was pretty much a write-off, but the zippers were in pristine condition, never having been used. They're 7" long and set in 8-1/4" of synthetic cloth. And, of course, they're pink.
25967 PINK ZIPPERS $1.00 / PKG(10) add to cart

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I also placed an order with a favorite 'new' book seller Daedalus Books and Music. They are a great resource for new books on slightly more unusual and or 'intellectual' (ahem) subjects. I bought a calendar for the entry there as we did not have one and I usually buy something (like a pop=up dinosaur calendar) to entertain the girls. I also order this book:

Games with Books: 28 of the Best Children's Books and How to Use Them to Help Your Child Learn from Preschool to Third Grade
Peggy Kaye.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Format: paperback. ISBN: 0374528152. Daedalus Item Code: 51712
List Price: $16.00 Sale Price: $4.98 $2.98 You Save: $13.02