Indie shopping guide: The Short North in Columbus

Sick of getting people the same old tired meme t-shirts and the same old top-40-on-the-charts CDs and the same old Star Wars figures and so on? Well, it’s never too late to make a short one-hour trip down to High Street in Columbus to visit the Short North and find a few unique presents to stuff your stockings and put under the tree!

For great music and cool apparel, look no further than Magnolia Thunderpussy. This store contains thousands of punk, alternative and metal albums, as well as plenty of band merchandise to sate the appetite of that rock and roll aficionado in your life. The store features a cult movie section, black metal greeting cards, a plethora of buttons and patches and a great selection of music by Ohio artists to show off some homeland pride! And if you need shirts, they have them – whether the band is NoFX or King Diamond!

For one-of-a-kind accessories, visit What the Rock! The shop is small, but the awesomeness is large! From bloody shower curtains to mustache cookie cutters to punk, metal and rap coloring books, this store has it all! And for the talented and stylish individual, What the Rock! boasts an impressive amount of unique guitar picks that feature anything from Freddy Krueger to Betty Page. They also have handmade jewelry made by local artists.

For some truly incredible toys, stop in at the Rivet Designer Toy & Art Gallery. Rivet is home to a wide variety of collector’s toys distributed by hip brands such as Kidrobot, Tokidoki, Toy2R and more. If toys aren’t your thing, than there is also an array of coffee table art books featuring art by such weird and wonderful talents as Banksy, Alex Pardee and Tara McPherson, to name a few. If someone you know really loves artwork, why not buy one of the many original pieces on display? Nothing could be more one-of-a-kind than an original work of art!

For that foodie in your life, you can do no wrong with either a gift card or a pint from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. This is the ice cream that will ruin all other ice creams forever – it is that good. The flavors may sound strange, but Jeni’s offers free samples and I guarantee you that you will try all of them. Some of the more interesting varieties include Brambleberry Crisp, Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet and Queen City Cayenne. If your mouth is not watering, than I am sorry, because you are dead. Only dead people would not enjoy Jeni’s.

This is a mere infinitesimal fraction of the hundreds of amazing shops at the Short North. What are you waiting for? Get your butt down to Columbus and do some last-minute shopping! Your family and friends will thank you!

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