9 Cool Shops in Los Angeles

"Have you ever traveled through time and foolishly forgotten your Pastport? Woken up in the morning and realized you’re fresh out of dinosaur eggs for breakfast? Discovered that your robot is out of milk…and has lost its toupee? Thankfully, The Echo Park Time Travel Mart has all the necessary supplies for your trip to the fourth dimension – and yes, that apparently includes robot toupees! Brought to you by 826, the same organization responsible for the Superhero Supply store in Brooklyn and the Pirate Supply Company in San Francisco, The Echo Park Time Travel Mart is a time travel-themed retail store that boasts the slogan, “Whenever you are, we’re already then.” The store sells humorous relics from the past, present and future, such as Barbarian Repellent, Michael Jordan pogs and varying Robot Emotions. The store is located in the historic Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California and like all other 826 shops, functions as both a retail space and literacy tutoring center. Though the storefront window displays a caveman mannequin shaking hands with a robot, the back of the building houses the non-profit organization, where 20-30 students per day are tutored in creative and expository writing. All proceeds from the Echo Park Time Travel Mart go to funding the non-profit organization, and the playful store theme serves to inspire creativity in its students, as well as bring a unique way of advertising 826LA to the local community. Though the shop primarily features quirky time travel items, such as Time-Freezy Hyper Slush ice drinks and Wooly Mammoth Chunks, visitors can also browse and purchase the students’ publications, which are appropriately displayed in a freezer. We toured LA with the Time Travel Mart on Obscura Day - March 20th, 2010. Photos, stories and more here" - ATLAS_OBSCURA