Darren W.
Yelp
"Cute" would be operative word here. You're all thinking I'm too gruff for reviewing Wildcard, eh? You're saying to yourselves, "Now why did Darren W. even go to Wildcard?" III hearrr youuuu...
I was wandering the glistening, wet streets of Lower Lawrenceville Friday night before trekking across the 40th Street Bridge for another few hours of heavy metal merriment when I realized that I'd never been on the other side of Wildcard's door before. With nothing better to do for about an hour or so, I cautiously wandered in, my workboots making the wooden floor squeal slightly.
Meticulously curated, stores like Wildcard have me remorseful over doing my card shopping at chains such as the now ubiquitous Hallmark shops, as well-stocked with trinkets and (even candy!) as they may be.
While I think Shadyside's Kards Unlimited is a more expansive and therefore superior type of business, Wildcard holds its own against the corporate giants by keeping much of their merchandise local and eccentric.
Alright, I'll come clean. Wildcard IS a tad girlish for a guy like myself to be frequenting often. To me, Kards Unlimited feels like a large variety/novelty store combined with Eide's or Groovy. I could get lost gawking at action figures and graphic novels at KU without giving a whit about their greeting card selection. Wildcard, on the other hand, is more concentrated and card-centric. It's a place I should take Kay to sometime just so I can listen to her squeak and coo over the all too precious items they have on display, things that have already been documented by other Yelp reviewers.
I did almost purchase an octopus tentacle for my finger, however.
Between Wildcard, an equally quirky cousin in Divertido on the opposite end of Butler Street, and the gruesomely geeky House of the Dead across the road (a review is comin'), folks shouldn't have trouble finding a gift for the ones they care about, be they oddalls or middle-of-the-roaders.