First up is the sticker I set aside years ago for the sole purpose of being on my new water bottle one day...
I got this sticker on one of my first trips to Seattle and it was one of the first places I knew I wanted to visit. This is from 826Seattle - "a nonprofit writing and tutor center." Let me explain WHY it's so awesome.
Through friends/family, I've really enjoyed reading books by Dave Eggers and things on McSweeney's, his publishing company. They publish a super diverse amount of material, with a lot of stuff free to read on their website. He created this writing/tutoring center in San Francisco for kids, but the space that they had was zoned in a retail district. Instead of being like "Well forget this we'll just open a store" or buying some other place, they opened a store front where they sold merchandise but tutored in the back. What did they sell you might ask? At the SF store (826Valencia), they advertise themselves as a San Francisco's Only Independent Pirate Supply Store!! You can buy anything you might need if you were a pirate here - a captain's log, skull and crossbone dice, jailer keys, a spyglass, BEARD EXTENSIONS, and Scurvy BeGone, as well as so much else. You can also buy them all online, and obviously they go to help this amazing organization. They ALSO sell compilation books of their students work! They are usually on a certain topic, and some of the writing is so adorable (they tutor and hold writing workshops with kids as young as 6) and some is really awesome and creative in terms of the topics (I like to think of their Seattle series "What to Read in the Rain."). I love the creativity and innovation of the 826's. Each 826 chapter has a different crazy storefront, even if they aren't required to, to keep them all connected and to help support them. Their websites are amazing and so detailed, but never let you forget that they're really all about helping kids. I love supporting them and am hoping for an 826PDX soon!
I know it's kinda late, but they sell things that would be amazing Christmas presents AND their student writings are really fun. Also, their store websites are great to check out, they are so detailed and don't "break character." Here's a list of the different 826's and their storefronts (which all have online stores, as well):
826DC - Museum of Unnatural History (kind of a Ripley's Believe it or Not)
826LA - Time Travel Mart (this one is so great! "Today's Wormhole Condition: It's never too early to get Y3K compliant!)(and they sell Robot Milk and Mammoth Chunks)(and robots that are expressly NOT from robot mills)(and Nano Robots which is just an empty can that says Nano)(see what I mean? 826's are so awesome and creative!)
There's my first water bottle sticker, and a bit about the awesomeness of 826's. Seriously, they're such a neat and creative concept, and doing such good work. If there's one near you I highly suggest you check it out, or volunteer if you're able to!
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