Essentially Odd: A Catalog for Nerds of All Seasons

I originally read about 826 stores about a year ago in McSweeney's. 826 Valencia, a San Francisco-area literacy workshop designed to help kids and adults read and write, set up a pirate supply store to help raise funds.

Obviously, the idea was a big hit.

An 826 superhero supply store opened up in NY, and now Seattle has an 826 space travel supply store while Chicago has everything you need for your super-secret spy needs. Michigan and LA also boast a time travel store and a cryptozoology shop respectively.

ANYWAY, now there is finally an 826 National catalog, featuring some of the best products from all of the different stores, hilarious blurbs and even notes from the designers and people that have purchased the products!

Here's an example:

826NYC “Muscle” and “Speed of Light” Canisters:
The general concept for the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company store, from the beginning, was that it was a kind of Lowe’s or Wal-Mart for Superheroes. It would be the place where heroes could come get all the necessities imaginable that one might need for crime-fighting at unbeatable prices. So, we knew that our flagship line had to have that generic feel to it—as though there were a bunch of other fancy, expensive superhero products out there, but ours was the exact same thing only cheaper. Once the label was designed, the hard part would be thinking up a whole range of products that superheroes just wouldn’t be able to live without.
– Sam Potts, 826NYC Designer

Its a great way to learn about and support 826 stores until you can get a chance to visit one in person. And really, you must. I hit the Pirate Supply when I was in San Francisco. AMAZING.