iSpy (Retro Distortion edition): Find C3PO, Oliver Hardy, 4 Marilyn Monroes, 8 Beatles, Groucho Marx, Yoda, Napoleon Dynamite, Dwight Schrute, Pulp Fiction, and Wisconsin.

If you’re ever in the market to revisit your childhood or find that one last random item on a gift shopping list, Retro Distortion is probably the place. With its brightly colored walls and eclectic collection of merchandise, this store at 207 Graham Avenue in downtown Eau Claire is a spastic showroom in the best sense of the word.

You could call it a pop art shop or an antique store or a pop culture collectibles galleria, but the best label would be closer to nostalgic knick-knack emporium. They’ve got merchandise islands under section headers like: toys, Hollywood, media/music, military, sports, comics/books, religious, beer, décor/kitchenware, and miscellany (which, let’s face it, is probably the majority). And within each, you’re talking about t-shirts, artwork, action figures, DVDs, books, records, trading cards, games, magnets, and more.

Their motto, I’m told, is “We sell memories.” It’s a suitable gimmick, with much of the inventory crossing generational lines from Atari and ViewMaster to army men and Barbies.

I’ll give you a few name drops to help give you a taste of the variety contained within. Ready? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wizard of Oz, Napoleon Dynamite, Rocky Horror, Marilyn Monroe, Hitler, Jesus, The Office, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Beatles, trolls, Dick Tracy, and The Simpsons.

The shop opened in early December, essentially as an extension of an ongoing thrift sale on Eau Claire’s Lloyd Avenue that you’ve probably spotted at some point in the last couple years. It’s run by Sandy Becker and her boyfriend Mark, who see it as a more appropriate physical space for their garage sale, and as such welcome haggling. 

And while you may think the turnover of merchandise is a disadvantage of the store, Mark assures that they have much more to rotate into the store as space opens up.