Visited a drafting supply shop in Cleveland and noticed something odd

I stopped by a place called Cleveland Blue Print & Supply last week to pick up some scale rulers. What caught my attention was how empty the store was. There was one older guy behind the counter and maybe three customers in 30 minutes. The shelves had dust on some of the older drafting boards and tools. It made me wonder if physical drafting supply shops are dying out now that so much is digital. Do you still buy your tools in person or do you order everything online?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel1401mo ago

That line about surviving on old dudes is too real, lol.

mark4361mo ago

I still buy local when I can, even if it means I'm one of the three customers keeping the lights on! My dusty old drafting table at home should probably be a museum piece by now too.

piper7791mo ago

Maybe they're just going for that "haunted workshop" aesthetic. I walked into a place near me last month and half the fluorescent lights were flickering like a horror movie, thought I'd get jumped by a ghost of a draftsman from 1972. Dust on the drafting boards is probably their inventory management system at this point. Honestly it's a miracle they're still open, probably surviving on old dudes like us who need one specific parallel bar and refuse to pay for shipping. At least you can still get the good erasers there though, the ones that don't crumble into sad little crumbs after two swipes.