Although it sometimes seems as though Wharton gets all the glory around here with their billion dollar facilities, P.I.M.P. umbrellas and fancy bulkpacks, not everyone is a wanna be I-banker. So where can dejected College of Arts and Crafts students turn for some inspiration? To the premier arts and crafts store, AIA Books and Design.
On the corner of 17th and Sansom, AIA is Philadelphia's Mecca for architecture, design and art history students looking for books or fresh ideas, but the store's offerings certainly aren't limited to aspiring Frank Lloyd Wrights. AIA is just as much a card or gift shop, replete with all sorts of tchotchkes, jewelry and collectibles to balance out the bookshelves.
The merchandise at AIA isn't cheap, and it's pretty easy to drop a chunk of your inheritance in half an hour. Fortunately, you can limit your scope, and there's a sizeable variation in prices for most items. Feeling loose with the Visa card? Spring for the AIA Architectural Graphic Standards text for $250! When the parents get the bill you can justify the expense by saying it was for school, and, like, you really needed it. Maybe it's tax-deductible, too. But for the rest of us on a tighter budget, there are the likes of Icon's Designers of the 20th Century for $10.95, and countless similar items. AIA is also a perfect locale for gift-giving, offering more creative alternatives of stationery ($15-$16), paperweights ($15), leather-bound picture frames ($42), and other domestic trimmings. If obscure is the name of your game, try a slate Buddha gift card for $10.95.
The store in some places looks like an extension of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, with colorful ceiling fixtures and experimental art adorning the walls. But the greatest indulgence is downstairs. The gallery "Recycle/Redesign" showcases Philadelphia artists' innovative ways to reuse trash, like a chandelier made with Styrofoam cups, or a coffee table with empty Sunny Delight bottles. Can't find a purpose for a busted computer monitor? One artist used it with newspaper clippings and household scraps to construct a fish tank. Just imagine the possibilities with this magazine.
