Oh AxMan, where have you been all my life? Only you can make my hoarding complete. Loved the glass beer mugs engraved with my name and some strangers. I don't remember the wedding, but it must have been classy. Tea Party Jason masks. How was I ever living without one? Zipper pulls. Zipper pulls. Zipper pulls. Why do you taunt me so? Baseball bats with pizza cutters on the ends. I like baseball. I like pizza. I. need. one. Pickle forks. Hundreds and hundreds of pickle forks. I must eat more pickles. I am addicted. I must have more. I love this store. read more

This is the best surplus store ever!!!! Hands down. Whatever your looking for: electronics parts, mechanical stuff, surplus promotional coffee mugs, craft supplies, etc.... chances are, they have it. All at great prices. I love it, and will now be going there every time I take a trip to the Twin Cities. They also have the greatest pricing signs you've ever seen. Most likely, the price sign for a given item will have some clip out from a magazine, hand drawn characters, a famous quote, a movie or song reference, some of which are quite obscure. For example, a box of red indicator lights had a price sign referencing the Police song Roxanne. read more

I've been avoiding this review like a doctor appointment if only because every other write up of the ax-man is five stars. Had I any kind of projects that required the use of old telephones, gas masks, and random boxes of pens, I too would give the Ax-Man an A+. That being said, for me it is not the awe inspiring journey that I've read in these other reviews. I would blame it on my chromosomal make-up but that would negate my forward thinking feminist view of the world. So, I'll give the Ax-Man a solid 3 star review with the knowledge that should I need some spare parts of something, I can always bump it up to live in the five-red village. read more

I love this place! I needed help making a rotating display, and the girl...(only girl working there?) helped me find the right motor and power supply, showed me how to connect it all and make it go even plugged it in for me. The other time I went there I went for silly crafty crap and the guy behind the counter was just over all really nice. I've never left that place angry or neglected! I want the iron lung. I'd incorporate it into a bar...or something...never mind, I don't deserve it. I'll stick with buying baby doll heads. read more

"All the components you need for a home meth lab - for less!!" This is totally what I think their slogan should be, despite the fact that it is slightly misleading. I don't think Axe Man is necessarily catering to any type of illicit clientele, however, they do have an amazing assortment of Pyrex lab equipment. Maybe you could even use some of it for baking! All joking aside, Axe Man is a crazy surplus store you should not miss in St. Paul. Their ever-changing (and surprisingly low cost) array of goods is worth the trip in itself, and you might even find something useful. I found a canister of Korean colored pencils with a sharpener in the lid and nifty anime characters on the outside for only two bucks. They also have an iron lung, in case you know anyone with polio. Seriously though, words cannot describe the insanity that is the Axe Man inventory. You just need to experience it for yourself. read more

If you love useless crap that you can make into..........well maybe usefull crap then this is the place to go!!! They have the oddest stuff that you usally won't find anywhere else. If your creative and have an open imagination you will be able to see beyond what they have on the shelves as just junk. You'll see treasures. I wish they one in AZ because it's a great place to go a explore on a lazy afternoon. You know you'll find something there!!!! read more

Ax-Man is a great place to find stuff that you didn't know you needed. Doll heads? Flasks with engraving errors? Calendars from a baptist church in North Carolina? You'll never know what you'll find in Ax-Man. The best part about Ax-Man however, is their abundance of electronics components, normally stuff that would be difficult to find at Rat Shack. Don't go there looking for a specific part, as the odds are good that you won't find it. But if you're looking for something (say a switch or a trimpot or wall wart), they have tons of neat and unique parts that will spiff up your electronics hobby project. read more

This is quite possibly the most amazing store I have ever been in. I can't believe how hard I laughed: the written descriptions of each random item for sale are works of comedic art. And the merch: Dennis Miller talking dolls! Susan Powter workouts on VHS! Avon "hostess soaps" still in the box ...circa 1968! If Ax-Man were in Chicago, I'd be there ALL THE TIME. read more

Tons of cool, crazy things are here, and its always different when I go in. They are pretty random but boxes everywhere full of anything from dolls, to motors, to chemistry sets, and dinnerware. read more

Ax-Man Surplus Stores - Hobby Shops Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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I go at least once a year for costume building supplies. I usually try to bring someone with me before who hasn't been. Typically the Ax Man newbie has one of two reactions, "Dear God, where has this place been all my life. It's Awesome." or "You are a very sick person and I now I know where you get all your twisted ideas." My top 5 favorite Ax Man inventory items: 1) box of Size 3 girls Mary Jane shoes in chartreuse. No other size, no other color. But if you are outfitting a troupe of dancers for a Little Miss pageant you really would have hit the jackpot. 2) Roll of sticky back black foam rubber from 3M. Useful for oh so many car, home and costume projects. 3) urine sample jars. You never know when you might need a couple dozen of these. Makes a nice change from your usual spice rack. 4) Giant roll of purple sparkly shelf paper. Every shelf in former apartment was made better with this stuff. 5) Rubber gloves that go well past your elbow. There's heavy duty and then there's nuclear power plant grade, and these gloves fell into the latter category. read more

Are you serious? i came here for the first time this weekend and was astounded by the loads of things/junk that I could buy if I wanted...I ended up spending a hefty chunk of money there on things that I may or may not even use, but it was worth it. I love stores like this though, my boyfriend and I went in search of things to use...he is going to "steempunk" his MPC, so we ended up buying some pretty old gears, brass sheets, and some vacuum pumps... All for pretty cheap too! I will be back, you can count on that. I just need to come up with new projects so it doesn't take me an hour and half this time to walk around aimlessly. read more

Amazing insanity. Awesome. Incredible. Unique. Unusual. Surprising. Funny. Interesting. Ever changing. I love just strolling through this store looking for random gifts or fun treasures. Its so fun. My kids have a BALL. read more

I have no reason to really ever go into this place, yet one day my husband and I went in and it was like a time-warp journey into a small-town thrift/liquidation warehouse time place. Signs are hilarious, variety of things is absolutely hilarious and bizarre. Definitely worth stopping by just for a stroll. read more

This place is always full of crap that they salvaged somewhere. If you are a crazy artist, a mad scientist, or a deranged person looking to make an alter to your crazy god, then you may find what you are looking for in this store. Since it is always changing, talking about what can be found here is a waste of time. Bizarre and wonderful things. Strange and odd things. Completely worthless things. You can buy them all. read more

Okay, so I love this place when I want to explore, and be silly and make random arty things... but if you're looking for something in particular, I find it very hit or miss. I will say, though, that I've had fun every time I've been in here. There is a huge assortment of things that no one would ever buy to choose from. Educational beach balls, inflatable turtles and frogs that mimic a dissection, military grade gas masks-- they have it. They also have a huge assortment of washers, nuts, bolts, dowels, etc for less. Wire is usually decent quality and cheap, as well! It's not super well organized, though you can sense the themes of where things are. The staff if nice and friendly and able to communicate well. The music inside the place is good to listen to, as well. If you're with friends and need some weird gifts, or if you want to find some favors for a party, this is the place. If you need wire, or parts for an art/home improvement project-- place to go. If weird scavenging adventures are your thing-- place to go. If you want to be able to find something quickly, and without crowds-- maybe not the best place. If you're looking for consistent, reliable stock: also not the best place. If you're claustrophobic-- this is not for you. read more

Be EZ on Jeezy Indeezy! Ax-Man has always been...and will always be filled with the weird, the creepy, the eccentric and misplaced or misunderstood...and that's just their customers! Seriously...come for the odds and ends, the 1980s pinup posters, a prism, a fan motor, an old wool beret, a bag of rubber bands, or some Erlenmeyer flasks. The Ax-Man has them...and more. The real treat of coming here is the entire experience. They always have awesome employees...and I'm certain they work here for the same reason I like coming here...weirdness. If you think people watching at the State Fair or Walmart is interesting...you've yet to live life. Come visit Ax-Man an you can begin your journey into life realizing you are waaaay more well-adjusted than you thought you were. So put on your best booty shorts, mesh tank and those second hand red and white cowboy boots...and get on down to Ax-Man. Try: Buying an entire outfit while you're here...and wearing it next time you come. Avoid: Showing belly and butt-cheeks at the same time. read more

Ok, this place is awesome. They have a little bit of everything, but don't expect to find anything! There are plenty of finds here, and having access to such oddities is something every one should have! There are more small, useful trinkets here than anywhere else in the twin cities... and I just inspired myself to make a trip by writing this review! I need plastic clips! The shelves are so full of inspiration, that I'm getting it just by thinking about going! read more

Everyone should love a trip to Ax-Man!! It's one of the most unique places around, and growing up in MN, I had no idea that a place like this wasn't found in every small town around the U.S.. It's the kind of place that people who like to play with toys, but enjoy making their own toys would have a field day. If you're an artist who is lacking inspiration, then spend an hour in an Ax-Man, and if something doesn't inspire you, then you might want to rethink your profession. Bring out-of-towners to a Ax-Man location nearest you, and they will thank you for it. read more

Totally awesome.. the highlight of my trip. Lots of cool stuff, could spend hours in here just finding cool stuff. So, some of it is junk and overpriced.. but it's a cool way to spend an hour. read more

Did you know you needed a whole bunch of taxidermy eyeballs? Or several balls of twine? Or 8x10 glass negatives? Or glove making mannequins? Or feathered headbands? Or marbles? Or JFK beach towels? Or wall size Sesame Street coloring pages? The list goes on and on and it's always changing. If you love and yearn for crap, this is the place to be. Useful crap. Also, on the same level of importance as the actual merchandise is what the workers have done with it. The signs alone are worth the trip. Truly a work of literary genius. These people should all be given honorary doctorates from Harvard and Yale for their craftsman ship of language and electronics. If you've never been, go with a couple of hours, some cash and and empty trunk. PS. They have the tools to do your own dentistry. read more

I can easily waste hours walking around this store looking for things I don't need but really want. Cheap prices, great attitude, and if you ever DO need some little, crazy thing, or a crazy bit of a thing, you can find it here. Recommended: Mistakenly engraved flasks and mistakenly sandblasted glasses which make great gifts if you have a friend named Kelsey and want her to have a glass that says Keelsy read more

Just walking around and reading the descriptions of all the crap is entertaining. I bring people here from out of town and they always love it. The best thing I bought here was a Rocky IV beach towel. Recently they still had a bunch of 50s sci-fi style posters about the Y2K scare. Just great random stuff. Yesterday at the Saints game someone from Ax-Man was selling beard and mustache combs. You can't go wrong checking this place out. read more

Pretty much the greatest surplus store of all time!!! Ax-Man takes America's capitalist surplus f*ck ups and hooks you up on the cheap with unique items to create, craft, and build with. The staff is a bunch of friendly artsy types with good vibes. The prices for things are reasonable and, of course, they offer volume discounts. I've been a patron of this shop for over 20 years and i have such fond memories of wanting to play in the iron lung from when I was a kid. Bring your kids and your dog (make sure it's leashed!) Take the light rail to save on parking, and they cannot accommodate those who have Apple pay, sorry. read more

I can't fit many words into this tight space on how much i appreciate ax-man so i will keep this short and simple. Ax-man is one of the best places for random buildable projects and all around good prices and fun. Ax-man got me through highschool and college for my art projects, every time i've gotten a pass or in gradeschool terms, an "A", "B", or rarely a "C". really all i can say is how great this place is and how i wish that it will remain great for the rest of the years that it's up and running. read more

Ax-man is so much fun. It feels like the makings of a steam-punk novel. The staff is super cool and I love the decorations and awesome signage they make. I can always find something weird here that's slightly useful but mostly just fun. So glad this place exists. read more

I cannot believe some of the things I find at this store. I grew up going to the Fridley location where they had bins full of Teddy Ruxpin parts (my innocence died that day). Since I moved into the core cities, the St. Paul location has become my home base. I just today bought approximately five hundred googly-eyes here, and I think that alone should qualify this shop for all-star status, but here's a little more evidence: I once created an oracle for a good friend using a porcelain doll head, a wooden platter, and a glass dome, all purchased here. I once successfully skipped school by wearing one of their all-white radiation suits and crawling on my belly in the snowy winter past the parking lot attendant at Mounds View High School without detection. I also once created a super-hero chair for a friend of mine, complete with reading lamp, fan, radio, and danger siren, based solely on purchases from this location. Bottom line, if you are mildly creative, somewhat poor, and in a bind for a great holiday gift, come to Ax-man. My god, they will blow your blessed mind. read more

Need something weird?? Why not come here. They could have thing-a-ma-bobs a plenty you couldn't find else where for a good price. Fun place to just walk around and look. read more

Ax-Man is a staple in the Twin Cities and the St. Paul location has the most/best stuff. The inventory is an extremely random assortment of knick-knacks, home goods, electronic parts, motors, military things, and pretty much everything in-between. When I'm working on a project, this place is my go-to for parts and/or ideas. Seriously, I can walk up and down the isles for half an hour and come up with several things I'd like to build based on the items available. Heaven for tinkerers. read more

I have been to the Ax Man in Crystal and liked it, but I definitely like this one more! It's bigger and has a wider selection of items. A fun place to shop! read more

A really interesting store. There is never anything in there that I truly need, yet I just can't ever leave empty handed. Half of the fun is never knowing what is around the corner or on the next shelf. The employees are a lot of fun to talk to, if you have an hour or so to kill go check it out. read more

I went here with a long long time ago ex for the first time. LOVED this place the moment I entered. I don't go here often but every time I do I could wander around, point at things and comment for hours. Favorites from last time I was there was a huge box of red sorry game pieces that were referred to as communist pieces. Plus they had a huge pile of wise women are gifted gift wrap and things which I adored and though was much fun to wrap things up in. I would say some of the fun of this place is they don't take it seriously. They are fabulous at labeling things. Hmm actually this makes me want to take a a visit here very soon it has been to long since my last visit. read more

The signs alone are enough reason to go; hilarious descriptions of possibilities for the most random assortment of STUFF. If I stopped in too often I could easily become a hoarder- its very hard to resist stocking up on bizarre things you will probably never have a legitimate need for, but want soooooo badly! read more

Great place to go to find random junk as small gifts for kids or if your kid needs stuff for a science project. Their little signs all over are so funny, you'll actually LOL. Only small complaint is some of the staff are mildly annoying with their "too cool" to help you attitude. But such great stuff, great prices, and it changes all the time, still worth a 4.5 stars if I could. read more

I admit I was an Ax-Man virgin before today, I have a new favorite store now though. I didn't go in there with any projects in mind but left with all sorts of ideas. Their signs and sense of humor had me chuckling in every aisle. And as I overheard one woman exclaim as she was browsing "these are garage sale prices!" read more

WOW. Utopia. Come well fed and recently pottied, you'll be wondering around here for some time. A frenetic and guilty pleasure.

Ax man has always been amazing.. all the locations!! they're more than just a junk store.. you can build your own league of robots, a space ship, time machine, teleportation device, you name it. amazing. read more

This is one of my favorite stores to wander around in! I always find something I never knew I needed. I do a lot upcycling and other artsy stuff, so this is the place I go for all my random needs! read more

Great store. Love the mix of different merchandise! Employees were very helpful!

Fantastic. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of ax man. As an electronics hobbyist, this place is an absolute gold mine for project components. From resistors and capacitors to random components from forgotten relics, this place has it all. On top of that, it's affordable prices for same day items are an absolute dream come true. Prices that are rarely beaten, even online. read more

Make sure you empty your bladder before going to Ax-Man. Why? Reading the homemade signs describing the products with a full bladder could be dangerous. The signs almost always have an image made from magazine clippings with some seriously funny narrative. Sometimes the sign admits that they don't even know what the hell it is, but for .15 cents you should buy it anyway. Here's a list of items I remember from my last visit: Items from when airlines used to serve food (pickle trays, etc) Marbles More ways to magnify something than you can think of. Replacement rear view mirror Dental picks Security cameras Lots and lots of different colored duct tape Tons of different size bubble mailers More hardware items than you can shake a stick at Broomstick ends Anything you need to make a small motorized item Lots of replacement ac adapters Super strong magnets read more