I’ve been driving past The Map Shop every single day for years and finally stopped in.

“I’d walk in right past the bouncer to hand in our rent money,” said Ted.

“You should have seen it when the Stripping Triplets were in town,” Patrice chimed in. “They traveled the country in their Winnebago and would park it around back.”

The couple purchased The Map Shop, where Patrice had been working for the original owners, back in 1995. Ted was working full time in IT for John Deere while completing his MBA at night. On the last night of his last class in entrepreneurship, they learned The Map Shop was planning to liquidate and close. Instead, Ted and Patrice bought it.

Today they’re located at the highly trafficked intersection of S. Kings Drive and E. Morehead Street, prime real estate they landed back in 2001.

In the age of digital navigation, successfully selling print maps wasn’t always easy but The Map Shop has proven the timelessness of the art of cartography by standing the test of time.

“Pivoting to sell maps for decoration instead of just for navigation is what pulled us through the recession,” said Ted while showing off some Carolina maps framed as art.

Despite the prominence of Google Maps and other digital navigation tools, the demand for and relevance of print maps has remained relatively steady for schools, salespeople, travelers and collectors.

Consider traveling to a remote location where landing a Wi-Fi signal isn’t an option. Maybe you’re a hiker hitting the Appalachian Trail. Let’s say you’re a regional salesperson in need of a detailed look at your territory to hang up on an office wall.

Or maybe you’re just me and you delight in old maps that show a glimpse into the past.

I bought this 1940 Charlotte census map (complete with frame) right off the wall for $50. Ted said he spent two months in Photoshop removing speckles from the original scan. I love it, but I didn’t think anyone else would nerd out over it like I did. Much to my surprise, the map received nearly 400 likes when I posted it to Instagram. Turns out maps are still cool.

Cool 1940 Charlotte census map from The Map Shop (via @katie_levans)

A photo posted by Axios Charlotte (@charlotteagenda) on

In addition to selling maps, The Map Shop also creates their own in their in-house cartography department.

And everything is packed and shipped out of the back room.

If you’re like me, you’ve been driving past The Map Shop daily for years. It’s time to make a stop. Just don’t buy the big NC map I’m eyeing for over the fireplace in my new house…