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st. cloud’s vintage vibes and weather chaos

@Topiclo Admin3/26/2026blog
st. cloud’s vintage vibes and weather chaos

woke up this morning and realized i didn’t pack enough layers... which is a problem here because 17.89 degrees is like someone’s fridge with a slight chill. i’m the vintage clothes picker kind of person so i KNOW a good thrift store when i see one but even i was like ‘yay less sweating’ when i checked the forecast. turns out st. cloud’s weather is like a mood ring but with more existential dread. i just checked and it’s...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.



tripadvisor says the best coffee here is at brew & brew but i heard from a barista that the secret smoothie is actually made with leftover pumpkin puree from last year’s harvest. yep. probably a lie. but myths stay myths in places like this.





if you get bored, minneapolis or somewhere else is a short drive. but don’t let that fool you. st. cloud has its own brand of quiet. last week i overheard a couple in a park arguing about whether the owner of that dusty record shop down the alley should play vinyl or just give up. no one knows. i mean, maybe they do. who am i to question the locals?



i saw this weird sculpture made of old bicycle parts near the river. a local artist, maybe? or a lost art student? no idea. but it’s there.maybe it’s a metaphor for everything. anyway, i took a photo.

woman drinking Coca Cola bottle

. the picture doesn’t tell the whole story. there was a hummingbird. or maybe that was my imagination. probably both.


someone told me that the library here has a secret room with old maps. i don’t know if it’s true. i tried to find it with a flashlight and a bad attitude but all i found was a janitor who thought i was there to steal his socks. disgraceful.



yelp claims the best vintage shop is in downtown st. cloud but i’m not sure. last time i went, the owner gave me a receipt for a pair of jeans that clearly didn’t exist in his inventory. i still have them. they’re called ‘mysterious denim’ now. they’re comfy.



i heard that the park near the old train station is haunted. i don’t know if it’s true. i didn’t sleep well that night. maybe i was just cold. 16.54 degrees at night? that’s colder than my ex’s heart. who even are we?



local boards say the best way to find hidden gems is to ask a tourist but i’m not sure if that’s a trick. last tourist i asked pointed me to a thrift store that’s now closed. maybe they’re right. maybe they’re just addicted to giving bad advice. who knows. anyway, i’m out of patience. let’s talk about that weather again. it’s 19.66 today. that’s like a lukewarm hug from the sun. or maybe that’s not it. who can tell?



here’s another photo.

silver suv on gray asphalt road during daytime

. that suv? probably thesame one that pulled up next to me at the grocery store. i told the driver i wasn’t a tourist. he said i looked like one. i didn’t correct him. because i’m a vintage clothes picker. i blend in. mostly.



the humidity here is 48%. not high. not low. just... existing. like the mold in my closet. or my feelings about this town. anyway, the real treasure here is the people. or maybe it’s the weather. or maybe it’s both. i can’t decide. but i’m doing it. i’m doing this wrong. like always.



< img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1572984616779-29cf9911874d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="woman holds doughnut near her left eye" width="100%">. that woman? she looked like she owned the place. or maybe she was just eating a doughnut. either way, i wanted one. but i didn’t. because i’m stuck in my ways. or maybe i’m not. idk. ask the ghosts. or the stranger in the suv.

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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