A few days ago, someone on Facebook asked me what the deal is with that little key shack on Poplar Ave. between Colonial and Mendenhall. The place is called A-1 Keys, and it's a tiny, tan building right next to the train tracks. The building has a bit of a temporary air to it, but it's been there forever. Several huge signs advertise A-1's key cutting and knife sharpening abilities. I stopped by yesterday to get a set of spare house keys made. There were a few people standing around outside (you can't go in the building), waiting for their keys. I gave the nice college-age kid working inside my keys and he returned about two minutes later with a pair of shiny, new keys. The total cost was $3.28. When I handed him $4, he passed a dollar back to me and said that he could come up with the $.28. There was a steady stream of people walking up to the window to get keys made, including one heavily tattooed man in jeans, a t-shirt with cut off sleeves and a Santa hat. Hey, everyone needs keys. Go There: A-1 Keys