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THE  Monroe Avenue Destination since 1983

Established 1983

A Family Owned Business

668 on the Avenue:  Monroe Avenue is a storied thoroughfare of commerce and culture like no other in Rochester. Our block has a pretty remarkable history as the hip alternative destination for the kind of shopping experience you might look for in, say, NYC or Toronto. Over the years Archimage has become the anchor store here, and of course there have been lots of changes around us in 4+ decades.  But we've never forgotten what "the Avenue" has been for us.

668 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY  14607

(585) 271-2789

We are probably best described as a highly compact, alternative department store—one that manages to fit a remarkable diversity of unusual merchandise into less than 3000 square feet of floor space. We first opened our doors in 1983, and after 40+ years (!) in business - relying on word of mouth for our advertising - we're not afraid to say we're very good at what we do.

What does Archimage mean?

If you were wondering, Archimage is a real English word that dates back hundreds of years.  It means "GREAT MAGICIAN" - ARCHI (great) + MAGE (from the Latin magus), origin 1545-1555. It may seem peculiar that we laid a rather formidable pronunciation on the business, but let's think of it as a testament to our unconventional approach.  (Can you say AHR-ki-mahj?)