SEATTLE — One of the coolest vending machines you’ll ever see is inside a longtime Seattle shop.
The Art-O-Mat is a vintage cigarette machine that dispenses small pieces of art.
There are roughly 250 of them throughout the United States, but Venue is the only location where you'll find one in Seattle.
"Super fun, a lot of people love what they pull out of it,” said Venue owner Diane Macrae. She's had the Art-O-Mat since 2008.
Despite the machine’s lengthy history, it’s enjoying a new moment of fame thanks to social media.
“A girl on Instagram had come in and tried it out and filmed it and she posted it on her site and next thing you know, BOOM. Everyone's coming in, 'Where's that Art-O-Mat machine, I saw it on Instagram, where is it?'" Macrae said. "As those people came in, they started posting on it so their friends started coming in and it's just grown since then."
Visitors pay $5 for a token and can choose from more than 20 artistic possibilities.
"There's placards in (the machine,)" Macrae said. "Instead of advertising the cigarette brand, which is what it used to do, it advertises what kind of art is in that column."
Options range from small watercolors to wood carvings and jewelry.
"You still don't know exactly what it's going to look like until you open the box,” she said. "That's part of the joy is finding something different."
But the Art-O-Mat is the only thing inside Venue that isn’t totally local.
"Everything in our store is made by local artists and designers, and it's a wide range of prices, a wide range of products - but the bottom line is it's all locally made and designed,” Macrae said. "There's just incredible talent in this region and I thought they need a place, a venue, where they can have their work out there for everyone to see it, to experience it, to appreciate it.”
She encourages visitors to come for the Art-O-Mat, and stay for the unique work made by their neighbors.
Venue is open daily. It’s located in Old Ballard at 5408 22nd Ave. NW.
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