Carto-Craft Maps, Inc.

Carto-​Craft is my go-​to spot for all of my (admittedly extensive) map needs. And map wants. I love maps.
The guys here are the real deal — they actually go out to each location and chart it out (instead of just importing government map data, etc) to build their maps. Locally owned and operated in Birmingham, they are probably best known for their incredibly detailed maps of the lakes in Alabama. They actually show where trees/​tree stumps are under the water… good info for fishing addicts and boaters when the water is low.
They also do great large scale and book-​style road maps (they’re used by the Bham Visitors Bureau) and you can get them in various styles. I like the topographical maps myself, but everyone has a different preference. I also end up getting lots of gifts from here, including vintage maps of Alabama and from various wars, which are incredibly interesting.
I’ve gotten to meet the owner and many folks who work here throughout the years, and I can say that they are great, honest people who provide an increasingly rare service to our community: real cartographers making quality maps! Great customer service, great products, if you love maps, go, trust me.

If you need a map, this is where to get it. Period.
Carto-​Craft is unique for three reasons:
1. it is locally owned
2. they are actually cartographers (map-​makers) who design and publish incredibly detailed maps of Alabama and surrounding areas… aka they are experts
3. aside from their own line of maps, they offer hundreds of other selections (for example, they have maps of Iraq, a city map of Durban, South Africa, and an array of European roadmaps, city maps, etc)… they even have valuable antique maps that would be perfect in any personal library or study.
I went in to get a map of my own city, Birmingham, and to pick up something for Father’s Day, and my dad is a bit of a map-​a-​holic. This is one of his favorite stores, not only for its expertise and selection but also because of its total hole-​in-​the-​wall, out of the way location in Bluff Park.
Luckily, my navigation system was able to take me there– for the record it is located in a shopping center featuring a Piggly Wiggly, and is in the back corner of the parking lot in a stand-​alone building. The man who helped me has worked at Carto-​Craft for 25 years, and filled my time there with stories about his family, his vast collection of over 5000 books, and more. He showed me all of the Carto-​Craft maps I (because of my dad) was already familiar with– the incredible and huge laminated views of Smith Lake, Lake Martin, Weiss Lake, the Bankhead National Forest, the Sipsey Wilderness, and other areas of Alabama. Then he pulled out some impressive National Geographic surveys showing the battle patterns from the Civil War, trail maps, and told me about their most recently sold out item: a map series showing the Lewis and Clark trail (of course then I wanted one, but hopefully they will get more!).
So, ultimately, I walked out of the door with exactly what I needed: an inexpensive ($ 4.95) and hard to come by detailed map of Birmingham, and a unique gift for my dad (an old topographical map of Alabama) and a Survival Guide (we like to watch Doomsday Preppers so I found it to be a funny yet useful item). If for nothing else but the experience, go to Carto-​Craft, talk to the knowledgeable staff, look around, and experience a true map-​lovers paradise.
oh– but be ready– they do still use a printer with the perforated edges for receipts… so this trip will not be a quick one… but it will be well worth the time.