True crime is having a moment. From My Favorite Murder to Forensic Files to The Staircase, it seems like the public can't get enough of unlawful acts and the people who bring the culprits to justice. If you're ready to take your love of cracking cases to the next level, we suggest a visit to Crime Scene, a central Phoenix shop whose inventory is a blend of legit forensic supplies and crime-themed gifts. Luminol tablets to detect traces of blood? Check. Evidence markers and fingerprint kits? Absolutely. A Crime Scene Gift Bundle that includes caution tape, a UV light keychain, assorted evidence labels, and a coffee mug that says "Detective"? We can think of several people who'd be delighted to receive it. Now, we'd be remiss if we didn't say it: Please leave the actual crime-solving to the law-enforcement professionals. But Crime Scene is the best place in town to find some cool stuff to release your inner Gil Grissom.

Chalkboard Nails is a nail-art blog and website based in Phoenix and packed with DIY tutorials and impressive shots of nail art. Phoenix native Sarah Waite, a licensed nail technician, is the editor and creator of Chalkboard Nails. You could spend hours on Chalkboard Nails checking out pictorials, video tutorials, reviews, and posts allowing beginner to advanced nail artists to try their own designs at home or wherever. Think nails with ice cream cones, cactuses, pineapples, stars, stripes, Star Wars characters, and even Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Waite is also a contributor to NAILS Magazine and even co-authored a collection of tutorials called Pretty Hands & Sweet Feet. Her work has been featured on the Today show, Nail'd It on Oxygen, and in Redbook magazine.

Zines may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of Phoenix, but we're a city that boasts a pretty vibrant DIY publishing scene. Scan the shelves of record stores and coffee shops over the years and you'll have seen stapled, folded, and hand-bound zines with evocative titles like Hoozdo, AZ Kaos, B-Sides, The Paper Plane, and Pages Per Content. The downside to this literary underground was not having a dedicated place to find all these amazing indie pubs. But over time, fests like the Underground Publishers Convention and Phoenix Zine Fest came around, along with businesses like Lawn Gnome Books, to help spread the gospel of zines. But nobody is doing it as well as the folks at Wasted Ink Zine Distro. Run by Charissa Lucille, WIZD is a home for chapbooks, photo zines, memoirs, how-to books, and a wealth of other DIY publications. Lucille also offers WIZD as a venue for open mics, skillshares, workshops, and even shows by touring performers like multimedia puppeteer Rae Red.

Yeah, their website has over 30,000 artist products, which is great, but the real treat is visiting one of the three Valley locations of Arizona Art Supply. The extensive independent Arizona Art Supply network has been around since 1951. This expansive store has everything from brand-name art supplies to artist materials storage, studio furniture, and art and tutorial books. The colorful aisles are stocked with paper, pads, pens, and paints, plus gift sets and your typical office supplies.