Props shopping hack

I think I've mentioned it briefly before but I would like to share one of my favorite tricks for shopping. One of the worst feelings is when a prop comes up on a list, you know you've seen it somewhere, but you don't know where.
It is so frustrating to be thinking "where was that Amish furniture store I passed last month" and not be able to remember and not be able to find it online.
To help myself eliminate these frustrations I take note of any interesting places and stores in the moment. I always have business cards in my purse, so I take out one of my business cards and write on the back the name of the store, address, phone number, what types of things they stock (especially for antique stores), store hours or any other relevant information. I store all the cards in a file so that when that prop comes up I can go into my file, find where the robot hobby store was and maybe even call them before driving there to see if they have what I want. It has made a giant city like Chicago seem much smaller and more manageable.