Los Angeles

You don't have to be MacGyver to turn a wire hanger into an antenna, but you should call Richard Dean Anderson when you need to build a dune buggy. Getting all resourceful with duct tape: Shalgo.

Started by a husband/wife team in Koreatown, Shalgo specializes in useful goods made from the sticky, silver cure-all (because Scotch is just a gateway tape). The makeshift magic starts with two models of wallets: a colorful, arrow-adorned bi-fold (interior coin purse optional), and the two-striped "Weekend" that holds a few credit cards + cash, and's slim enough for your front pocket -- ideal for men with bad backs and tiny cell phones. More impressive are duct'd iPod cases in nine colors, complete w/ clear video-watching screen and vinyl wheel, all made to fit the 5th generation 30-gig model (people with the 80-gig model are apparently geeky enough to craft their own case).

Taking things up ten notches is the Shalgomobile, a 1972 VW Squareback artfully decorated with 5,000 multi-colored pieces of duct tape. At $9240, it also comes with a lifetime supply of wallets -- all of which will be empty after paying off the reconstructive surgery arising from an over-bendy dune buggy accident.