Phoenix Miller was at Northtown Mall in Blaine when she passed the Museum of Self and wondered what it was. The 12-year-old is now intimately acquainted with the store that bills itself as the Twin Cities premier selfie museum.

Miller has visited eight times since the store opened in June, filling her cellphone with pictures and videos taken in front of 30 whimsical background installations.

For Miller, the store allows her to take pictures with pizazz and post them to Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms.

"It's better than taking them in my bedroom," said Miller, of Blaine. "It's a really cool place."

The latest social media phenomenon, selfie museums are popping up across the country. They've become popular with content creators looking for new ways to express themselves as well as everyone — from teenagers to octogenarians — who want to have fun in front of the camera, said owner Kimberly Holifield.

"They want to have a cute backdrop, and not everybody has that," Holifield said. "This is something different."

For $25 ($10 for under 12), you can have an hour to snap as many shots as possible in front of installations that include a wall featuring popular kids' cereals, an old-time phone booth and walls plastered with LPs and magazine covers. There's a Pac-Man wall, a money gun that shoots fake $100 bills and a 360-degree photo booth that allows guests to sing and dance while they record.

Phyllisha Butler, of St. Paul, is a self-described picture person who was looking for a place to take unique photos of her children, Lauryn, 1, and Ava Anthony, 2 months. The Museum of Self was just the ticket.

"I have been taking pictures of them every month since they were a month old," Butler said. The Museum of Self offers her kids a way to interact with the sets. "They get to play with stuff," she said. "I have a new iPhone and I'm about to fill it up."

At the museum, inspirational rap artist and "selfie queen" Naketa Lloyd gravitated to a room featuring pink walls with psychedelic flashing lights surrounding a mirror. Her friend Thomas Panama of Minneapolis took a moment to shoot some hoops, his favorite stop on the tour.

"This is fantastic," he said. "It's amazing they can pack this all into one room."

The museum also has dressing rooms where guests can change into multiple outfits. For tough shots, it provides selfie sticks and tripods. And staffers will even snap a few shots upon request, Holifield said. On Fridays, guests can bring their pets.

Open daily during mall hours, the museum also can be booked for special events, such as weddings, baby showers and birthday parties.

The Twin Cities-based ensemble Sounds of Blackness stopped in this month to shoot a music video to coincide with a fall release of a new single, "#URGONNAWIN," which it recorded to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

"It's absolutely phenomenal," the group's music director, Gary Hines, said of the museum. "With so many visual opportunities in one setting, it's amazing. It's family-friendly and something everybody can enjoy."

The museum celebrated International Selfie Day in June and plans to mark other occasions such as Halloween.

"We'll have selfies with Santa during the holidays," Holifield said.