Tat’s Bizarre Travels

Seattle, WA - All of the rumors about the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop are true. The place is spectacular. Having been around for the last 100-odd years and owned by the same family the place has a wondrous collection of everything from shrunken heads and two headed calfs to t-shirts and plastic beads. And that is why the “for sale” items are not nearly as fun as the “please don’t touch” items.

Primarily a store, the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is located right on the water, Alaskan Way, on a corner next to a souvenir store and the pier. Strangely it’s nestled among some of the most mundane fast food seafood eateries and souvineir shops. Perhaps that’s why there were so many more people inside than I expected. Of course, if they were freaked out by the shrunken heads they didn’t show it.

I wandered past hordes of children and travelers to get my fortune told by one of those old animatronic fortune tellers. I’ve always loved those things. The place was filled with coin operated machines, and for the first time since I had to do my laundry at Andy’s L undry (yes, the “a” was missing on the sign outside Andy’s too) I wished I had loaded up my pockets with quarters. I snapped shots of various stuffed monkeys, jackalopes, two headed beasts, a skeleton hanging from the rafters… you name it. This place was absolutely filled with objects of wonder, and I know I probably missed quite a bit.

Of course the two most famous members of the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop’s museum are all the way at the back of the store next to the cabinet of shrunken heads. Sylvester and Sylvia are two mummies that have become a huge draw for shop visitors. If you’re looking to purchase anything nearby you may want to reconsider, these guys get mobbed by onlookers. Sylvester is especially well loved and has become a bit of a store mascot. He’s an American mummy, a cowboy who was killed and embalmed with arsenic. His slightly pruneish likeness has not only been added to t-shirts and postcards, but the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop has even made a bobble-head doll of the old fellow.

As for things to buy? Well the bobble-head is a must have (I bought it after hefty debate about wanting to carry it around all day). There is a book called “A Curious Alphabet” that teaches you your alphabet via the items at the shop. Plus there are bugs in some sort of resin, a section of Asian items, a wall of hand made Native American Art, and a bunch of plasticy stuff for the kiddies. Really, you can’t go wrong.

The only thing that disappointed me about my visit to the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop was that I wished it was a bit less store and a bit more museum. Of course I’m fairly certain revenue wouldn’t be the same.