Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Lots of sojourners and stuff. The Curiosities seemed like less of the focus, which was a bit of a disappointment… But, worth popping in if you’re down on the waterfront.

This place is AWESOME!
It’s like 4^th or 5^th generation of the same owner, so the son of the owner who runs the place has tons of stories to tell.
Really great blend of fun gifts and novelties, as well as artifacts that you definitely don’t see on the regular like shrunken heads, mummies, taxidermied animals and fish, and local treasures.
I found it quite reasonable for gifts as well. A must see if you’re in Seattle, definitely worth supporting a local institution!

Interesting shop down by the water docks. They have the most strangest iconic souvenirs that range from 3 headed ducks to lucky rocks. They also had your Seattle tourist items such as magnets and key chains but who wants that when you have weird freaky things all over?!
For those who have a weak stomach, I don’t recommend perusing through the entire store as they do have a died out human body, desiccated dog, and other items that can make people squirm.
Definitely a place for the curious…

Wikipedia lists this store being established in 1899 by a man named J.E. Standley and since then the store has passed through generations of people and a lot of hands with a very rich with a colorful history and has apparently over one million visitors a year. All I know is I was herded to this store, sight unseen, by my co-​workers, who loudly proclaimed I could not miss this totally fascinating, if not odd, landmark of Seattle! My co-​workers told me to make sure I didn’t miss the shrunken heads, the mummy-​man Slyvester and the dried up mermaid.
I found Slyvester, which I doubted in authenticity, until I looked at the thing’s FEET, which were oozing some liquid in the glass showcase. I figure you can fake a face, a rib, some arms, but the oozing feet? Nooo ways. Too bad «something» happened to the picture. I can’t seem to find it on my memory chip, weird…
I was trying to find the other half of Slyvester in legend, the mermaid, which I never found but that was OK because this magical store on the waterfront never ceased to amaze (or gross out). Maybe some of it was fake but then again maybe real but the entertainment factor was part-​museum and part-​shopping and you can’t beat that… I just hope that peach-​faced lovebird that I saw didn’t fall prey to an early death due to fascination for two-​headed things (and wasn’t Frankensteined un-​naturally).
Just a hop, skip and a few walks away from the Seattle Aquarium and a bit of a walk from Pike’s Place but do-​able for most people who have some stamina on a hot July afternoon.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t go to the «museum» part, but I thought this place was the definition of hokey. I mean, I was suspicious when it was called «Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe», but I had seen some really neat documentation of the taxidermy two headed rabbits and ducklings that I decided to check it out. No, thanks. I don’t need a shot glass with boobs on it.

For sure a tourist trap… but I fell right into it.
This place is creepy as hell but I loved it. I especially appreciated the history, shrunken heads and mummies! There’s lots of souvenirs and other wacky things to buy. If your looking for a good time and a one of a kind shopping experience, let your curiosity bring you here.

They have some neat stuff but it was super crowded and I couldn’t spend too much time in there to really look around too much before I had to give up.
Seemed like a tourist trap and most things were overpriced. My friend did find a really cool 3D framed picture (I have one from elsewhere) for her boyfriend so that was cool, and a little statue– protector or women and children. Just wasn’t a place for me personally but probably cool to check out if you’re in the area.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is definitely a cool place to check out if you are in the neighborhood. However, I wish it was more of a museum than shop with more oddities and less crap to sell.
There were items in the shop I could have picked up anywhere and for a better price. It is also VERY cramped with people moving about.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop was the #1 thing on my «To Visit» list on my road trip up to Washington. I’d been aching to see the place since Kevin Smith’s «Roadside Attractions» segment on Leno a decade ago. Seemed like none of the employees I spoke with remembered it, though. Granted they were young and mostly just knew about the shop’s oddities.
So yeah, before anything else, on getting into Seattle we took a short walk along the waterfront and piled on into this museum of wonders that’s been around 115 years.
I giddily floated from one thing to another. They’ve got mummified humans (photos:
,
), antique coin-​operated machines (that work), shrunken heads, bones of just about everything, taxidermied creatures (including their famous Fiji mermaid, photo:
), and so many other interesting things.
I’d never seen a sectioned, preserved cadaver head like Medical Ed before (photo:
).
We returned again, at the end of the day before heading back to the car, to find the place a bit more deserted, which made looking at the things feel much less rushed. When there’s a ton of people in the shop, it’s difficult to take the time to look around. If you really want to get a nice long look at everything, I recommend coming in at night.
Bought a brass lightswitch cover ($ 5?). The guy behind the counter said he was looking at those earlier that day, wondering what kind of a person would buy that, «And here you are!» he exclaimed. Yeah, I guess I’m so strange even a guy promoting the transmundane is weirded out by my purchase in his store.
All in all, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is roadside platinum, ladies and gentlemen. It’s free to visit and it’s fascinating. I’d say it’s sort of a combination of San Francisco’s Musee Mecanique (at least when it comes to ambiance) and the Venice Beach Freakshow.

Gift shop down on the waterfront in Seattle. Has been open since 1899. I found it a bit cramped and packed in the place and too easy for a big guy like me to bump into things. I am going 4-​stars for the history of this place and interesting gifts one can pick up here.

Ahh I gotta give this place 5 stars, just due to the famous reputation its established here in Seattle. For years I can remember coming here and always being entertained and somewhat disturbed at all the weird stuff in here.
For sure a tourist trap but how can you pass up an opportunity to go look at one of the most bizarre stores around here? I think its a great place to check out and kill some time.

If you like oddities, you will like this store! Two headed animals and shrunken heads are just a few of my loves for oddities. Coins, Seattle trinkets, post cards, fortune telling lady, old style gambling machine, and the list goes on! I recommend everyone visits this fun shop at least once!

Ye Olde Cool Stuff and Tourist trap.
The stuff inside this place really is cool. I have to hand it to them, they have designed a nice store with some decent displays. The downside is that it is so crowded with look-​e-​loos that it is impossible to navigate without feeling like you are part of a slow moving parade of tourist dbags beings streamed through at a predictable and frightening rate. During peak time you dont really get the chance to check out the store because it is so crammed and the design just flows you through in a natural and uncomfortable fashion.
5 star inventory
2 star experience

The museum aspect of the ye olde curiosity shoppe is intriguingly mystifying. Apparently they showcase the largest collection of shrunken heads.
If you’re into macabre or forensics, you may enjoy some of the historic «creepy» artifacts on display, like Sylvester and Sylvia the mummies.
*I’ve never been able to enjoy their fudge without the thought of mummy.*
The merchandise is crap. Sorry! Overpriced low quality tourist junk. Just about any gift shop in the 2 mile radius of this store will carry the same capsule machine bracelets, head shop paraphernalia, generic T-​shirts, candy and keychains. Tacky!
It’s a fun stop to make if you want to see some interesting amusements. But don’t bring back any of these miscellaneous souvenirs to your family in your home state.
Ps– it smells like taxidermy inside.

Yeah, I have to admit to being a bit of a morbid person.
Had a great time looking at all the curiosities displayed in this shop.
Not only did I see dead people
, I bought a touristy shotglass for our collection.
Worth a visit!

This place has the most random things in here and I absolutely love it! Do you need a Seattle shot glass? Check. Do you need some Mexican jumping beans? Check. Do you want some fudge? Check. Do you want to see two headed animals? Check. It’s like a one stop shop for anything weird and unusual. This place is also the meeting place for the Ghost Tour, so check that out too.
The location is prime for tourists and locals since it is by the ferry terminals. Parking does suck, but sucky parking is what Seattle is all about. If you want to see some unusual things, give this a place a try.

If you’re a tourist as myself. this is the place to stop by, I’m sure you will find something here to take back to your home state. I found alot of interesting things. Giant Penny (size of my palm). State magnets. and other curious things.
To top it off its by the pier. so you can’t miss this place. look for the sign by the sidewalk. MEXICAN JUMPING BEANS… LoL

Interesting tourist store. At first when you walk in it looks like just another tourist place in the Pike Market area but as you go further in it just gets bizarre. This place is what Ripley’s Believe It Or Not should be doing!
There are real mummies for your viewing pleasure as well as real shrunken human heads from tribes from South America. There is also a three headed infant pig in a preserving bottle. I am sure there are many other oddities to look at that we missed but the place is very popular with the tourists and those looking for something unusual. The place is crowded and is difficult to navigate around. It is worth a return trip for anything that may have been missed the first time around!

If you’re gonna do the tourist thang down on the piers, definitely stop into Ye Old Curiousity Shop. You can see a bunch of weird crap and pick up some baubles, shotglasses, silly stickers, and whatnot. Plus, there is a bunch of Ripley’s-esque cases of shrunken heads, whale weenies, ‘corpses’, and other oddities.
They’ve got one of those old-​timey fudge counters one usually sees at the beach, too. They will lure you in with promises of free samples, and you’ll probably walk out with at least a postcard or two. Thankfully, it’s a little too cramped in there for strollers, so you may even be able to get in and out with out too many ankle bites.

We stumbled upon Ye Olde Curiosity Shop while going to Elliot’s Oyster house.
It’s a pretty big store with tons of things you never knew you wanted.
There are even magnets here of every state so you don’t have to go to each state to buy one. (Bong pointed that out to me).
In addition to that, they also have fudge here, and they hand out free samples. Also inside near the door are maps as well as guidebooks with coupons in them to help you save money if you’re touring Seattle.
It’s a fun place.