Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Seattle, Washington

About Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Located on historic Pier 54 overlooking Elliott Bay, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is a quirky Seattle institution filled with oddities, souvenirs, taxidermied animals, and bizarre collectibles since 1899. This eccentric, one-of-a-kind shop perfectly captures Seattle's offbeat character and offers endlessly entertaining browsing.

Reviews

★★★★★ 5 months ago

I tried coming here in 2020, but they were closing up shop super early in the daytime compared to their current hours. Although it’s taken me this long to finally check it out, I’m surprised none of my Seattle friends ever showed this place to me! I couldn’t resist buying a taxidermy bat. Look up or you will miss the best stuff!

— Xär Blackthorn

★★★★★ 5 months ago

A hidden place of pirate trading post treasure. Probably one of the most unique places I have ever been in the US. Every inch is filled with old and new attention grabbing finds. Start with mummies for starters, then notice the taxidermy, wood carvings, spices and traps. We walked around for over an hour in this small shop and didn't come close to seeing everything! Located on the water but around side and towards the back of Pier 54. It's on the opposite side of Ivar's Acres of Clams, and between Great State Burger and The Frankfurter. From the front door you can see Pier 55 wear you can find Argosy Cruises and a bunch of other shops. A must see if you really want to get into the spirit of how an actual pirate trading post must have looked–200 years ago.

— Aaron Blackburn

★★★★★ 4 months ago

One of my favorite places on the water in Seattle! We always drop in for souvenirs and to check out the unique items that are all over the store. We love their hoodies, small nicknacks and taxidermy. If you have loved ones with intriguing style, definitely check this place out.

— Jeff Byers

★★★☆☆ a year ago

I had read about this place online, so I added it to my list of places to visit while in Seattle. Let me start by saying I like to explore odd locations, so the name alone drew my attention. Who doesn’t like to see a curiosity or two? The place feels like a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum had a child with one of those junk stores that sells cheap knock offs featuring local attractions. The outer edge of the store featured a lot of collectibles, including art drawn on tiny objects like a grain of rice. They even had three mummies. The price was perfect, too - free! But what ruined it for me was the junk in the middle of the store. These old items next to plastic trinkets just didn’t work for me. I’d almost rather pay a couple of bucks to enter a separate section of the store. And for me to say something like that versus going for free is a curiosity indeed!

— Brent Hochstetler

★★★☆☆ a year ago

Love the totem poles. It is a bit of a tourist trap, but if you like taxidermy and pinned butterflies, this is for you. There are lots of rocks and head hunter pieces like wild kill busts. What I liked most were the miniature Swiss blade and miniature axes. I'm a sucker for minis. Taxidermy of double headed ducks can be found here!

— Esme S

Photo by Ye Olde Curiosity Shop via Google Maps