Ye Olde Curiosity Shop mermaid and oddities

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the Seattle waterfront is a long-standing retail attraction that displays sideshow curiosities, including a purported ‘mermaid’ artifact and shrunken heads, items promoted as curiosities since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The shop’s collection and promotional stories have contributed to local folklore and urban legends about the authenticity and origins of its oddities. The business and many of its exhibits are documented in regional tourism and newspaper coverage.