Curiosity Shop

This shop might catch your eye driving along Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley, California with its bright turquoise exterior, pop of pink signage, and a front window absolutely filled to the brim with knickknacks.

Upon closer look, it's still hard to pin down exactly what this shop is. A treasure trove of, well, anything, it could be described as a craft supply store, gift shop, jewelry stand, art collection, and even a museum all at once. Curiosity shops across the globe are made to be just that: a place that awakens your senses and inspires questions and ideas. 

A haven for crafters, the side yard is stacked with old magazines, music books, newspapers, and more — perfect scrap paper for any project. Ranging from the early 1900s nursery rhymes to recent lifestyle publications, you truly can never expect what will be found. 

Around the front of the shop, stands hold sunglasses and hanging wood structures dangling long necklaces with vibrant charms. There's also a bucket filled with thousands of individual links for Italian charm bracelets, which you can assemble yourself. Inside, the shop also sells stones, pins, guitar picks, bangles, taffy, stamps, and rings — you could spend hours just wandering and digging through the piles.

Wandering the shop really makes you wonder about the origin of it all: was it collected purposefully, or amassed over the years as someone's personal belongings? Where does one even find all of this? It's hard to predict what you'll walk out with at the Curiosity Shop, but of course, that's all the fun.