Tag Archives: eccentric

whimsy.

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Spread across two floors of a regal old 1920s bank building in Astoria, Oregon, this collection is packed with unexpected finds at every turn. It’s a smorgasbord of quirky curiosities, so you never know what treasures or trinkets you’ll come across.

There’s little rhyme or reason to the assortment of oddities. The oldest item, a Native American chair seat made from colored porcupine quills, dates from the 1850s. But the rest of the whimsical wonders are a medley of old and new artifacts from around the world.

You can climb inside a full-sized replica of a British canal narrowboat parked unceremoniously within the old bank building, scan the exhibits for intricate wax boxes, or simply wander the room until you stumble across a piece of vintage clothing or jewelry that sparks your interest.

There are so many things to see, it’s difficult to decide where to start. A striking collection of Folies Bergère dresses and hats immediately catches your eye as you enter—some of the hats even have the name of the dancer who once wore them scrawled inside. Dolls, both daintily beautiful and disturbingly lifelike, are scattered throughout like well-stationed guards. Taxidermy creatures, including a charmingly cute miniature horse, lurk in unexpected places and antique curios hide among newly commissioned works.

The museum is the work of Trish Bright, a retired stockbroker who bought the former bank with her husband in 2005. The curated odds and ends that fill the space are her ever-growing passion project.

“museums are custodians of epiphanies,

and these epiphanies

enter the central nervous system and deep recesses of the mind.”

-george lois

 

 

 

 

credits: museum of whimsy, trish bright, atlas obscura

it’s a small town after all.

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my friend

who spends days working in our busy capitol city of lansing

comes home at night to the quiet little town of owosso

 – its polar opposite.

in fact, it’s the home of the polar express

which wakes up the entire town with its early hour whistle blow

 each and every morning from thanksgiving on through the holidays

but there is so much more here

with all the charm and quirks that only a small town embraces

from

the castle built by a local eccentric from the past overlooking the river

to

a tea room complete with hats and boas to wear

a trading post with gold, tools, guitar and guns

and best of all

the local five and dime store

complete with

an accordion on a bench waiting to be played

brach’s candy counter

wall of embroidery floss

balsa wood pieces of all sizes

suet cakes

pinatas

50 cent bags of popcorn

and

my favorite feature of all

the special of the week – napkin sale

which far surpassed all expectations

this was my lucky day for so many reasons.

“every week in a small town is very different. something is going on.”

– emily rose

mixture.

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there is so much going on here  

i would love to know his story

i hope that the next time i order from pizza house

he is my delivery guy standing there when i open the door.

“the salt of any interesting civilization is mixture.”

-antonio tabucchi