As I visited around town I began to hear, "you should go to the Curiosity Cove. You won’t believe the variety of things they have there!" The first time I heard this I wondered why one merchant would talk about products in another merchants shop . . . But the truth is, all over Kimmswick the shop keepers first concern is that a visitor find what they're looking for whether it's in their shop or not. On several occasions I heard a store clerk say, "We don't have that, but you should try looking at {name of another store} and you can find the store at {out comes a town map and directions are given!}" Does that strike you as amazing? In this day and age---absolutely! This is certainly one of the reasons that Kimmswick has been steadily growing in popularity with St. Louisians and with tourists in general. In point of fact, it's one of the main reasons I'm writing this journal for the broader community of the internet. You will enjoy your experiences in Kimmswick.
The Curiosity Cove subtitles their advertisement by calling themselves "The Everything Shop." That is an apt saying! From the front, the store looks tiny, but once you step inside, the store stretches back quite far and there truly is "everything" inside. Thirty-two dealers sell everything from antiques and collectables to modern fiber optics and touch lamps. I took several pictures to give you the idea. It's the kind of store where your chances of finding a hidden gem at a great price is a possibility. Among the items I saw were old mason jars, Coca-Cola memorabilia, depression glass and other glassware, holiday decorations, dolls, Disney and Loony Toon collectibles, vintage jewelry, household items, Hummels, lighthouse merchandise, vintage toys, fiber optic angels and ballerinas, hand stitched tablecloths and other fabric items. This is by no means a complete list of what's available and the items changes every day as dealers add products to their spaces. While I was in the shop a gentleman came in looking for a specific magnet. What he wanted wasn't there in right then, so the shop keeper gave him a couple of ideas of other stores to look at and then how to find those stores! This is a great store to find a unique one-of-a-kind gift and the chances are real good you'll pay a fraction of its value!
The store’s address is 322 Market St. and is two stores up the hill from the Visitor's Center. Their phone number is 636-464-4707 if you’d like to call and ask about any particular item you're looking for. They are open Tues.-Sun. I liked this shop and the clerk who assisted me so I can heartily recommend this store to any visitor!