Store

If it weren't for the enchanting window displays, you might just walk past this tiny storefront in Ballard. Souvenir has no sign -- purposely, to weed out the noncurious. It's an insider, word-of-mouth find, like a mysterious little shop down a Parisian street in the Latin Quarter.

Once inside, you'll find handmade greeting cards with ethereal images of hearts, flowers and birthday cake; delicate jewelry with precious and semiprecious stones; and an eclectic collection of objets d'art as well as vintage and antique finds. One gets the impression that this is owner Curtis Steiner's personal stash of secret treasures and obsessions, which he's chosen to share with the public.

Half the fun of browsing through this shop is opening the drawers of the 19th-century Dutch mercantile hutch to reveal obscure and bewitching objects. You might find porcelain dolls in traditional Chinese pajamas, a beaded ornament worn during an elaborate East Indian wedding or a teacher's manual for the MacLean Method of Writing, copyright 1946.

Many objects evoke memories. I saw folding wooden measuring sticks like my Grandpa's and red asphalt tiles like the ones in the basement of my childhood home. Steiner has an eye for fine details. Use the handy magnifying glass to get a close looks at pearls ringing Victorian hair broaches (with real hair in them), or a tiny, 5,000-year-old Sumerian cuneiform tablet. Steiner's handmade cards line one wall, and alongside are vintage and antique buttons ranging from a small, steel-cut Victorian button to a set of six football-shaped Bakelite buttons.