Offbeat Seattle Attraction: Archie McPhee

Do you like the tacky, the bizarre, the tasteless, the incredible? No?! Suck it up because when you are in Seattle, a trip isn't complete until you've visited Archie McPhee.


The biggest, baddest joke shop in Seattle, here you can find all things zany. This is the place to ask why not, versus why.

The business was started by a real life Archie McPhee. From Bismark, North Dakota, young McPhee took off in 1924 to pursue jazz in Asia (already sounds like a strange dude, right?). He departed on the Madison from the Port of Seattle with his band, the North Star Music Makers. 

Archie partied around Asia, eventually spawning offspring and a great-nephew-in-law, Mark, who started selling rubber lizards out of his house in L.A. He continued to grow the business in Seattle and the store was official in 1983 in the Fremont district. Since then, it has moved a few times and it has (hopefully) found it's permanent space in Wallingford.

 

Yes, that is a horse head and giant underwear

Archie McPhee

Address: 1300 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Telephone: (206) 297-0240
Hours: Mon - Sat 10am - 7pm • Sun 11am - 6pm
Store Tumblr: http://lesstalkmoremonkey.com/ 


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