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Yes, believe it or not, Archie McPhee® was a real person. In 1924, a young Archie McPhee® of Bismark, North Dakota, decided that he was going to bring the revolutionary new music called "jazz" to the Orient. So, he formed a swinging jazz band, the North Star Music Makers, and as their manager booked passage for them on the S.S. President Madison as the ship's band.
The Madison was docked at the Port of Seattle, coincidentally the future home of his namesake store. When Archie arrived, he discovered the ship had made accommodations for the band, but not for him. Luckily, one of the ship's coal stokers failed to show, so Archie took the job and managed his band from deep inside the hold.
In Asia, the band played hotels and cafes in Shanghai, Kobe, and Yokohama. They also performed at the
Governor General's Ball in Manila and were offered a
6-month contract by the Army & Navy Club there.
As you can see, Archie was someone who knew how to have a good time and had the gumption to spread it around. Archie is still our inspiration and everything we do reflects his fun loving spirit.
So, how did Archie McPhee® and Company come to be?
Well, many years later, Archie's great-nephew-in-law Mark started selling rubber lizards and other crazy things out of his house in L.A. He found that people couldn't get enough of his collectable junk, but he needed space for his company to grow. Risking it all, he packed his entire inventory into a U-Haul truck and headed for Seattle. In 1983 he set up shop with two employees in Seattle's Fremont district.
Unable to contain the mass of rubber chickens and punching nuns, the store has moved to ever larger locations. The fondly remembered Stone Way North location lasted for fourteen years, until, in the spring of 1999, Archie McPhee® decided to leave Fremont and take up permanent residence in Ballard.
Now located at 2428 NW Market Street, Seattle, the Archie McPhee® store is a vast superstore filled floor to ceiling with all kinds of oddities for your pleasure and amazement. Take a virtual tour of our store -- or better yet, tell your boss you're having corrective toe surgery and spend a few days seeing it for yourself. We're open 7 days a week and offer FREE PARKING (A rarity in Seattle), so come on over and see us soon!
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