Picture the scene: dawn is breaking, the fog is still clinging to the lampposts like a Dickensian winter morning, and somewhere—deep in the heart of a muddy boot sale—a Victorian butter dish shaped like a badger is waiting to be discovered.

Welcome, dear reader, to the world of collecting the odd and obscure.

Here at Just a Shop, Sir, we don’t just sling collectables—we court curiosities. We romance the rare. We flirt outrageously with the frivolous and downright peculiar. If it’s odd, obscure, mildly haunted or just a bit too enthusiastic about brass—chances are, we’ve tracked it down and popped it on a shelf.

Why Do We Do It?

Because there is magic in the hunt.

There’s something undeniably thrilling about rummaging through the forgotten corners of antique wonder. It’s not just about the find—it’s about the feeling. That electric moment when you spot something your Nan used to have (and swear you saw in a Sherlock Holmes film once). That tiny brass submarine that doesn’t do anything, but feels oddly powerful in your palm. That inexplicable porcelain ferret (don’t judge—people collect them, we promise).

These are the objects with stories. The weird, the wonderful, the 'why does this exist and why do I love it' items.

And we live for them.

The Steampunk State of Mind

Our shop was born with a monocle and a mission: to celebrate the eccentric end of the retail spectrum. The steampunk aesthetic—equal parts elegance and engine grease—fits us like a leather glove with unnecessary gears on it.

To collect is to resist the bland. It’s to say yes to whimsy in a world obsessed with minimalism. It’s to hang a barometer next to a lava lamp and call it a mood.

We don’t just sell things—we champion the art of keeping history weird.

What Makes Something “Collectable”?

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be expensive, ancient, or in mint condition. Some of the most loved items in our collection have dents, scuffs, and histories so colourful they'd make a time traveller blush.

Here’s what we look for:

• Unusual design (does it look like it came from a Jules Verne garage sale?)

• Niche appeal (ferret enthusiasts, steam whistle fanatics—this is your moment)

• Unexplainable charm (it shouldn’t work… but it does)

• A good backstory, or the promise of legend

The Treasure Is Half the Fun

The joy is in the journey. In the mud-splattered field where you find a tarnished teapot shaped like an owl. In the thrill of cleaning it, researching it, giving it a new home. In knowing someone out there is going to unwrap it and squeal, “What is this and why do I love it?!”

That’s what collecting the odd and obscure is all about.

So go on—dust off your tophat, grab your canvas bag, and polish your monocle. There’s treasure out there, and it’s probably weirder than you expected.

Craving more dispatches from the land of the lost and ludicrous? Stay tuned for more tales from behind the velvet curtain at Just a Shop, Sir. We’ve got brass. We’ve got attitude. And we’ve definitely got at least three cursed objects in the stockroom.