The Anne Bonny: Proud member of a dying breed | Business

"When I was a teen growing up in Seattle, there were lots of places like this," says Spencer Moody, owner of the Anne Bonny, the "junk shop", as he affectionately calls it, he has run for three years. "Now there are hardly any. I think it's a civic responsibility to have these stores," he says and gestures to the new and used books, vintage jewelry and clothes, furniture, paintings and assorted knickknacks housed in his venue on the corner of Summit Ave. E. and E. Mercer St.

A sense of discovery is, in fact, what makes the Anne Bonny so much fun. Within these walls, I've purchased everything from mint-condition "President Nixon" bumper stickers (as a joke) to a slightly worn edition of John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday for a friend's birthday gift.

Moody thought he'd open something like the Anne Bonny "after I retired", he says. But he found his previous job at a warehouse unsatisfying and decided "to go for it." So he saved, purchased a van, rented storage space and curated whatever caught his eye. This has included everything from '60s LPs to human skulls discarded after medical use.

"I've never limited myself in terms of what I look for," he continues. "As for the name, I have a hobbyist interest in pirates and I liked the nautical sound of it."