This is not your usual gimcrack, wisecrack and novelty retail space.
In fact, this is clearly a different kind of retail zone, even for Wallingford.
Not a Number, the curiously-named business which opened at 1905 N. 45th St. Nov. 19, is the spot for those seeking Bush bashing buttons, T-shirts and anti-corporate bumper stickers. This is retailing from the left side of the political spectrum - a sort of political Archie McPhee.
That's not too risky an enterprise in Seattle, or especially Wallingford, for that matter.
But it's not all about politics. The environment and sheer whimsy get their due here, too.
The business carries lamps made from recycled chopsticks, for instance, and Albert Einstein, Jane Austen and Sigmund Freud action figures and tennis shoes crafted from recycled coffee filters, tires and sterilized surgical gloves.
The makeup of the crowd is mostly young and hip; the store's soundtrack often 1950s TV dinner appropriate.
"I have a vast, weird music collection," said owner Kara Ceriello, casting an admiring glance at an old album cover on display, "Jackie Gleason, Music, Memories and Martinis" while, from another album, a retro version of the Lawrence Welk 1950s hit "The Girls of Calcutta" wafts from the sound system.
Ceriello, 46, owns and operates the store with husband Jon deLeeuw, 45.
"We want people to come in and smile and laugh a lot and maybe have a conversation," Ceriello said. "We want to be responsible to the community while at the same time have some fun."
Not a Number has given new life to a space that has stood vacant for some 20 years. A year ago Ceriello and deLeeuw opened their store on upper Queen Anne. Even though business was good - Queen Anne votes solidly Democratic - nearby construction jeopardized their situation. Wallingford seemed like a good move. Ceriello said neighboring businesses and the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce have been supportive.
On the Nov. 19 opening day, a Saturday, Ceriello said, "We counted no more than 60 seconds between people coming in."
Not a Number is obviously catering a niche market, and the niche is, if nothing else, eclectic.
There are books like "Radical Simplicity" and a "People's History of the United States;" there are refrigerator magnets, one with Bush's visage and the message: "Will Work for Billionaires;" there are buttons, posters, cards by local artists, a party section, clothing items and toys, most with a more-or-less political or socially satirical bite. In the guest book at the front of the store shoppers have registered their reactions. "I finally found a card that doesn't suck," read one.
Ceriello is especially amused by one item - a mechanical, wind-up nun who walks, ruler in hand, spitting fire.
"Sometimes you just have to laugh," she said.
Ceriello once ran for the 36th District legislative seat on the Green Party ticket and has been the party's state chair. She believes she and her husband have not only created a unique retailing space but a gathering point. The bulletin board will display meeting notices and information for what she hopes will become an activist touchstone.
On Thursday, Dec. 1, Jim Diers, former director of the city's Department of Neighborhoods, will appear to read from his book, "Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way."
Ceriello expects to host more author appearances in the future.
And what about the business name, Not a Number, Ceriello is asked. It's a phrase from an old British television series that ran in this country decades ago. Those who guess the name of the series get a prize. There are clues sprinkled around the store. One hint: It wasn't "The Avengers."
Whether the mystery behind the name of the business remains or not, Not a Number appears to have struck a chord with the neighborhood.
Ceriello surveyed the crowd and reflected: "One of my favorite quotes is, 'We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.'"
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