Curious Belongings occupies a spot on County Road 66 in Crosslake, Minnesota, a Lake Region town in the states north woods lake country, where four generations of one family have kept a single antiques business alive under three different names since the 1940s. The story begins with Ted and Betty Ball, who opened Birch Hill Inn in 1945; six years later, in 1951, Betty added antiques to the mix and named the venture The Tulip Antique Shop. Her daughter Teddie took over running the shop in the 1960s and, in 1989, purchased a companion business called The Peoples Store. The two operations eventually merged and relocated to the current Crosslake address, and in 2014 Teddie rebranded the combined shop as Curious Belongings. In 2025 she passed ownership to her grandson Austin and his husband Collin, keeping the business in family hands for a fourth generation.
Today Curious Belongings sells genuine antiques, fine glassware, vintage and new furniture, designer upholstery and decorator fabrics, yard art and garden ornaments, holiday decor, and barware and entertaining pieces, all displayed across a two level store the owners describe as turning secondhand shopping into an upscale experience. An in house library gives serious collectors a place to research pieces, and the grounds outside the shop double as a showroom for garden statuary and architectural accents, so browsing the property is part of the experience even before a visitor steps inside. Staff are known locally for deep product knowledge and for sourcing pieces with real history rather than simply restocking generic decor.
Beyond retail, Curious Belongings offers a slate of services aimed at people managing collections or downsizing a home: in store appraisals for 99 dollars, at home appraisals billed hourly at 125 dollars, estate and garage sale pricing help, and outright purchase of personal items and collections. The shop also rents out decorative pieces such as arbors, candelabras, and serving items for weddings and events, giving it a role in Crosslake area celebrations well beyond its retail floor.
Hours shift with the Minnesota lake season. During the busy summer stretch from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, and Sunday from 11 to 3. In the shoulder seasons, September through December and March through May, it scales back to Saturdays from 10:30 to 4, with other visits available by chance or by appointment. The shop closes entirely from January 1 through mid March, matching the quieter winter rhythm of a lake town that fills with visitors in warmer months. Shoppers can reach the store by phone at 218 831 3656, by email at shop@curiousbelongings.com, or through its Facebook and Instagram accounts, both found under the Curious Belongings name.
For anyone searching Crosslake for antiques, vintage furniture, or garden decor with a genuine story behind it, Curious Belongings is a fourth generation, family run antique and home decor shop on County Road 66 that has been sourcing and selling curious, one of a kind belongings under one family’s stewardship since the 1940s.
