Curious Book Shop owner Ray Walsh started selling books out of his garage in 1969 while studying at Michigan State University (class of 1971). Soon he moved to a location in the basement under the old Paramount News Center, creating what may have been the first antique mall in the state. Other businesses that began in that basement include Elderly Instruments and Triola's Estate Sale Service.

Ray 1971 Curious moved to its current location in 1973, and within a few years had expanded to Ann Arbor (Curious Books Too) and Grand Rapids (Argos). Ray has since sold those shops to focus on East Lansing, where he opened another location in 1987, Archives Book Shop.