08/03/2026
Sometimes the right piece of history finds exactly where it belongs. 🗝️
A regular customer recently told me about an old photograph she had of a key shop that once operated in downtown Mobile. Naturally, with a name like The Vintage Vault and skeleton keys everywhere you look, I told her I would absolutely love to see it.
The next time I arrived at the shop, there was an envelope waiting with my name on it. Inside was not a copy, but the actual old photograph! And somehow, it was even better than I could have imagined. 🤩
This is the interior of Gus Seiple’s shop at 260 St. Francis Street, photographed in March 1936.
Gus was a longtime downtown Mobile locksmith, hardware dealer and safe expert who operated his business for decades. Earlier records place him at 406 Dauphin Street before the shop later moved to St. Francis Street. He fitted keys, repaired locks and safes, and even repaired umbrellas and parasols.
But instead of calling himself merely a locksmith, Gus gave himself one of the greatest job titles in Mobile history:
KEYOLOGIST. 🗝️
Look closely and you’ll see walls covered in keys, the word Keyologist painted across his display, and an enormous key-shaped sign on the counter. The back of the photograph even says that Gus himself gave it to its original owner. (will post a pic in the comments)
Nearly 90 years later, it somehow found its way to another key-covered little corner of downtown Mobile. 🥹
I truly cannot express how much I love this or how grateful I am to the incredibly thoughtful customer who thought it belonged with me. ♥️🗝️
Now I need to know: Does anyone remember Gus Seiple, his family, or his shop? Does anyone know where either of his shop locations would be today??
