From the Phoenicians' coveted Tyrian purple dyes to the holiday postcards on your refrigerator, the keepsakes we collect have always been connected to the places we visit and the people with whom we interact. Archaeologists can only speculate on when the souvenir was invented, but we know that for countless centuries, our love of objects - be they souvenirs of a real journey or mementos of destinations only dreamed of -- has been intimately connected to their provenance and the memories we invest in them.

As I travel, I find my keepsakes in the most unexpected of places, from a humble pennywhistle in a ramshackle shop in Ireland to the jewel-bright handmade tiles glistening on a dusty market stall in central Turkey. Although our chief trade here at Quinlan Road is recorded music, from time to time we have come across items so charming and unique that we thought you, too, might be enchanted.

With that in mind, we have taken the step of offering a small selection of new items and invite you to wander, if you will, through our little virtual bazaar of items sourced from around the world.

Some items, such as our T-shirts, are connected more directly to what we do here and the traditional offerings of the music industry. Some provide a modest hand in helping you and your goods on journeys brief or lengthy. Some merely offer images and flavours of places we have loved and display the artistry of the craftspeople who made them. And some, such as our notebooks and journals and a selection of my favourite books, are a reminder that the best souvenirs often lie in our own or others' thoughts on the grand and mysterious journey we call life. - LM