On display in the window of the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. are retro his-and-hers space suits and a Space Vehicle Hull Repair Hatch, labeled "for emergency use only."

Inside, it's stocked with all the necessary gear for a journey into space: Atomic Teleporters, Black Hole starter kits, jars of Mars Mud and an Anxiety Eradication Kit, equipped with a "blanky" and a brochure on a "serious look at anxiety."

The store's peculiarity has, on more than one occasion, prompted the question, "what is this place?"

But that's part of its charm and its success, said Alex Allred, the store's financial and operations manager.

"Like most things in here, it's not what it seems." she said.

The retail shop actually makes up just a small portion of the 3,500 square foot space. The rest is dedicated to the non-profit 826 Seattle, a writing center that offers free drop-in tutoring and writing workshops for students ages 6 to 18.

The store's entire proceeds go to the non-profit, but funding mostly comes from individual donations, said Allred. Additional monies come from grants and annual fundraisers.

"We exist because people out of the kindness of their hearts donate to us," said Allred.

Fundraisers include quirky pledge drives like this year's second annual Mustache-a-thon. From August through October, volunteers see who can grow their facial hair the longest. It brought in $10,000 last year.

Four full-time staff members run the store and writing program, but they get a lot of assistance from nearly 320 active volunteers. More than 800 are registered.

The program's budget last fiscal year was around $305,000, said Allred, and with that more than 3,200 students were served through drop-in visits, in-school sessions and field trips to the center.

This summer 15 different writing workshops were held, all taught by volunteers.

Throughout the school year staff and volunteers host twice-weekly field trips from local schools. Students participate in a two-hour writing exercise, in which they collaboratively compose a book, from dialogue to illustrations, and leave with their own printed and bound copy.

"Our mission is to help kids write better," said Allred. "Their imaginations are unlimited. We've had ghetto poodles with Afros battling giant banana monsters...I mean we've had everything."

Outreach is focused mostly on public schools with high percentages of students on the federal free and reduced lunch program, often an indicator of poverty and need.

826 has worked closely with students at the John Marshall alternative high school, even publishing a book with the students called, "Burning the Post." Hamilton Middle School students will create two publications with 826 through a two-year grant from the Seattle Foundation.

Several student-authored publications are for sale at the center.

Seattle's is one of seven chapters of the national 826 organization. Others are in New York, Las Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Ann Arbor, Mich. Each has it's own retail front and original theme.

It's a pirate supply shop in San Francisco, where the program earned its name (it opened on 826 Valencia Street in 2002) and was founded by novelist David Eggers.

Chicago caters to spies and secret agents through the cover of "The Boring Store." New York's supplies superheroes and the one in Los Angeles is a time-travel convenience store.

The humorously labeled merchandise, which is repackaged and relabeled by 826 staff, helps to draw in students as well as volunteers. One can't help but stop and ask, what exactly is a Cherry-Scented Diversion Deployment System (a plastic ray gun that shoots smoke rings)?

An inflatable globe becomes an "all purpose mini-earth circulator." At the Space Competency Certification Station, space hopefuls are asked a series of queries to determine whether or not they are suitable for zero gravity travel.

"Kids wouldn't want to be here if it was just like school," Allred said. "It creates a feeling that they are coming to a place that's different. There's a little mystique about us. It helps us and it hinders us."

But the center has certainly caught the eye of some major celebrities. Last summer Pearl Jam handpicked 826 Seattle to be one of three charities to split proceeds from their concert at the Gorge Amphitheater.

The actor Paul Newman and Nick Harmer from the Bellingham-based band Death Cab for Cutie have stopped by, too, each giving generous donations. Harmer even taught a writing workshop on mythological creatures of the Northwest.

The future of the center and it's ability to continue help young people gain skills will rely on that sort of generosity, in the form of volunteer work and financial donations, said Teri Hein, executive director_ of 826 Seattle.

"I love that we have created this place that is unexpected, demonstrates a sense of humor, is so useful and is completely free of charge to any young person who wants to take advantage of it," Hein said.

The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is located at 8414 Greenwood Ave. N. Drop-in tutoring starts Sept. 5. For more information visit http://www.826seattle.org/.