Man from Curiosity Shop

The Man from Curiosity Shop is a character in.

Biography
The Man from Curiosity Shop runs two different shops in West Clock Town. By day, he runs the Trading Post and adopts the friendly demeanor of a general store manager. By night, he alters his appearance and manner and runs a shady pawn shop that sells stolen goods.

When Kafei was young, the Man from Curiosity Shop gave him a Keaton Mask. Years later, when the Skull Kid changed Kafei into a child again, it was his Keaton Mask that convinced the Man from Curiosity Shop that he was looking at his old friend. During his ordeal, he lets Kafei hide in the Curiosity Shop Back Room, where he spies on the shop's activity and waits for his stolen Sun Mask to make its way to the Curiosity Shop.

No one in Clock Town seems to realize that the man running the Curiosity Shop and the man running the Trading Post are one and the same. The Part-Timer, who works at the Trading Post, cannot explain why his boss has so much money despite their lack of customers. During his adventure, Link can gather clues about his true identity. If he wears the Stone Mask and eavesdrops on the man while he is working at the Trading Post, he will mutter about preparing for the night shift, presumably at the Curiosity Shop, since the Part-Timer runs the Trading Post in the evening. Additionally, he uses the same idiosyncratic phrase, "I kid you not," while working at both stores. Finally, his shift at the Trading Post ends before the Curiosity Shop opens, and he does not work at the Trading Post at all on the Final Day, presumably because he is in the back room waiting for Link.

The Man from Curiosity Shop is also one of the characters that has an entry in the Bombers' Notebook. His entry will be completed if Link gets the Special Delivery to Mama and the Keaton Mask from him in the back room during the Kafei and Anju sidequest and buys the All-Night Mask from him on the Final Day. It is impossible to do both of these in the same three-day cycle; Link must stop Sakon's robbery in North Clock Town to make the All-Night Mask appear in the Curiosity Shop, but if the robbery is stopped Sakon never visits the Curiosity Shop to sell the Bomb Bag, so Kafei never gets the chance to identify and follow the man who stole the Sun Mask from him, so Kafei never leaves the Keaton Mask and the Special Delivery to Mama with the Man from Curiosity Shop.

The Man from Curiosity Shop resembles the Fishing Hole Men that appear in. However, they deny the resemblance.

Man from Curiosity Shop
The Man from Curiosity Shop buys and sells stolen goods. He usually acquires these goods from the Takkuri flying near Milk Road in Termina Field or from Sakon the thief, who is apparently a regular customer. If Link saves the old lady who sells Bombs at midnight of the first night, he can purchase the All-Night Mask from him on the Final Day. If Link fails to save the old lady, her delivery of Bomb Bags will make their way to the Curiosity Shop to be purchased on the Final Day instead.

The Man from Curiosity Shop will act chummy with his customers, sometimes calling Link "buddy," but has no qualms about rudely turning away business that he does not want. If Link talks to him in either his Goron or Zora form, the Man from Curiosity Shop will tell him not to come back, and he shoos away Deku Link. He also refuses to serve Link if he is wearing a mask. When it comes to dealing with his providers, he will even resort to threats or lower his purchase price to maintain his illusion of control. He claims that he is not guilty of any illegal activity, but is acting as a charitable middleman who provides quality products to persons who would not be able to buy them otherwise.

Man from Trading Post
As the Man from Trading Post, he acts as the proprietor of the Trading Post. After 10 PM, he has a part-time worker manning the Trading Post.

When working at the trading post, he is much more polite than when he is working at the Curiosity Shop. He will let both Goron Link and Zora Link shop in his store. He does not serve Link if he wears any mask, but he is more polite about refusing him service than in the Curiosity Shop. He seems to recognize Kafei's Mask but then will say he does not know him; he knows about the function of the All-Night Mask; he says his store is not "members-only," so Link should take off Romani's Mask; he praises Link for his hard work if he wears the Postman's Hat; he also congratulates Link if he wears the Couple's Mask; among other responses.

Two Different People
It is possible that the Man from Curiosity Shop and the one from the Trading Post are not the same person. There are a few pieces of evidence that support this theory. For example, on the night of the second day, before 9PM, both the Man from Curiosity Shop and the Man from Trading Post can be seen in their respective stores. If Link has followed the Kafei and Anju sidequest, then it is possible to look into the Curiosity Shop from the back room where Kafei hides. The Man from Curiosity Shop will be seated behind the counter. At the same time, the Trading Post Guy will be in the Trading Post. This could be explained as a development error, an intentional discrepancy to help recognize the room into which he is peering, or proof that they are different people.

Furthermore, the Bombers' Notebook does not add the Man from Curiosity Shop to the book when Link talks to the Man from Trading Post. This seems like strong evidence against them being the same person, but could also be an intentional device, as the player is not supposed to assume they are the same character from the beginning.

The Official Nintendo Player's Guide says that the Man from Trading Post "looks just like the man at the Curiosity Shop, and it's no coincidence - they're the same person!"