You have questions. Travelers usually do — it’s how the Vortex knows you’re paying attention. The frequent ones are answered below, on two shelves: the cosmos first, then the practical desk. Both are true.
The cosmos, briefly
What is Alice Vortex, exactly?
A map of worlds. The quiz is how you travel; the product is your souvenir. There are nine worlds you can land in today, one brass device for getting there, and a small shop on our side of the vortex where every souvenir waits on a real shelf. The Vortex has two doors in: this website, and a doorway in the New Mexico desert (see below).
Do I have to take the quiz?
Never. The Compass reads you, not north — but some travelers prefer to hold the map themselves. Browse the Atlas to choose a world sensibly, or skip the nonsense entirely and go straight to the shelves. No mode is a commitment; the needle doesn’t sulk.
Are the souvenirs real?
Entirely. Everything on every shelf is a real, holdable thing — made, found, or woven on our side of the vortex and kept claimable in the shop. When a one-of-a-kind curiosity is claimed, it simply leaves its shelf. The world remains.
What is the satchel?
The cart, wearing its traveling clothes. Tuck things in; peek whenever you like; nothing is claimed until you say so at the checkout desk.
Is the shop a real place?
Delightfully. The physical Vortex keeps a door at 5740 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, open Wednesday–Friday, 11–5. It is the only place a souvenir can reach your hands without the postal service crossing the seam. Directions and what to expect ▸
Will there be more worlds?
Nine is where a traveler can land today. But all the worlds were first woven in the Loom during one extra-long algorithmic jam session, and the Loom has never once stopped weaving. Curiouser and curiouser, as they say around here.
The practical desk
When will my order ship?
Parcels leave the outpost within about three business days — a day or two longer around holidays. You’ll get two letters by email: your order confirmation (keep it; it’s your receipt) and a tracking number the moment your souvenir crosses into the postal system.
I made a mistake in my order or address.
Write immediately — nicole@alicevortex.com — and the Technician will catch the parcel if it hasn’t been packed yet. Once a souvenir is wrapped and moving, not even the Compass can turn it around.
What if something arrives wrong — or doesn’t arrive?
Tell us. Many souvenirs are one-of-a-kind, so an identical replacement isn’t always on the shelf — but a wrong or wandering parcel is never simply your problem. Write to the desk and we’ll set it right together.
How can I pay?
The usual cards work fine at the checkout desk. The Vortex has also been known to trade with fellow makers of curious things — write if that’s you.
Is this a gift?
Say so in the order notes and the parcel will travel with no prices tucked inside — just the souvenir, and a gift note if you leave one.
How do I reach the Technician?
Email nicole@alicevortex.com, text or call (505) 225-2887, use the contact page — or walk through the Osuna door Wednesday through Friday and ask your question out loud. That last one has the best exchange rate.
You’ve read to the end of the questions, and every stop yields a souvenir — so take this one: the needle always points to the Unbirthday, which means wherever you wander, you were never not home.
Spin the Compass ▸ Browse the Atlas ▸ skip the nonsense — straight to the shelves ▸