October 2, 2025 • 47 mins
Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale. This week, your Curator Kara is finally tracing the origin of the oddity shop!
We trace the fascinating 400-year history of oddity shops and cabinets of curiosities, from royal gardeners collecting exotic artifacts to modern establishments displaying genuine mummies with bullet holes.
From John Tradescant the Elder created the first public oddity museum, filling his house with fossils, ancient coins, and exotic artifacts collected while working as a royal garden to Seattle's Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, which opened in 1899, and still operates today with attractions including Sylvester the mummy, confirmed through CT scans to be a real human preserved with arsenic. Modern oddity shops continue to fascinate us with their blend of history, mystery, and the macabre!
What is your favorite oddity!?
Join us for the Gothic Garden Party in the Flint Cemetery on October 4th if you're in the area - Victorian costumes encouraged!
Refs:
- https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/the-museum/the-ark-gallery/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musaeum_Tradescantianum
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tradescant_the_Elder
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tradescant_the_Younger
- https://lukehoney.typepad.com/the_education_of_a_garden/2012/05/the-tradescants-and-south-lambeth.html
- https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/ordinary-visitors-evidence-handling
- https://britisharchaeology.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/collections/history-17thcentury.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Saltero%27s
- https://u
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
I want to dance with the mothman At the ID shop,
bathed in the moonlight At theID shop.
Creep through the graveyard Tothe ID shop.
The door's always open At theID shop.
(00:29):
Welcome back to the Oddity Shop, the podcast where we tell you
creepy, odd, weird, strange,bizarre stories from around the
world.
I am your curator, kara.
Wow, you the world.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am your curator, kara.
Wow, you are, I'm not yourcurator Kara Cute.
No, I don't know who I am.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I'm your curator Zach , sitting here with the other
wonderful curator, kara, who Idefinitely know who you are.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing great.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I think we've gotten our technical difficulties out
of the way.
I don't know though.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Hey, you know what, this time we got them figured
out before we recorded.
So sorry about the quality ofthe last couple episodes.
I think we cleaned it up, butyou know it wasn't unusual.
We're back to it.
What's new with you?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
When have we last recorded.
What is new, my goodness.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Like two and a half weeks it's been a long one.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, guess what?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
What.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
It's Halloween, it is spooky season.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
It's spooky season.
Yes, we are officially inOctober.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So that's the best part.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
We're just pretending , but I mean, let's be honest, I
coined this year Augtober, so Ithink Augtober, septober,
october.
Why Three months of October?
Because it seems better thanAugust, september and October.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Okay, just all-tober months.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
That's fine, but you just said this month is October,
but we're in September.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
No, I said I coined August October.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Oh, okay, okay you gotta listen.
No, I just didn't understand.
Don't tell me to listen becauseI'll cry what's new?
Nothing.
I have no idea, because I can'teven remember the last time we
recorded.
I don't know what we talkedabout.
I'm sure there's something new.
What's new with you?
And maybe I'll think.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Well, I got to see my favorite band ever in concert
and have some fun.
Ferndale hangs.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Okay, yeah, and then we did a lot Okay, so that's new
, because we went to, we went abunch of places.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
We did go a bunch of places.
We did some Ferndale shoppingand then got some plants, got to
see a bunch of different people.
It was like a whirlwind weekendbecause I, yeah, left on God.
What was that?
Was that Saturday morning?
Yeah, went out Friday night,left Saturday morning.
I went to the oddities expo andsaw Joe and Melinda with Mystic
(02:44):
Moons.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
And Exi and.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Exi.
Then I got to the east side,went pretty much right from
there to the concert to Beth.
Well, no, I went out after theconcert.
Then I woke up the next day,hung out with you and some
friends.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, we went to brunch First.
We went to brunch.
Oh my God, I forgot about thebrunch, yep.
So we went to brunch first witha couple of our friends, then
you and I headed to Ferndale andthen we met up with a friend
that we met through, eloise andjust doing podcast stuff, yeah,
and so we hung out with him fora couple hours.
Then you and I ventured off tobuy plants and sage spray.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
And then I eventually made it home, where I wanted to
sleep for three days, but wentright back to work.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh, I know what I can .
This because, see, I needed youto remind me where we are in
our lives.
So then you went home.
I ended up not going home and Ijust went to my mom's house and
because I got like seven andshe's like, well, let's go out,
okay.
So then she took me out to ahaunted.
It's a.
It's an old church that's now abrewery, but it's haunted.
An old church.
Old church, and you know it'sreally funny that you just
(03:46):
pointed that out.
That's how my cousin says itshould be like old, and that's
so funny because I said it likethat.
That's cute, shout out, jessica.
But anyway.
So then I went to this oldchurch that's a brewery, and so
I had some drinks with my momand then I talked to a bunch of
people and apparently mymediumship is growing because I
somehow.
Well, let me just we'll justtell really quick, cause this is
(04:08):
a story I wanted to tell.
So my mom kept asking like hey,we should ask him.
Like cause she's gone therelike a plethora of times and
asked stories, she's like youshould ask.
So I'm like no, this poor kid,he's like a child, like a little
baby child, and he's likecleaning up some one of the
tables next to us outside andshe's like, well, just ask him.
And I'm like, oh my God, mother.
So then I was like you know,she's like my daughter wants.
I'm like God, you're soembarrassing.
(04:30):
So I'm like I'm just curious,like do you think this place is
haunted or whatever?
And he like stops and he's likestaring at me.
He's like well, and he was likewell, my life has definitely
changed since I started workinghere.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And he kind of left it at that Like an intense way
to start it.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And so I said it was very weird.
I called you after because Iwas like I don't know what just
came over me, but it wasincredible.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But anyway, I was like.
You called me 19 times in aboomer style.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You kept I would answer the phone, say hello and
you're like it's not working.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
It's going to voicemail.
I could hear you and your mombickering every time you called
me and then I just put it on donot disturb, because I was
driving first off, before you dothat, you do the same thing to
me.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Our phones don't like each other, and they never have
for years, so don't call me aboomer.
That is literally what happensevery day when we call each
other so boom, boomer.
Anyway, rude pants.
So I'm like talking to this kidand I'm just like you know well
, how long have you worked here?
Blah, blah, blah.
And I'm like, well, what do youmean?
Your life's changed Like whatdo you?
And he's like I'm like, so youthink it's haunted?
(05:40):
And he's like, well, I don'tknow.
And so my mom's like broke downand something else, like
something with his apartment,like just like really big things
that had happened like in justa small amount of months since
he worked there.
And I just stopped and I toldZach this the next day, when I
actually got to talk to him, Iwas like I just stopped and I
was like, yeah, but you know whythat's all happened?
And he drops his rag on thetable.
(06:02):
He backs up a little bit.
Mind you, I'm sitting down atthe table.
I'm not like interrogating him,like you know, I'm aggressively
.
He like drops his rag, he backsup and then he literally does
the take like where he's lookingaround, like behind him in his
shoulders, and he's like are youlike pranking me?
Like how do you know that?
What are you, what are youdoing right now?
And he starts panicking.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
First off, this poor child is 18 years old he going
to talk about you for the restof his time there.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So then I was like this crazy lady.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, I know this crazy boomer.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
But he was like he's like, how do you know that?
And I was like, well, you knowwhat you need to figure out.
I said you're 18.
You're very young, you have apath, though that's going to not
be good if you continue doingwhatever you're doing, or I
don't know if it's friends, it'sfamily, it's something I don't
know, but you need to stop.
I felt like Exie, with hervague little be carefuls or
whatever you know, like okay,give me more.
(06:51):
I had nothing more.
I just knew that that's what Ineeded to tell this kid.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
So where do you think that came from?
Was it like something from thehaunted location?
Was it within?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Because I don't feel it didn't feel different, like
it wasn't me, like I don't whenI say I don't know where it came
from.
It didn't feel like that, likeit.
Just I just knew.
I had to tell him that it wasweird.
So then this yeah, this poor kidgoes inside and he gets one of,
like, the cooks that haveworked there for a long time
Shout out, andre.
And he's like no-transcript, Idon't know what's going on, you
(07:33):
need to talk to her.
The one with the dark hair.
And so he came up and, like hebasically told Zach and I that
anytime we want to tour, do someinvestigating stuff in the
basement, which is prettyhaunted, to just hit him up.
So maybe we'll be going to thishaunted church soon.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
We need to lock that down and my dentist's office,
which everybody for years hastold me is haunted.
I finally got them to allow usin, so we got two places to go.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Do you feel like it's haunted when you're there?
It's just like chill.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
It's kind of creepy vibes in the basement and I've
heard enough stories, especiallyfrom somebody who lived in the
basement for a while that I'mdown to check it out who lived?
In the bay what one of them hadto sell their house and then
buy a new house, and there'slike a two month between okay,
cool.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Well, that's.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
That's a bunch of good new stuff yeah, see, see,
there was a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I just needed you to start it.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I got you and now I need you to ask me a question.
Let's get the shop open.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I don't have a question for you, but you know,
I hate that, I don't care.
You inspired me with one ofyour recent episodes.
And so today we're going to geta little meta, if you will.
Maybe not that meta, but andwe're going to ask where did the
whole thing start?
So it's not really a questionfor you, it's just a question
(08:52):
when did the whole thing start?
The Big Bang, the Oddity Shop?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
The.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Cabinet of Curiosities.
Oh my.
God the little corner storewhere you can buy a raccoon
skull.
Hold on, I almost wrote thatepisode this week.
That's so funny.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I am so glad I changed last second because of
something that popped up onFacebook.
That would have been the firsttime we finally wrote the same
episode, because we never dotell each other.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
No.
It's going to happen, ok, soanyway, the little corner store
where you could buy that raccoonskull or the jar of something
you probably shouldn't shake andmaybe get a tarot reading on
the way out.
Who was the first person tolook at like their little weird
collection and go?
You know what People will payto see this and you know how did
that turn into our modern dayshops that we love.
(09:37):
So buckle up, because we'reabout to take a tour through 400
years of weird.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
That's a lot of years .
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Okay, so we are going to start, and it is Trade
Scant's arc.
It's kind of where this allbegins, and our story basically
starts with John Trade Scant theElder.
He was a royal gardener.
That's their last name, tradeScant.
Yes, t-r-a-d-e-s-c-a-n-t.
(10:05):
Gotcha or Trad Scant, tradeScant, I don't know, it's an
oddity either way.
Yes, that's true.
Okay, so he was a royalgardener, turned Indiana Jones
before Indiana Jones was a thing.
So he worked for kings andqueens, traveled across Europe
and North America collectingexotic plants, and then came
(10:27):
back with more than justgreenery, which doesn't that
sound like such an amazing job,though, for kings and queens.
You're traveling all over toget them exotic plants to bring
back, and then you're justgetting treasures along the way.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
If I would have any job in medieval times, that
would be that.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Wouldn't that be so fun.
What fun.
What's the?
Alternative shoveling shit outof the street I know, and I just
think it'd be so cool soon.
His house in lambeth wasoverflowing with everything
fossils, ancient coins,taxidermy, crocodiles, weapons
from faraway lands, seashellsbigger than your head, and he
called it the art you know,that's better than a hoarder
(11:03):
having an arc sounds better thana call dr zazio so his son,
john tradescant the younger,took things even farther.
so he traveled like he would betraveling to virginia and
bringing back magnolias, baldcypress and even chief powhatans
is it?
Powhatans sounds right.
Ceremonial cloak I thinkPowhatans Sounds right.
(11:24):
Ceremonial cloak I think that'swhat it is.
Imagine walking into that houselike you're paying your six
pence and suddenly being face toface with artifacts that made
you feel like the world was muchbigger than your little London
street.
That's so fun.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
As soon as you say six pence, I just think six
pence, none the richer.
Yeah, I know it's going to bestuck in my head.
That's why I put that in there.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
As soon as you say six pence, I just think six, six
months, none the richer.
Yeah, I know it's gonna bestuck in my head that's why I
put that in there.
So this, uh, wasn't just acollection.
It was the first public museumand the blueprint for the oddity
shop that would follow.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
So eventually what we're gonna say like the first
public museum of all time, orlike the first public museum of
oddity, of oddities, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
This is kind of like where they basically track the
blueprint of the start of ourweirdness.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Eventually the whole collection went to Elias Ashmole
and became the basis forOxford's Ashmolean Museum, which
is still there today.
So technically, the firstoddity shop is now a fancy
museum.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Let's go Adding it to the road trip.
We can't add it to the fly trip.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, Fly trip sounds so fly trap.
Okay, so then this brings us toDon Saltero's Coffeehouse of
Wonders.
This is a cool one.
Fast forward a few decades andmeet James Salter.
Though he liked to call himselfDon Saltero, he's a bit more
(12:51):
fancy.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I know.
So he was a barber in Chelseawho had a wild connection.
So his connection was Sir HansSloane, one of the most famous
collectors of all time, andSloane actually donated his
extra curiosities to SalterreSalterre, whatever we're calling
him.
And so he turned his barbershopinto a coffeehouse slash
(13:16):
curiosity museum so you couldsip coffee while looking at like
a crocodile head, rattlesnakesor like mermaid skeletons maybe
fake, but who knows and then youcan literally just be like
getting your hair cut.
What year is this?
That one is oh, do I have?
No, no, do I not have?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
a year is this at the time too, where, like your
barber shop, is also doing basicmedical procedures oh my god,
because I, as a nonnon-committal person.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Love the menagerie like yeah, one stop shop, that's
crazy, but yeah, no, it's justfunny.
So they were even like so thisplace had king king of morocco's
tobacco pipe, so you couldliterally just be looking at
this.
It'd be like, hey, I'm notgonna get my hair cut love it so
the cool thing about this,though, is it became the hangout
spot for curious minds.
So Benjamin Franklin stopped by, isaac Newton is said to have
(14:07):
visited.
So can you imagine all theselike brainiacs sitting under
like a mummified fish arguingabout gravity?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I mean, I can imagine it.
It sounds like a great place tobe.
I really want to go.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
So essentially he basically made the oddity shop
kind of a cool and profitablelike little hangout, long before
we had Instagram to show us allthe cool little pics of where
to go.
So then we go to Dickens andthe myth of the old curiosity
shop.
So by the 1800s curiosity shopswere so popular that Charles
(14:41):
Dickens wrote the old curiosityshop, which I need to read.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, I haven't read that one either, although I
haven't read much Dickens, Iknow.
But we should.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Suddenly everybody romanticized these dusty little
shops.
I mean, we know why.
And the book followed a littleNell and her grandfather who ran
a cultured shop filled with oldtreasures, and basically that's
kind of the gist of the bookwhich we should add it for the
book book club.
Oh, that would kind of the gistof the book which we should add
it for the book book club.
Oh, that would be a good one.
So the novel was so popularthat a little, just a little
(15:10):
shop, not the shop, a littleshop in London just decided to
put up a sign saying it was theold curiosity shop.
And so tourists just swarmedand it didn't even matter if it
was true.
Like the idea of the curiosityshop is a magical, mysterious
place was just cemented forever.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
What a smart business move, though.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I know, and that's just like the fun of it.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Just capitalize right on it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
I mean, that's the fun of it, like to just, it's
like.
You know, people tell mevampires aren't real.
But I'm like they're real.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Oh, I just mean like that it wasn't like the shop
from the book, but they're justlike hey.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Anyway, so that's kind of that, so that's cute.
So you could either go to abarbershop at this point or go
to the coffee shop or the no,the old curiosity shop.
Ok, now we go to Jake Gold,showman, showman of the
Southwest.
So obviously we're heading westand across the Atlantic we meet
(16:09):
Jake, jake gold, in the 1980sin santa fe, new mexico.
So his shop was chaos in thebest way piles of pueblo
artifacts, wild stories and evena parrot train to greet
visitors this sort of reminds meof uh, the best fan like fan
collecting all of his stuff outthere yeah, so jake.
(16:31):
Jake's shop was basically aproto slideshow I'm sorry, not
slideshow sideshow so it wasn'tjust about selling things.
He was more about putting on ashow and he made sure that
people left with a story, whichis cool.
So he really was just a showmanof this oddity shop.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Was his last name showman?
No, it was Gold Gold.
Okay, he was a showman.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Okay, yeah, so even though his shop didn't last
forever.
He had some legal drama.
He helped turn curiosity shopsinto attractions and, if you
like me, I wanted to know moreof the drama.
So I wanted to know what he did.
So in the late 1890s, gold'scurio empire started shifting
(17:14):
from wild success to like legalchaos, and his health was
declining.
So in 1899, he had lost hisshop and he was sent to the
state penitentiary.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Do we know what kind of legal troubles?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Well, so what tipped him into this troubled path?
The historical records don'treally lay it out clearly, but
sources kind of hint that it wasmore of a personal scandal and
they mentioned it's mentionedlike he was jailed for adultery
charges.
Oh so it's kind of drama.
So after serving time he triedto rebuild, with a former
associate setting up a new placejust a few doors down and
(17:47):
calling it the original jakegold curio store, which I find
really again real geniusbusiness moves here but his
health kept failing and thepartnership didn't last, and
eventually he did die in aterritorial insane asylum in
1905 okay I don't really knowwhat that is different than a
(18:08):
normal, but that's where he was.
they have turf wars there andthat is different than a normal,
but that's where he was.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
They have turf wars there.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And that is gold.
So now we're going to jump toDaddy Stadley.
No, standley, daddy Standley.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I love these names.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
And Seattle's Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Why am I not surprised?
Seattle seems like the perfecttown for being part of the
origin story.
I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
So this is probably my personal favorite, joseph
Daddy Stanley.
So in 1899, he opened Ye OldeCuriosity Shop on Seattle's
waterfront.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Do we think he gave himself the nickname daddy?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
yeah, his motto was beats the dickens wow he gave
himself that nickname.
He gave himself that nicknamefor sure so the shop had
everything genuine totem poletotem poles, shrunken heads some
real and some probablydefinitely not and mummies like
(19:11):
Sylvester, who is still one ofthe shop's main attractions
because, yes, the shop stillexists.
I think I've been here.
I was going to ask you.
So he's been on display theresince 1955.
But his story goes back to the1890s.
So the legend says Sylvesterwas discovered in an Arizona
desert perfectly preserved, witha bullet hole in his stomach,
(19:34):
and some say he was an outlaw.
Others claim he was a cowboywho met like a bad end in a
shootout.
For decades people argued aboutwhether he was even real and
some said that he was just likea convincing papier-m.
But in 2001 the shop had him ctscanned and in 2005 they did an
mri.
Turns out sylvester is 100 realhuman bones, human organs, even
(20:00):
traces of arsenic from theembalming fluid uh, that was
used to preserve him.
And the wild part is that thescans revealed that somebody
like deliberately embalmed him,that it wasn't just like a
natural desert mummy.
Someone took the time to injecthim with the arsenic solution
which stopped him from decaying.
Obviously, but it's standing,it's just standing in front and
(20:24):
it's like really surreal.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I'm going to forget to ask this, because either I
saw this on TV or I went thereas a kid.
So, mom, dad, when you listento this, let me know, did we go
there?
I was gonna ask you if you'vegone.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So yeah, I mean, his skin is really leathery and like
really nasty, tight, like hismustache is still there and he's
just like just staring off intolike eternity.
It's really weird.
So again, visitors debate likewho he was outlaw gunfighter or
just a regular guy who just likegot unlucky, like unlucky
either way, though.
This was part of the museum,part gift shop or, I'm sorry.
(20:57):
Either way, this part museum,part gift shop and part roadside
oddity and it all kind of justworked and so, over 100 years
later, the shop is still thereand still run by the descendants
, which I think is cool.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Oh, that's fun's fun, keeping it in the family.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, luring some tourists in oddballs alike.
So I thought that was kind ofcool and that's when we could
really go to.
Next time I go visit my brotherI'm going to be like you got to
take me here, I got to see.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yeah, absolutely you also have to go to.
There's a really cool magicshop and a left-handed store in
the market that are.
I remember you wanted me to goto the left-handed shop to get
you some stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
I need those notebooks I know, but I didn't
ever go.
I didn't go to seattle.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Rude, not fun, right I just got that tiktok sound out
of my head.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Thank you, got it back.
So those are kind of the firstever.
So you know why does like?
Why did these shops still work?
And obviously it's because theylet us feel the wonder, they
let us be curious.
And you can obviously scrollthrough TikTok all day, but
nothing compares to walking intoa place where there's a jar
labeled mermaid tears and youdon't know if it's a joke or a
(22:06):
spell ingredient or a very nichecocktail garnish.
I just never know when I lookaround an oddity shop, right.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I mean, I probably wouldn't put most of those dusty
old things in a cocktail, butyou never know.
It depends on what number ofcocktail I'm on, I guess.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So I was going to ask you which one of these you want
to go to, but we want to go toall of them.
That's a stupid question.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Wait, I have a counter question for you.
Okay, what's the best oneyou've ever been to?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
I don't know, but I really like the one that I want
to take you by my house, theoddball antiques, because I just
it just feels so homey thereand, like I don't know, I just
really like the vibe there.
I need to go back.
They're only open the weekendsand I always miss it.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Okay, it sucks about it.
Oh, we should go the firstweekend of October.
I was thinking about it.
Okay, let's do that.
I think my favorite one thatI've been to was just this
really tiny little one that Istumbled upon when we were in
New Orleans and they just had,like you know, sometimes you go
into places labeled oddity shopand it's like you can tell it's
like new resin pours and likeit's just like a newer, Okay
bullshit.
This one just like it felt oldand creepy.
(23:11):
Everything was super old inthere All the furniture, the
displays.
It was just like a perfectlycurated Like.
I feel like when you pictureout of your mind that's what it
was.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
So I just thought about this.
If you're listening to this, itis October 2nd, so in two days,
october 4th, if you are closeto the Flint area, we are going
to a gothic garden party in theFlint Cemetery, so look it up
and come find us.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
And apparently come in Victorian costume, which you
still have to help me order.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yep, I know so anyway , we should post about that
before just this.
But you got two days.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
But in case we forget to post about it.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You got two days to come hang out with us.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And put together a costume.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, they don't have to dress up, but it's just
encouraged.
It's a little tea party.
Kara's making me dress up.
I'm making them dress up.
First off, you don't have todress up, but me and.
Joseph are going to be dressedup and we're going to be very
cute.
So do you want to be byyourself, not dressed?
Speaker 1 (24:11):
up.
Well, did say Gothic orVictorian and like if I could
find a good old pair of my trippants that'd be fun.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's not Gothic or it's Gothic Victorian.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I said Gothic or Victorian dress.
I do believe.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
It's just Gothic.
I don't have time for this.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I go with, like Liberty.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Spikes trip pants.
How is this going?
I go with like Liberty Spikes.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
You're going to have like trip pants.
I was just going to say Libertyand we're all like sir.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Sir, read the room, holy shit, okay, I have hair in
my mouth, okay.
So obviously, before we wrap up, I have to share some modern
day oddity shop stories, or morelike antique thrift store
stories that I kind of found funfrom the wonderful Reddit
because I wanted to give us somewait.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Can I share one of my own?
Yeah, go okay, so I took youspeaking of our Ferndale trip to
the Rust Belt for the firsttime, which is the best flea
market in all of Ferndale.
What'd you say?
We're about the plants right oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're about
the plants, where you tried tosteal the plant and then we
really you.
(25:13):
I forgot to tell kara it wasmultiple shops and one, and then
we're like, walking through,I'm like, oh, you gotta pay for
that, uh, but we went back, wepaid, it's okay.
But they have a little oddityshop there that's been there for
years and years and years andthey have a lot of really cool
stuff for like such a smalllittle area, but they have a lot
of very tiny but cool thepreserved jarred animals, and
(25:35):
about five years ago I had askedher and somewhere I have the
owner's card where, god forbid,one day, if Reptar, my bearded
dragon, passes, she is going tohelp preserve him in a jar for
me so I can keep him forever andever.
And that's my oddity.
Shop story Is that weird?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
No, but it makes me want to cry.
Well, he's got.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
He's got plenty of time left.
I love you, buddy.
He's literally looking at me asI'm saying this.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Because he's listening to you like you're
going to do what.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Keep him forever.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Okay.
So I really did try to findones that were like oddity shops
or curiosity shops, buteverything through Reddit or
stories that I was looking wasjust people asking what the best
oddity shops to go to are.
So I did have to kind of gomore of like an antique shop.
But that's OK, because thosecan be oddity little things too.
(26:26):
Ok.
So this one is from ourparanormal.
It got deleted so there is nouser, but it was.
Have you ever gotten a bad vibeor a strange feeling while at a
thrift store, antique store?
So that was the question on itand then, like I said, the users
deleted.
I really dislike thosesecondhand thrift stores.
They creep me out.
It sounds dramatic but I let.
(26:47):
But I look at the items and Iwonder what life they had.
Did those shirts over there seemore misery than happiness?
Did that suitcase get to seethe whole world or just sit
unused in the closet?
The thought that somebody mayhave died in or on something
really creeps me out.
Antique stores are the same.
(27:08):
I wonder what secrets the itemshold or what things they've
seen in their life.
In saying that, actual antiqueitems don't bother me that much,
but I think that it's becausemy mom collects antiques so I'm
used to having them in the house.
I also don't have any issueswith secondhand games or DVDs.
So basically thrift stores andantiques stores freak me out.
(27:29):
But individual antiques itemsdon't necessarily freak me out,
but secondhand clothing, luggage, jewelry and hats do.
Oh, and antique paintings fuckthem.
Ever since I heard about thehaunted ebay painting, oh my god
.
And dolls, no, just fucking no.
Edit.
My intention wasn't to offendanyone, by the way.
(27:50):
I don't think buying from thosestores is bad or anything.
It just freaks me out.
I just liked this one becauseit started off like really cool,
like where I was, like oh mygod.
When you think about it it'slike what did those items see?
And the one that says, oh mygod, more misery than happiness.
Almost I think about that everytime I'm in.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
I've never thought of it like that way, though.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Like did they?
Did that shirt have more miseryor more happiness in its life?
That is so crazy.
You know what?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
where I always think about it and I don't know why is
when I'm like looking at notthat I'm buying them for myself
or anything, but I always I haveto look at everything but the
vintage handbags, becausethere's just something about
like a woman's purse has likeall their things in it and it's
like how did it get to anantiques shop?
How many people owned it?
(28:40):
Like how many stories wereattached to it.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
It's always for some reason like the handbags that
just that actually is really Idon't want to say disturbing to
think about, but like my uh, mygreat aunt always like would
just be, like you don't ever gointo somebody's purse, like it's
so personal, like where to meI'll be like here's that go
fiddle through my purse and findit like it's different, but
it's all.
It was like always one of thosethings where that purse is so
personal, like you don't gothrough.
(29:03):
So it is really weird actuallynow that you say that, like when
you think about it and you dosee beautiful bags, it's like
what was in that that's the onelike did betty have a gun?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I can look at the clothes.
I don't know why it's.
Oh, for some reason I alwaysstart to think about the story
that's so creepy.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I'm gonna think of that, about that now, every time
I look at a handbag, at a.
You're welcome, um, thanks.
Okay, this is like a differentvibe, but it still happened at a
thrift store so I had to put itin here.
This is from a wonderfulunderscore, bid 9269 psycho in a
thrift store.
(29:38):
I had a creepy encounter in acharity shop selling secondhand
clothes and whatnot 20 years ago.
I was in my early 20s at auniversity and wasn't a shy or
nervous person at all, but thisexperience haunted me.
The man did nothing wrong, butI just got the strongest creep
vibes I've ever felt.
So I go in to browse it's quite, it's quite busy in there, and
(29:59):
whilst looking around I spottedthe man who worked there.
It actually felt like hespotted me.
I hate that line and would keeplooking over, etc.
I instantly felt veryuncomfortable.
I mean, this guy, who lookedvery normal, made my blood run
cold and really frightened me.
I tried to avoid his gaze, butsomething unsettled me in a way
(30:20):
that has never happened to mebefore or since A real, stranger
danger feeling that I wasn'tused to, especially from a shop
assistant.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I hate that feeling.
When people just like whateverit is about their vibe, that
just like gets right in.
You can't shake it.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
He never came over and asked if I needed help or
anything.
It was just a weird instinctkicked in and for me to get the
hell away from this man and fast.
I said no, oh, I'm sorry.
He did come over to ask forhelp.
I said no, thankful.
No, no thankful.
I said no thank you and quicklyleft the shop.
(30:54):
I literally wanted to run.
I was so surprised by theterror this man's present caused
me to feel.
Like I said, I was quite aconfident young woman, not
easily spooked by people at all,but he terrified me.
Just that gut feeling.
Throughout my life I've had myfair share of creepy guys who
have had been interested in meand displayed that in a weird
way, and never been freaked outby it.
(31:15):
But there was something soincredibly off about him.
Despite this, there was a pairof jeans I liked in there, so I
made my boyfriend Listen.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
sometimes you gotta go through it for a good pair of
jeans.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
So I made my boyfriend come with me the
following day, as there was noway I was going to to use the
fitting room on my own.
With that creep there, we wentin.
He was, he was there.
Nothing happened and I tried onmy jeans, didn't like them and
left.
I like how she doesn't likethat.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
That's a lot of work to not buy them.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I didn't think any more about it, other than I
wouldn't be going back thereagain.
A couple of days later, myparents visited and we were
sitting having breakfast in acafe.
My dad was reading the localpaper and he said look at this.
He turned the paper to me andit was a photo of the man who
100% happened to be the creepyman from the shop.
(32:06):
The article was about how hehad just been released from
prison for stabbing hisgirlfriend 14 times yikes after
an incredibly short sentence, hewas allowed to live and work in
the same town.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
His poor victim and her family are from I feel like
if you do a like you have tomove crime like that, you just
should have to wear a shirt thatsays like I stabbed my
girlfriend 14 times and youasked me about it yeah, true and
he was given a job to help himresettle into society or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
It really did stay with me.
I was horrified that I'dinteracted with this man but
knew at at that point to alwaystrust my instincts, because
instincts, because they werescreaming at me to get away from
him.
Isn't that freaking?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
weird, though, it's, yeah, it's unsettling for sure.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Can you imagine, though, like literally three
days.
You're just like like dad justopens the paper and he's like
hey.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
And you're like do you know how many times, like
without putting it together,that's probably happened where,
like somebody who gave you a badvibe, had probably done
something freaking terrible.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Oh yeah, I did a TikTok about it.
What is it you you meet?
You literally walk past likeeight murderers in your lifetime
.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
And yet still none of them have put me out of my
misery.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
No, I'll do it All right.
So I think this is we got twomore.
We got two more Strange feelingat an antique store.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Why are you all of a sudden from New York?
I don't know, you sound likeMirena.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Really.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
For some reason, that's the accent she always
chooses to do.
Oh, I like it.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
This one also didn't have a use.
Today I went into an antiquestore to look for old
electronics.
I'm 15 and I went to theelectronics section and made my
way to the back Immediately gota strange feeling.
I wanted to get out of therebecause I felt a terrible
sadness that I couldn't controlImmediately.
After a boy walks by me andsparks conversation about this
stuff being old, he tells me hecollects old electronic.
(34:03):
I know he collects old.
He collects old electronics aswell and I've already passed the
section and I didn't mentionanything.
Basically, she's saying thatlike she doesn't know how he
knew she also collects oldelectronics.
He seemed very intelligent atit, as if somebody was speaking
for him.
I feel like a lonely spirit wastrying to communicate with me
(34:25):
through him.
Is this possible?
Am I reaching too far on this?
That's it.
I just thought it was cutebecause it's a little 15 year
old, like hey, it might bereaching.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
He literally could have just seen her.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
He could have seen her in the electronics section.
I just thought that was so cutesometimes you just gotta have
an experience.
I love it but this is why placeslike this make you
automatically have weird likefeel yeah, your weird vibe meter
is always on it's just like,because, like he literally could
have just looked across thestore and seen her in the
electronics, which is probablywhat happened he's really like
(35:02):
oh, she's cute, Let me just gotalk to her and like this girl's
like oh he, he seemedintelligent, like somebody took
over him.
Maybe he was just intelligent.
That's a nice way to say helooked dumb, but I just had to
add that because I thought thatwas so fucking cute.
Like dumb little 15 year old.
Oh okay, this is, uh, anotherfrom our paranormal paranormal.
(35:25):
It's from victor grew six.
My unusual experiences at avintage antique store.
Employee edition.
Ooh Okay.
So hi everyone.
I'd like to preface this bysaying that working at my job
has completely changed myperspective on the paranormal.
(35:45):
For context, I work at avintage store that specializes
in old antique Western Americanartifacts.
The store is located in awealthy part of the state where
a lot of wealthy people buy inbulk to decorate their second
and third homes.
Smush me knife.
This means we have a lot ofsourced items being moved in and
(36:06):
out of the store at all times.
I'm not part of the sourcing, Iam simply selling items and
helping manage the store.
Most, if not all, of the itemsobviously have energy attached
to them Not always good energyeither.
Within three months of workingthere, I knew it was haunted and
that the resident spirits hadtaken a liking to me.
(36:26):
With the coming and going ofitems, certain energies and
events occur and stop too.
Experience one my moment ofrealization.
Things were sort of weird fromthe beginning, but I always
chalked it up to it being asomewhat old building.
One morning I was opening thestore on my own.
It was in the dead of winterand everything was very dark and
(36:49):
snowed.
In the moment I walk in it'sfreezing.
I think the heater conked outat night.
I go and I turn it on and seeit's working perfectly fine and
the warmth it's emitting seemsto be dissipating.
After a couple of feet I ignoreit and turn on the main floor
lights.
I know I walk downstairs whereit's pitch black.
This is where we keep majorityof our vintage items and before
(37:13):
I can turn on the lights ourmusic turns on full blast.
Problem is the music isn't anautomatic system.
I control it myself from myphone and I had yet to turn the
system on.
I was the only one in thebuilding and around the general
vicinity so no one else couldhave turned it on from their
phone.
After calming down from thescare, I turned on the lights to
discover that all the pillowshave been thrown off their
(37:36):
massive vintage leather couch.
I still think it's weird, but Itry to rationalize it by saying
maintenance must have come inin the night to fix something
and they did that.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
They probably chopped the pillows incorrectly.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
I know, could you imagine you fucking put the
pillows on here wrong?
Um, I know could you.
Could you imagine you fuckingput the pillows on here wrong?
It's thrown.
I clean them up and walkdownstairs again to find all the
lights I've turned on have goneout.
The light switches wereswitched off again, not just the
power again.
I ignored it, turned them onagain and I walked outside to
the to open the front door andturn our open sign on.
(38:11):
This is the moment where Irealized everything.
Our locally made chapstickdisplay a heavy thing gets
completely swept off the shelfLike someone aggressively pushed
it off in front of me.
It did not fall, the shelfdidn't budge, it was pushed off.
50 to 100 chapsticks go flyingeverywhere and the acrylic case
(38:33):
shatters into pieces.
The music system suddenlystarts playing the music very
loud again and I'm just frozenin shock.
Things suddenly get very quiet,as if they just wanted me to
finally acknowledge it.
The computer screen turned onseconds later, as if it was
telling me to go to work now.
I think I stood there for asolid 10 minutes, just frozen.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
I bet.
Okay, here's my bet.
Are you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
He sold somebody's handbag and she didn't want
people going through it.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I don't know why, but I assumed this was a female.
But maybe they did sellsomebody's handbag.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
They sold somebody's handbag.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Okay, but we have experience too.
Okay, if that wasn't wildenough.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
So this is the same person.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Okay, the wall of mirrors?
Oh God, no this took.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Okay, I'm going to be completely honest with you.
I started reading this and thenstopped because I wanted to be
a little bit surprised.
Okay, this took place aroundfour months ago.
Our main vintage collector hadbrought in old vintage mirrors
he found in different places andconstructed a wall of them on
the side of the stairs goingdown.
I came back from vacationslightly horrified, I feel like
mirrors just hold really badenergy, especially ones owned by
(39:44):
other people.
Also, down the stairs creeps meout too, because, like you're
already going to get pushed downthe stairs by all of these
ghosts, and now the mirrors arethere.
We got portals on the stairs.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Or you start to lose your balance and you see all
sorts of different stairs.
I would probably just fall, ohGod.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, that's true.
That true, that true, that too.
Fair enough, it was a normalday at work, helping customers,
logging inventory, etc.
One of the employees wasworking with me and we were
casually chatting about life.
Anyway, she went downstairs tohelp a customer with finding the
price on a vintage fur coat andsome artwork.
(40:19):
It's when the customer'sdaughter is walking upstairs,
aka passing the wall, the mirrorwall, that she screams.
I, being the person in charge,ran towards the screen to check
everything.
This girl is inconsolable andclaiming that she saw a shadowy
figure in the mirror.
The mom is claiming herdaughter, calming her daughter,
(40:41):
saying it's just a shadow.
I investigate, I don't seeanything, just the normal bad
feeling I experienced passingthese mirrors.
We help this lady and sheeventually leaves with her items
.
A couple hours later, adifferent woman wants to buy a
wall coat track.
What's that?
Wants to buy a wall coat trackright by the mirrors?
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Oh, like a coat hanger like that sticks to the
wall, I think it's supposed tobe coat rack.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
There you go.
It's definitely supposed to becoat rack, okay, whatever.
And my coworker is holding theother end of the coat rack.
Yeah, it's supposed to be coatrack, okay, whatever.
And my coworker is holding theother end of the coat rack.
Yeah, it's supposed to be coatrack Okay.
Her face pales.
She's staring at the mirrorsand can't look away.
I see her do a double take andcontinue to stare at them.
I'm concerned and finishhelping this lady out
Immediately she leaves.
I return back to my coworker,who is still just staring at the
(41:29):
mirrors.
It's as if she was in a trance.
I shake her out of it and shecan't speak.
It's only when she said my nameand I look back at the mirrors
do I see the same figure, amorphing figure, suddenly taking
on different appearances, somefeminine, other masculine.
No face, just features.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
That's so uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
It's disturbing.
Used to these things aroundthere, but used to these things
around there by now.
I drag her upstairs and sort ofignore it the rest of the day.
I heard from multiple customersabout how they thought they
were seeing things in that samemirror.
One girl even threw up in thebathroom because she said she
suddenly felt so sick walkingdownstairs.
(42:11):
When I came back from my shiftthe next week it was gone.
My other coworker had informedme that it didn't sell, but one
of the other employees walkeddown one day and found it
cracked.
I don't know what happened toit or where it went, but the
rest of the mirrors are stillthere.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
That would almost be worse, because I feel like it's
like now it's gotten out.
Yeah, still there.
That would almost be worse,because I feel like it's like
now it's gotten out.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah all of the relatively younger employees
seem to experience things, butnot as much as I do.
The older employees don't seemto experience as much, but they
agree there are weird things.
Anyway, thank you for reading,and that, my oddballs, is the no
, what, what?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
No, no, I don't like the mirror thing.
Okay, sorry, I don't either.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
No, so that's it.
From royal gardeners andcoffeehouse barbers to Seattle's
waterfront legends and ourReddit bargain hunters, audity
Shops have been here forcenturies, feeding our weird
little minds and giving usinspiration.
Inspiration, yes, inspirationfor our whole entire podcast.
(43:16):
If you have your own oddityshop stories, though, slide them
into our dms or somewhere,because we want to hear the
strange things that you've seenthere or bought, or okay
speaking of that.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Yeah, if was.
What's like you're you're not.
Yeah, when this will be more ofa when, because it's we're
manifesting what is your dreamoddity that you don't yet own,
but like every time you go to anoddity shop or like see them,
you're like, oh, I really wantthat I don't know if I have one
really I mean I really like tohave an octopus in a jar because
(43:48):
I love them, but then it alsokind of makes me feel sad.
I was to say I, I think I kindof want the cliche one that
everyone always wants is theoctopus.
But but I saw this woman whowas making some really cool
oddities once and she wastaxidermying uh mice but like
putting them in very peoplelocations and she had a whole
(44:09):
set, yeah that was mousestrippers.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh my god, that's unlike a whole, and I thought
that was.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
It was so original and so cool.
I wanted a stripper mousethat's really cute.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Uh, for people that are listening, obviously,
because we're all listening theycan't see.
But this zachary bought me it'snot.
It's not a real crow head.
His little feathers kind of gotfucked up in travel.
But Zachary bought me it's adoll body with a crow head on it
.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
So I think you and it's not a real crow, it's just
a fake crow, so like really, butit's like if this was a real
doll I would not want it.
But with the crow head and thedoll body it is the most cutest
thing ever to me and I love it.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
It's like cute and horrifying, we need to get you
like one of those.
Like doll stands so like itholds it up.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
I know we do because, oh no, his head feathers are
coming.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
Stop petting him.
You look like a dumb and dumberwhere they're petting the bird
with its head, take back.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Oh my God, it's little baby feathers.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
But anyway, before you rip all of its feathers out.
Yeah, oh my god, it's littlebaby feathers.
But anyway, before you rip allof its feathers out, yeah, if
you guys have any dream odditiestoo.
If you don't have any goododdity stories, let us know what
emoji should they leave forthis?
I feel like crystal balls arealways in oddity shops.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
They could just leave an octopus Ooh, or a crow
Perfect, because we just talkedabout crows.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Okay, crow Perfect, we just talked about crows, Okay
, Crow or octopus and I don'tknow.
Kara, let's close the shop up.
I think we uh, we'll keep itnice and getting a little short
and sweet yeah.
Uh, what are the pieces peopleneed to do?
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Well, we kind of already told them everything
else we want to do, but the mostimportant thing you can do for
us is to creep it real, youlittle Goodbye.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
Bye Outro Music.
I want to dance with the mothman At the ID shop,
bathed in the moonlight At theID shop.
Creep through the graveyard Tothe ID shop.
The door's always open At theID shop.
(00:29):
Welcome back to the Oddity Shop, the podcast where we tell you
creepy, odd, weird, strange,bizarre stories from around the
world.
I am your curator, kara.
Wow, you the world.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am your curator, kara.
Wow, you are, I'm not yourcurator Kara Cute.
No, I don't know who I am.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I'm your curator Zach , sitting here with the other
wonderful curator, kara, who Idefinitely know who you are.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing great.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I think we've gotten our technical difficulties out
of the way.
I don't know though.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Hey, you know what, this time we got them figured
out before we recorded.
So sorry about the quality ofthe last couple episodes.
I think we cleaned it up, butyou know it wasn't unusual.
We're back to it.
What's new with you?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
When have we last recorded.
What is new, my goodness.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Like two and a half weeks it's been a long one.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, guess what?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
What.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
It's Halloween, it is spooky season.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
It's spooky season.
Yes, we are officially inOctober.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So that's the best part.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
We're just pretending , but I mean, let's be honest, I
coined this year Augtober, so Ithink Augtober, septober,
october.
Why Three months of October?
Because it seems better thanAugust, september and October.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Okay, just all-tober months.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
That's fine, but you just said this month is October,
but we're in September.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
No, I said I coined August October.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Oh, okay, okay you gotta listen.
No, I just didn't understand.
Don't tell me to listen becauseI'll cry what's new?
Nothing.
I have no idea, because I can'teven remember the last time we
recorded.
I don't know what we talkedabout.
I'm sure there's something new.
What's new with you?
And maybe I'll think.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Well, I got to see my favorite band ever in concert
and have some fun.
Ferndale hangs.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Okay, yeah, and then we did a lot Okay, so that's new
, because we went to, we went abunch of places.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
We did go a bunch of places.
We did some Ferndale shoppingand then got some plants, got to
see a bunch of different people.
It was like a whirlwind weekendbecause I, yeah, left on God.
What was that?
Was that Saturday morning?
Yeah, went out Friday night,left Saturday morning.
I went to the oddities expo andsaw Joe and Melinda with Mystic
(02:44):
Moons.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
And Exi and.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Exi.
Then I got to the east side,went pretty much right from
there to the concert to Beth.
Well, no, I went out after theconcert.
Then I woke up the next day,hung out with you and some
friends.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, we went to brunch First.
We went to brunch.
Oh my God, I forgot about thebrunch, yep.
So we went to brunch first witha couple of our friends, then
you and I headed to Ferndale andthen we met up with a friend
that we met through, eloise andjust doing podcast stuff, yeah,
and so we hung out with him fora couple hours.
Then you and I ventured off tobuy plants and sage spray.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
And then I eventually made it home, where I wanted to
sleep for three days, but wentright back to work.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh, I know what I can .
This because, see, I needed youto remind me where we are in
our lives.
So then you went home.
I ended up not going home and Ijust went to my mom's house and
because I got like seven andshe's like, well, let's go out,
okay.
So then she took me out to ahaunted.
It's a.
It's an old church that's now abrewery, but it's haunted.
An old church.
Old church, and you know it'sreally funny that you just
(03:46):
pointed that out.
That's how my cousin says itshould be like old, and that's
so funny because I said it likethat.
That's cute, shout out, jessica.
But anyway.
So then I went to this oldchurch that's a brewery, and so
I had some drinks with my momand then I talked to a bunch of
people and apparently mymediumship is growing because I
somehow.
Well, let me just we'll justtell really quick, cause this is
(04:08):
a story I wanted to tell.
So my mom kept asking like hey,we should ask him.
Like cause she's gone therelike a plethora of times and
asked stories, she's like youshould ask.
So I'm like no, this poor kid,he's like a child, like a little
baby child, and he's likecleaning up some one of the
tables next to us outside andshe's like, well, just ask him.
And I'm like, oh my God, mother.
So then I was like you know,she's like my daughter wants.
I'm like God, you're soembarrassing.
(04:30):
So I'm like I'm just curious,like do you think this place is
haunted or whatever?
And he like stops and he's likestaring at me.
He's like well, and he was likewell, my life has definitely
changed since I started workinghere.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And he kind of left it at that Like an intense way
to start it.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And so I said it was very weird.
I called you after because Iwas like I don't know what just
came over me, but it wasincredible.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But anyway, I was like.
You called me 19 times in aboomer style.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You kept I would answer the phone, say hello and
you're like it's not working.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
It's going to voicemail.
I could hear you and your mombickering every time you called
me and then I just put it on donot disturb, because I was
driving first off, before you dothat, you do the same thing to
me.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Our phones don't like each other, and they never have
for years, so don't call me aboomer.
That is literally what happensevery day when we call each
other so boom, boomer.
Anyway, rude pants.
So I'm like talking to this kidand I'm just like you know well
, how long have you worked here?
Blah, blah, blah.
And I'm like, well, what do youmean?
Your life's changed Like whatdo you?
And he's like I'm like, so youthink it's haunted?
(05:40):
And he's like, well, I don'tknow.
And so my mom's like broke downand something else, like
something with his apartment,like just like really big things
that had happened like in justa small amount of months since
he worked there.
And I just stopped and I toldZach this the next day, when I
actually got to talk to him, Iwas like I just stopped and I
was like, yeah, but you know whythat's all happened?
And he drops his rag on thetable.
(06:02):
He backs up a little bit.
Mind you, I'm sitting down atthe table.
I'm not like interrogating him,like you know, I'm aggressively
.
He like drops his rag, he backsup and then he literally does
the take like where he's lookingaround, like behind him in his
shoulders, and he's like are youlike pranking me?
Like how do you know that?
What are you, what are youdoing right now?
And he starts panicking.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
First off, this poor child is 18 years old he going
to talk about you for the restof his time there.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So then I was like this crazy lady.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, I know this crazy boomer.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
But he was like he's like, how do you know that?
And I was like, well, you knowwhat you need to figure out.
I said you're 18.
You're very young, you have apath, though that's going to not
be good if you continue doingwhatever you're doing, or I
don't know if it's friends, it'sfamily, it's something I don't
know, but you need to stop.
I felt like Exie, with hervague little be carefuls or
whatever you know, like okay,give me more.
(06:51):
I had nothing more.
I just knew that that's what Ineeded to tell this kid.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
So where do you think that came from?
Was it like something from thehaunted location?
Was it within?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Because I don't feel it didn't feel different, like
it wasn't me, like I don't whenI say I don't know where it came
from.
It didn't feel like that, likeit.
Just I just knew.
I had to tell him that it wasweird.
So then this yeah, this poor kidgoes inside and he gets one of,
like, the cooks that haveworked there for a long time
Shout out, andre.
And he's like no-transcript, Idon't know what's going on, you
(07:33):
need to talk to her.
The one with the dark hair.
And so he came up and, like hebasically told Zach and I that
anytime we want to tour, do someinvestigating stuff in the
basement, which is prettyhaunted, to just hit him up.
So maybe we'll be going to thishaunted church soon.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
We need to lock that down and my dentist's office,
which everybody for years hastold me is haunted.
I finally got them to allow usin, so we got two places to go.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Do you feel like it's haunted when you're there?
It's just like chill.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
It's kind of creepy vibes in the basement and I've
heard enough stories, especiallyfrom somebody who lived in the
basement for a while that I'mdown to check it out who lived?
In the bay what one of them hadto sell their house and then
buy a new house, and there'slike a two month between okay,
cool.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Well, that's.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
That's a bunch of good new stuff yeah, see, see,
there was a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I just needed you to start it.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I got you and now I need you to ask me a question.
Let's get the shop open.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I don't have a question for you, but you know,
I hate that, I don't care.
You inspired me with one ofyour recent episodes.
And so today we're going to geta little meta, if you will.
Maybe not that meta, but andwe're going to ask where did the
whole thing start?
So it's not really a questionfor you, it's just a question
(08:52):
when did the whole thing start?
The Big Bang, the Oddity Shop?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
The.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Cabinet of Curiosities.
Oh my.
God the little corner storewhere you can buy a raccoon
skull.
Hold on, I almost wrote thatepisode this week.
That's so funny.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I am so glad I changed last second because of
something that popped up onFacebook.
That would have been the firsttime we finally wrote the same
episode, because we never dotell each other.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
No.
It's going to happen, ok, soanyway, the little corner store
where you could buy that raccoonskull or the jar of something
you probably shouldn't shake andmaybe get a tarot reading on
the way out.
Who was the first person tolook at like their little weird
collection and go?
You know what People will payto see this and you know how did
that turn into our modern dayshops that we love.
(09:37):
So buckle up, because we'reabout to take a tour through 400
years of weird.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
That's a lot of years .
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Okay, so we are going to start, and it is Trade
Scant's arc.
It's kind of where this allbegins, and our story basically
starts with John Trade Scant theElder.
He was a royal gardener.
That's their last name, tradeScant.
Yes, t-r-a-d-e-s-c-a-n-t.
(10:05):
Gotcha or Trad Scant, tradeScant, I don't know, it's an
oddity either way.
Yes, that's true.
Okay, so he was a royalgardener, turned Indiana Jones
before Indiana Jones was a thing.
So he worked for kings andqueens, traveled across Europe
and North America collectingexotic plants, and then came
(10:27):
back with more than justgreenery, which doesn't that
sound like such an amazing job,though, for kings and queens.
You're traveling all over toget them exotic plants to bring
back, and then you're justgetting treasures along the way.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
If I would have any job in medieval times, that
would be that.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Wouldn't that be so fun.
What fun.
What's the?
Alternative shoveling shit outof the street I know, and I just
think it'd be so cool soon.
His house in lambeth wasoverflowing with everything
fossils, ancient coins,taxidermy, crocodiles, weapons
from faraway lands, seashellsbigger than your head, and he
called it the art you know,that's better than a hoarder
(11:03):
having an arc sounds better thana call dr zazio so his son,
john tradescant the younger,took things even farther.
so he traveled like he would betraveling to virginia and
bringing back magnolias, baldcypress and even chief powhatans
is it?
Powhatans sounds right.
Ceremonial cloak I thinkPowhatans Sounds right.
(11:24):
Ceremonial cloak I think that'swhat it is.
Imagine walking into that houselike you're paying your six
pence and suddenly being face toface with artifacts that made
you feel like the world was muchbigger than your little London
street.
That's so fun.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
As soon as you say six pence, I just think six
pence, none the richer.
Yeah, I know it's going to bestuck in my head.
That's why I put that in there.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
As soon as you say six pence, I just think six, six
months, none the richer.
Yeah, I know it's gonna bestuck in my head that's why I
put that in there.
So this, uh, wasn't just acollection.
It was the first public museumand the blueprint for the oddity
shop that would follow.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
So eventually what we're gonna say like the first
public museum of all time, orlike the first public museum of
oddity, of oddities, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
This is kind of like where they basically track the
blueprint of the start of ourweirdness.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Eventually the whole collection went to Elias Ashmole
and became the basis forOxford's Ashmolean Museum, which
is still there today.
So technically, the firstoddity shop is now a fancy
museum.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Let's go Adding it to the road trip.
We can't add it to the fly trip.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, Fly trip sounds so fly trap.
Okay, so then this brings us toDon Saltero's Coffeehouse of
Wonders.
This is a cool one.
Fast forward a few decades andmeet James Salter.
Though he liked to call himselfDon Saltero, he's a bit more
(12:51):
fancy.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I know.
So he was a barber in Chelseawho had a wild connection.
So his connection was Sir HansSloane, one of the most famous
collectors of all time, andSloane actually donated his
extra curiosities to SalterreSalterre, whatever we're calling
him.
And so he turned his barbershopinto a coffeehouse slash
(13:16):
curiosity museum so you couldsip coffee while looking at like
a crocodile head, rattlesnakesor like mermaid skeletons maybe
fake, but who knows and then youcan literally just be like
getting your hair cut.
What year is this?
That one is oh, do I have?
No, no, do I not have?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
a year is this at the time too, where, like your
barber shop, is also doing basicmedical procedures oh my god,
because I, as a nonnon-committal person.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Love the menagerie like yeah, one stop shop, that's
crazy, but yeah, no, it's justfunny.
So they were even like so thisplace had king king of morocco's
tobacco pipe, so you couldliterally just be looking at
this.
It'd be like, hey, I'm notgonna get my hair cut love it so
the cool thing about this,though, is it became the hangout
spot for curious minds.
So Benjamin Franklin stopped by, isaac Newton is said to have
(14:07):
visited.
So can you imagine all theselike brainiacs sitting under
like a mummified fish arguingabout gravity?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I mean, I can imagine it.
It sounds like a great place tobe.
I really want to go.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
So essentially he basically made the oddity shop
kind of a cool and profitablelike little hangout, long before
we had Instagram to show us allthe cool little pics of where
to go.
So then we go to Dickens andthe myth of the old curiosity
shop.
So by the 1800s curiosity shopswere so popular that Charles
(14:41):
Dickens wrote the old curiosityshop, which I need to read.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, I haven't read that one either, although I
haven't read much Dickens, Iknow.
But we should.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Suddenly everybody romanticized these dusty little
shops.
I mean, we know why.
And the book followed a littleNell and her grandfather who ran
a cultured shop filled with oldtreasures, and basically that's
kind of the gist of the bookwhich we should add it for the
book book club.
Oh, that would kind of the gistof the book which we should add
it for the book book club.
Oh, that would be a good one.
So the novel was so popularthat a little, just a little
(15:10):
shop, not the shop, a littleshop in London just decided to
put up a sign saying it was theold curiosity shop.
And so tourists just swarmedand it didn't even matter if it
was true.
Like the idea of the curiosityshop is a magical, mysterious
place was just cemented forever.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
What a smart business move, though.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I know, and that's just like the fun of it.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Just capitalize right on it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
I mean, that's the fun of it, like to just, it's
like.
You know, people tell mevampires aren't real.
But I'm like they're real.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Oh, I just mean like that it wasn't like the shop
from the book, but they're justlike hey.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Anyway, so that's kind of that, so that's cute.
So you could either go to abarbershop at this point or go
to the coffee shop or the no,the old curiosity shop.
Ok, now we go to Jake Gold,showman, showman of the
Southwest.
So obviously we're heading westand across the Atlantic we meet
(16:09):
Jake, jake gold, in the 1980sin santa fe, new mexico.
So his shop was chaos in thebest way piles of pueblo
artifacts, wild stories and evena parrot train to greet
visitors this sort of reminds meof uh, the best fan like fan
collecting all of his stuff outthere yeah, so jake.
(16:31):
Jake's shop was basically aproto slideshow I'm sorry, not
slideshow sideshow so it wasn'tjust about selling things.
He was more about putting on ashow and he made sure that
people left with a story, whichis cool.
So he really was just a showmanof this oddity shop.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Was his last name showman?
No, it was Gold Gold.
Okay, he was a showman.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Okay, yeah, so even though his shop didn't last
forever.
He had some legal drama.
He helped turn curiosity shopsinto attractions and, if you
like me, I wanted to know moreof the drama.
So I wanted to know what he did.
So in the late 1890s, gold'scurio empire started shifting
(17:14):
from wild success to like legalchaos, and his health was
declining.
So in 1899, he had lost hisshop and he was sent to the
state penitentiary.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Do we know what kind of legal troubles?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Well, so what tipped him into this troubled path?
The historical records don'treally lay it out clearly, but
sources kind of hint that it wasmore of a personal scandal and
they mentioned it's mentionedlike he was jailed for adultery
charges.
Oh so it's kind of drama.
So after serving time he triedto rebuild, with a former
associate setting up a new placejust a few doors down and
(17:47):
calling it the original jakegold curio store, which I find
really again real geniusbusiness moves here but his
health kept failing and thepartnership didn't last, and
eventually he did die in aterritorial insane asylum in
1905 okay I don't really knowwhat that is different than a
(18:08):
normal, but that's where he was.
they have turf wars there andthat is different than a normal,
but that's where he was.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
They have turf wars there.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And that is gold.
So now we're going to jump toDaddy Stadley.
No, standley, daddy Standley.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I love these names.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
And Seattle's Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Why am I not surprised?
Seattle seems like the perfecttown for being part of the
origin story.
I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
So this is probably my personal favorite, joseph
Daddy Stanley.
So in 1899, he opened Ye OldeCuriosity Shop on Seattle's
waterfront.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Do we think he gave himself the nickname daddy?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
yeah, his motto was beats the dickens wow he gave
himself that nickname.
He gave himself that nicknamefor sure so the shop had
everything genuine totem poletotem poles, shrunken heads some
real and some probablydefinitely not and mummies like
(19:11):
Sylvester, who is still one ofthe shop's main attractions
because, yes, the shop stillexists.
I think I've been here.
I was going to ask you.
So he's been on display theresince 1955.
But his story goes back to the1890s.
So the legend says Sylvesterwas discovered in an Arizona
desert perfectly preserved, witha bullet hole in his stomach,
(19:34):
and some say he was an outlaw.
Others claim he was a cowboywho met like a bad end in a
shootout.
For decades people argued aboutwhether he was even real and
some said that he was just likea convincing papier-m.
But in 2001 the shop had him ctscanned and in 2005 they did an
mri.
Turns out sylvester is 100 realhuman bones, human organs, even
(20:00):
traces of arsenic from theembalming fluid uh, that was
used to preserve him.
And the wild part is that thescans revealed that somebody
like deliberately embalmed him,that it wasn't just like a
natural desert mummy.
Someone took the time to injecthim with the arsenic solution
which stopped him from decaying.
Obviously, but it's standing,it's just standing in front and
(20:24):
it's like really surreal.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I'm going to forget to ask this, because either I
saw this on TV or I went thereas a kid.
So, mom, dad, when you listento this, let me know, did we go
there?
I was gonna ask you if you'vegone.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So yeah, I mean, his skin is really leathery and like
really nasty, tight, like hismustache is still there and he's
just like just staring off intolike eternity.
It's really weird.
So again, visitors debate likewho he was outlaw gunfighter or
just a regular guy who just likegot unlucky, like unlucky
either way, though.
This was part of the museum,part gift shop or, I'm sorry.
(20:57):
Either way, this part museum,part gift shop and part roadside
oddity and it all kind of justworked and so, over 100 years
later, the shop is still thereand still run by the descendants
, which I think is cool.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Oh, that's fun's fun, keeping it in the family.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, luring some tourists in oddballs alike.
So I thought that was kind ofcool and that's when we could
really go to.
Next time I go visit my brotherI'm going to be like you got to
take me here, I got to see.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yeah, absolutely you also have to go to.
There's a really cool magicshop and a left-handed store in
the market that are.
I remember you wanted me to goto the left-handed shop to get
you some stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
I need those notebooks I know, but I didn't
ever go.
I didn't go to seattle.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Rude, not fun, right I just got that tiktok sound out
of my head.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Thank you, got it back.
So those are kind of the firstever.
So you know why does like?
Why did these shops still work?
And obviously it's because theylet us feel the wonder, they
let us be curious.
And you can obviously scrollthrough TikTok all day, but
nothing compares to walking intoa place where there's a jar
labeled mermaid tears and youdon't know if it's a joke or a
(22:06):
spell ingredient or a very nichecocktail garnish.
I just never know when I lookaround an oddity shop, right.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I mean, I probably wouldn't put most of those dusty
old things in a cocktail, butyou never know.
It depends on what number ofcocktail I'm on, I guess.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So I was going to ask you which one of these you want
to go to, but we want to go toall of them.
That's a stupid question.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Wait, I have a counter question for you.
Okay, what's the best oneyou've ever been to?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
I don't know, but I really like the one that I want
to take you by my house, theoddball antiques, because I just
it just feels so homey thereand, like I don't know, I just
really like the vibe there.
I need to go back.
They're only open the weekendsand I always miss it.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Okay, it sucks about it.
Oh, we should go the firstweekend of October.
I was thinking about it.
Okay, let's do that.
I think my favorite one thatI've been to was just this
really tiny little one that Istumbled upon when we were in
New Orleans and they just had,like you know, sometimes you go
into places labeled oddity shopand it's like you can tell it's
like new resin pours and likeit's just like a newer, Okay
bullshit.
This one just like it felt oldand creepy.
(23:11):
Everything was super old inthere All the furniture, the
displays.
It was just like a perfectlycurated Like.
I feel like when you pictureout of your mind that's what it
was.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
So I just thought about this.
If you're listening to this, itis October 2nd, so in two days,
october 4th, if you are closeto the Flint area, we are going
to a gothic garden party in theFlint Cemetery, so look it up
and come find us.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
And apparently come in Victorian costume, which you
still have to help me order.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yep, I know so anyway , we should post about that
before just this.
But you got two days.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
But in case we forget to post about it.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You got two days to come hang out with us.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And put together a costume.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, they don't have to dress up, but it's just
encouraged.
It's a little tea party.
Kara's making me dress up.
I'm making them dress up.
First off, you don't have todress up, but me and.
Joseph are going to be dressedup and we're going to be very
cute.
So do you want to be byyourself, not dressed?
Speaker 1 (24:11):
up.
Well, did say Gothic orVictorian and like if I could
find a good old pair of my trippants that'd be fun.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's not Gothic or it's Gothic Victorian.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I said Gothic or Victorian dress.
I do believe.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
It's just Gothic.
I don't have time for this.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I go with, like Liberty.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Spikes trip pants.
How is this going?
I go with like Liberty Spikes.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
You're going to have like trip pants.
I was just going to say Libertyand we're all like sir.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Sir, read the room, holy shit, okay, I have hair in
my mouth, okay.
So obviously, before we wrap up, I have to share some modern
day oddity shop stories, or morelike antique thrift store
stories that I kind of found funfrom the wonderful Reddit
because I wanted to give us somewait.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Can I share one of my own?
Yeah, go okay, so I took youspeaking of our Ferndale trip to
the Rust Belt for the firsttime, which is the best flea
market in all of Ferndale.
What'd you say?
We're about the plants right oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're about
the plants, where you tried tosteal the plant and then we
really you.
(25:13):
I forgot to tell kara it wasmultiple shops and one, and then
we're like, walking through,I'm like, oh, you gotta pay for
that, uh, but we went back, wepaid, it's okay.
But they have a little oddityshop there that's been there for
years and years and years andthey have a lot of really cool
stuff for like such a smalllittle area, but they have a lot
of very tiny but cool thepreserved jarred animals, and
(25:35):
about five years ago I had askedher and somewhere I have the
owner's card where, god forbid,one day, if Reptar, my bearded
dragon, passes, she is going tohelp preserve him in a jar for
me so I can keep him forever andever.
And that's my oddity.
Shop story Is that weird?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
No, but it makes me want to cry.
Well, he's got.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
He's got plenty of time left.
I love you, buddy.
He's literally looking at me asI'm saying this.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Because he's listening to you like you're
going to do what.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Keep him forever.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Okay.
So I really did try to findones that were like oddity shops
or curiosity shops, buteverything through Reddit or
stories that I was looking wasjust people asking what the best
oddity shops to go to are.
So I did have to kind of gomore of like an antique shop.
But that's OK, because thosecan be oddity little things too.
(26:26):
Ok.
So this one is from ourparanormal.
It got deleted so there is nouser, but it was.
Have you ever gotten a bad vibeor a strange feeling while at a
thrift store, antique store?
So that was the question on itand then, like I said, the users
deleted.
I really dislike thosesecondhand thrift stores.
They creep me out.
It sounds dramatic but I let.
(26:47):
But I look at the items and Iwonder what life they had.
Did those shirts over there seemore misery than happiness?
Did that suitcase get to seethe whole world or just sit
unused in the closet?
The thought that somebody mayhave died in or on something
really creeps me out.
Antique stores are the same.
(27:08):
I wonder what secrets the itemshold or what things they've
seen in their life.
In saying that, actual antiqueitems don't bother me that much,
but I think that it's becausemy mom collects antiques so I'm
used to having them in the house.
I also don't have any issueswith secondhand games or DVDs.
So basically thrift stores andantiques stores freak me out.
(27:29):
But individual antiques itemsdon't necessarily freak me out,
but secondhand clothing, luggage, jewelry and hats do.
Oh, and antique paintings fuckthem.
Ever since I heard about thehaunted ebay painting, oh my god
.
And dolls, no, just fucking no.
Edit.
My intention wasn't to offendanyone, by the way.
(27:50):
I don't think buying from thosestores is bad or anything.
It just freaks me out.
I just liked this one becauseit started off like really cool,
like where I was, like oh mygod.
When you think about it it'slike what did those items see?
And the one that says, oh mygod, more misery than happiness.
Almost I think about that everytime I'm in.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
I've never thought of it like that way, though.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Like did they?
Did that shirt have more miseryor more happiness in its life?
That is so crazy.
You know what?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
where I always think about it and I don't know why is
when I'm like looking at notthat I'm buying them for myself
or anything, but I always I haveto look at everything but the
vintage handbags, becausethere's just something about
like a woman's purse has likeall their things in it and it's
like how did it get to anantiques shop?
How many people owned it?
(28:40):
Like how many stories wereattached to it.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
It's always for some reason like the handbags that
just that actually is really Idon't want to say disturbing to
think about, but like my uh, mygreat aunt always like would
just be, like you don't ever gointo somebody's purse, like it's
so personal, like where to meI'll be like here's that go
fiddle through my purse and findit like it's different, but
it's all.
It was like always one of thosethings where that purse is so
personal, like you don't gothrough.
(29:03):
So it is really weird actuallynow that you say that, like when
you think about it and you dosee beautiful bags, it's like
what was in that that's the onelike did betty have a gun?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I can look at the clothes.
I don't know why it's.
Oh, for some reason I alwaysstart to think about the story
that's so creepy.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I'm gonna think of that, about that now, every time
I look at a handbag, at a.
You're welcome, um, thanks.
Okay, this is like a differentvibe, but it still happened at a
thrift store so I had to put itin here.
This is from a wonderfulunderscore, bid 9269 psycho in a
thrift store.
(29:38):
I had a creepy encounter in acharity shop selling secondhand
clothes and whatnot 20 years ago.
I was in my early 20s at auniversity and wasn't a shy or
nervous person at all, but thisexperience haunted me.
The man did nothing wrong, butI just got the strongest creep
vibes I've ever felt.
So I go in to browse it's quite, it's quite busy in there, and
(29:59):
whilst looking around I spottedthe man who worked there.
It actually felt like hespotted me.
I hate that line and would keeplooking over, etc.
I instantly felt veryuncomfortable.
I mean, this guy, who lookedvery normal, made my blood run
cold and really frightened me.
I tried to avoid his gaze, butsomething unsettled me in a way
(30:20):
that has never happened to mebefore or since A real, stranger
danger feeling that I wasn'tused to, especially from a shop
assistant.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I hate that feeling.
When people just like whateverit is about their vibe, that
just like gets right in.
You can't shake it.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
He never came over and asked if I needed help or
anything.
It was just a weird instinctkicked in and for me to get the
hell away from this man and fast.
I said no, oh, I'm sorry.
He did come over to ask forhelp.
I said no, thankful.
No, no thankful.
I said no thank you and quicklyleft the shop.
(30:54):
I literally wanted to run.
I was so surprised by theterror this man's present caused
me to feel.
Like I said, I was quite aconfident young woman, not
easily spooked by people at all,but he terrified me.
Just that gut feeling.
Throughout my life I've had myfair share of creepy guys who
have had been interested in meand displayed that in a weird
way, and never been freaked outby it.
(31:15):
But there was something soincredibly off about him.
Despite this, there was a pairof jeans I liked in there, so I
made my boyfriend Listen.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
sometimes you gotta go through it for a good pair of
jeans.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
So I made my boyfriend come with me the
following day, as there was noway I was going to to use the
fitting room on my own.
With that creep there, we wentin.
He was, he was there.
Nothing happened and I tried onmy jeans, didn't like them and
left.
I like how she doesn't likethat.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
That's a lot of work to not buy them.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I didn't think any more about it, other than I
wouldn't be going back thereagain.
A couple of days later, myparents visited and we were
sitting having breakfast in acafe.
My dad was reading the localpaper and he said look at this.
He turned the paper to me andit was a photo of the man who
100% happened to be the creepyman from the shop.
(32:06):
The article was about how hehad just been released from
prison for stabbing hisgirlfriend 14 times yikes after
an incredibly short sentence, hewas allowed to live and work in
the same town.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
His poor victim and her family are from I feel like
if you do a like you have tomove crime like that, you just
should have to wear a shirt thatsays like I stabbed my
girlfriend 14 times and youasked me about it yeah, true and
he was given a job to help himresettle into society or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
It really did stay with me.
I was horrified that I'dinteracted with this man but
knew at at that point to alwaystrust my instincts, because
instincts, because they werescreaming at me to get away from
him.
Isn't that freaking?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
weird, though, it's, yeah, it's unsettling for sure.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Can you imagine, though, like literally three
days.
You're just like like dad justopens the paper and he's like
hey.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
And you're like do you know how many times, like
without putting it together,that's probably happened where,
like somebody who gave you a badvibe, had probably done
something freaking terrible.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Oh yeah, I did a TikTok about it.
What is it you you meet?
You literally walk past likeeight murderers in your lifetime
.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
And yet still none of them have put me out of my
misery.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
No, I'll do it All right.
So I think this is we got twomore.
We got two more Strange feelingat an antique store.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Why are you all of a sudden from New York?
I don't know, you sound likeMirena.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Really.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
For some reason, that's the accent she always
chooses to do.
Oh, I like it.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
This one also didn't have a use.
Today I went into an antiquestore to look for old
electronics.
I'm 15 and I went to theelectronics section and made my
way to the back Immediately gota strange feeling.
I wanted to get out of therebecause I felt a terrible
sadness that I couldn't controlImmediately.
After a boy walks by me andsparks conversation about this
stuff being old, he tells me hecollects old electronic.
(34:03):
I know he collects old.
He collects old electronics aswell and I've already passed the
section and I didn't mentionanything.
Basically, she's saying thatlike she doesn't know how he
knew she also collects oldelectronics.
He seemed very intelligent atit, as if somebody was speaking
for him.
I feel like a lonely spirit wastrying to communicate with me
(34:25):
through him.
Is this possible?
Am I reaching too far on this?
That's it.
I just thought it was cutebecause it's a little 15 year
old, like hey, it might bereaching.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
He literally could have just seen her.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
He could have seen her in the electronics section.
I just thought that was so cutesometimes you just gotta have
an experience.
I love it but this is why placeslike this make you
automatically have weird likefeel yeah, your weird vibe meter
is always on it's just like,because, like he literally could
have just looked across thestore and seen her in the
electronics, which is probablywhat happened he's really like
(35:02):
oh, she's cute, Let me just gotalk to her and like this girl's
like oh he, he seemedintelligent, like somebody took
over him.
Maybe he was just intelligent.
That's a nice way to say helooked dumb, but I just had to
add that because I thought thatwas so fucking cute.
Like dumb little 15 year old.
Oh okay, this is, uh, anotherfrom our paranormal paranormal.
(35:25):
It's from victor grew six.
My unusual experiences at avintage antique store.
Employee edition.
Ooh Okay.
So hi everyone.
I'd like to preface this bysaying that working at my job
has completely changed myperspective on the paranormal.
(35:45):
For context, I work at avintage store that specializes
in old antique Western Americanartifacts.
The store is located in awealthy part of the state where
a lot of wealthy people buy inbulk to decorate their second
and third homes.
Smush me knife.
This means we have a lot ofsourced items being moved in and
(36:06):
out of the store at all times.
I'm not part of the sourcing, Iam simply selling items and
helping manage the store.
Most, if not all, of the itemsobviously have energy attached
to them Not always good energyeither.
Within three months of workingthere, I knew it was haunted and
that the resident spirits hadtaken a liking to me.
(36:26):
With the coming and going ofitems, certain energies and
events occur and stop too.
Experience one my moment ofrealization.
Things were sort of weird fromthe beginning, but I always
chalked it up to it being asomewhat old building.
One morning I was opening thestore on my own.
It was in the dead of winterand everything was very dark and
(36:49):
snowed.
In the moment I walk in it'sfreezing.
I think the heater conked outat night.
I go and I turn it on and seeit's working perfectly fine and
the warmth it's emitting seemsto be dissipating.
After a couple of feet I ignoreit and turn on the main floor
lights.
I know I walk downstairs whereit's pitch black.
This is where we keep majorityof our vintage items and before
(37:13):
I can turn on the lights ourmusic turns on full blast.
Problem is the music isn't anautomatic system.
I control it myself from myphone and I had yet to turn the
system on.
I was the only one in thebuilding and around the general
vicinity so no one else couldhave turned it on from their
phone.
After calming down from thescare, I turned on the lights to
discover that all the pillowshave been thrown off their
(37:36):
massive vintage leather couch.
I still think it's weird, but Itry to rationalize it by saying
maintenance must have come inin the night to fix something
and they did that.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
They probably chopped the pillows incorrectly.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
I know, could you imagine you fucking put the
pillows on here wrong?
Um, I know could you.
Could you imagine you fuckingput the pillows on here wrong?
It's thrown.
I clean them up and walkdownstairs again to find all the
lights I've turned on have goneout.
The light switches wereswitched off again, not just the
power again.
I ignored it, turned them onagain and I walked outside to
the to open the front door andturn our open sign on.
(38:11):
This is the moment where Irealized everything.
Our locally made chapstickdisplay a heavy thing gets
completely swept off the shelfLike someone aggressively pushed
it off in front of me.
It did not fall, the shelfdidn't budge, it was pushed off.
50 to 100 chapsticks go flyingeverywhere and the acrylic case
(38:33):
shatters into pieces.
The music system suddenlystarts playing the music very
loud again and I'm just frozenin shock.
Things suddenly get very quiet,as if they just wanted me to
finally acknowledge it.
The computer screen turned onseconds later, as if it was
telling me to go to work now.
I think I stood there for asolid 10 minutes, just frozen.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
I bet.
Okay, here's my bet.
Are you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
He sold somebody's handbag and she didn't want
people going through it.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I don't know why, but I assumed this was a female.
But maybe they did sellsomebody's handbag.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
They sold somebody's handbag.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Okay, but we have experience too.
Okay, if that wasn't wildenough.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
So this is the same person.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Okay, the wall of mirrors?
Oh God, no this took.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Okay, I'm going to be completely honest with you.
I started reading this and thenstopped because I wanted to be
a little bit surprised.
Okay, this took place aroundfour months ago.
Our main vintage collector hadbrought in old vintage mirrors
he found in different places andconstructed a wall of them on
the side of the stairs goingdown.
I came back from vacationslightly horrified, I feel like
mirrors just hold really badenergy, especially ones owned by
(39:44):
other people.
Also, down the stairs creeps meout too, because, like you're
already going to get pushed downthe stairs by all of these
ghosts, and now the mirrors arethere.
We got portals on the stairs.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Or you start to lose your balance and you see all
sorts of different stairs.
I would probably just fall, ohGod.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, that's true.
That true, that true, that too.
Fair enough, it was a normalday at work, helping customers,
logging inventory, etc.
One of the employees wasworking with me and we were
casually chatting about life.
Anyway, she went downstairs tohelp a customer with finding the
price on a vintage fur coat andsome artwork.
(40:19):
It's when the customer'sdaughter is walking upstairs,
aka passing the wall, the mirrorwall, that she screams.
I, being the person in charge,ran towards the screen to check
everything.
This girl is inconsolable andclaiming that she saw a shadowy
figure in the mirror.
The mom is claiming herdaughter, calming her daughter,
(40:41):
saying it's just a shadow.
I investigate, I don't seeanything, just the normal bad
feeling I experienced passingthese mirrors.
We help this lady and sheeventually leaves with her items
.
A couple hours later, adifferent woman wants to buy a
wall coat track.
What's that?
Wants to buy a wall coat trackright by the mirrors?
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Oh, like a coat hanger like that sticks to the
wall, I think it's supposed tobe coat rack.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
There you go.
It's definitely supposed to becoat rack, okay, whatever.
And my coworker is holding theother end of the coat rack.
Yeah, it's supposed to be coatrack, okay, whatever.
And my coworker is holding theother end of the coat rack.
Yeah, it's supposed to be coatrack Okay.
Her face pales.
She's staring at the mirrorsand can't look away.
I see her do a double take andcontinue to stare at them.
I'm concerned and finishhelping this lady out
Immediately she leaves.
I return back to my coworker,who is still just staring at the
(41:29):
mirrors.
It's as if she was in a trance.
I shake her out of it and shecan't speak.
It's only when she said my nameand I look back at the mirrors
do I see the same figure, amorphing figure, suddenly taking
on different appearances, somefeminine, other masculine.
No face, just features.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
That's so uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
It's disturbing.
Used to these things aroundthere, but used to these things
around there by now.
I drag her upstairs and sort ofignore it the rest of the day.
I heard from multiple customersabout how they thought they
were seeing things in that samemirror.
One girl even threw up in thebathroom because she said she
suddenly felt so sick walkingdownstairs.
(42:11):
When I came back from my shiftthe next week it was gone.
My other coworker had informedme that it didn't sell, but one
of the other employees walkeddown one day and found it
cracked.
I don't know what happened toit or where it went, but the
rest of the mirrors are stillthere.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
That would almost be worse, because I feel like it's
like now it's gotten out.
Yeah, still there.
That would almost be worse,because I feel like it's like
now it's gotten out.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah all of the relatively younger employees
seem to experience things, butnot as much as I do.
The older employees don't seemto experience as much, but they
agree there are weird things.
Anyway, thank you for reading,and that, my oddballs, is the no
, what, what?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
No, no, I don't like the mirror thing.
Okay, sorry, I don't either.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
No, so that's it.
From royal gardeners andcoffeehouse barbers to Seattle's
waterfront legends and ourReddit bargain hunters, audity
Shops have been here forcenturies, feeding our weird
little minds and giving usinspiration.
Inspiration, yes, inspirationfor our whole entire podcast.
(43:16):
If you have your own oddityshop stories, though, slide them
into our dms or somewhere,because we want to hear the
strange things that you've seenthere or bought, or okay
speaking of that.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Yeah, if was.
What's like you're you're not.
Yeah, when this will be more ofa when, because it's we're
manifesting what is your dreamoddity that you don't yet own,
but like every time you go to anoddity shop or like see them,
you're like, oh, I really wantthat I don't know if I have one
really I mean I really like tohave an octopus in a jar because
(43:48):
I love them, but then it alsokind of makes me feel sad.
I was to say I, I think I kindof want the cliche one that
everyone always wants is theoctopus.
But but I saw this woman whowas making some really cool
oddities once and she wastaxidermying uh mice but like
putting them in very peoplelocations and she had a whole
(44:09):
set, yeah that was mousestrippers.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh my god, that's unlike a whole, and I thought
that was.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
It was so original and so cool.
I wanted a stripper mousethat's really cute.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Uh, for people that are listening, obviously,
because we're all listening theycan't see.
But this zachary bought me it'snot.
It's not a real crow head.
His little feathers kind of gotfucked up in travel.
But Zachary bought me it's adoll body with a crow head on it
.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
So I think you and it's not a real crow, it's just
a fake crow, so like really, butit's like if this was a real
doll I would not want it.
But with the crow head and thedoll body it is the most cutest
thing ever to me and I love it.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
It's like cute and horrifying, we need to get you
like one of those.
Like doll stands so like itholds it up.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
I know we do because, oh no, his head feathers are
coming.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
Stop petting him.
You look like a dumb and dumberwhere they're petting the bird
with its head, take back.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Oh my God, it's little baby feathers.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
But anyway, before you rip all of its feathers out.
Yeah, oh my god, it's littlebaby feathers.
But anyway, before you rip allof its feathers out, yeah, if
you guys have any dream odditiestoo.
If you don't have any goododdity stories, let us know what
emoji should they leave forthis?
I feel like crystal balls arealways in oddity shops.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
They could just leave an octopus Ooh, or a crow
Perfect, because we just talkedabout crows.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Okay, crow Perfect, we just talked about crows, Okay
, Crow or octopus and I don'tknow.
Kara, let's close the shop up.
I think we uh, we'll keep itnice and getting a little short
and sweet yeah.
Uh, what are the pieces peopleneed to do?
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Well, we kind of already told them everything
else we want to do, but the mostimportant thing you can do for
us is to creep it real, youlittle Goodbye.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
Bye Outro Music.
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