Obscura Antiques & Oddities is not only your one-stop shop for taxidermy, disarmed grenades, and mummified things. It is also the subject of the Science Channel's show Oddities, which is about to start its second season this Saturday, April 9, with an all-day Season 1 marathon leading up to the premiere of Season 2 at 10:00pm ET/PT.
For those not familiar with it: this is a reality show that revolves around the store and the owners' quest for items. They go to garage sales, auctions, and anywhere else the bizarre can be found and purchased. Season 2 promises shrunken heads, two headed cows and a Tibetan horn made of a human femur -- along with Mike, Evan, and a host of new patrons that you can only find in New York City. Because people that interesting can't be called up from central casting.
I had a chance to visit the store, and my first impression was "So this is what a carnie's garage looks like!" There are bizarre items all over the shop: Shriner fezzes, antique medical equipment, and bones. If you're looking for something to decorate your mad science lab or morgue, this is the place to buy it. I saw several things I immediately wanted to take home and be told by my wife to put in the attic so guests don't see it.
Mike and Evan, the owners of Obscura, as well as Ryan, one of the buyers, were more than happy to talk about the show and the store. I was not surprised to find out that the show has a following amongst kids. I remember as a kid poring over "Ripley's Believe It or Not" and marveling at all the strange things. Kids seem to go through an "oddities" phase that some of us never really grow out of. Mike, Evan, and Ryan are those kids grown up -- well, let's say "older" -- and running a store. All three admit to being geeks growing up and say that being a collector is something that never leaves you: you're always on the lookout for something new for the collection.
Mike started collecting taxidermy while on a photo shoot one day, near where someone was disposing of a stuffed badger and deer head. Mike thought they were cool and began taking them around to historical sites getting tourists to hold them while he took their photo -- kind of like a macabre version of Flat Stanley. Evan tells me she started as a little girl collecting cicada shells and making dioramas with them. She also started her fascination with human bones at a young age. Ryan grew up in upstate New York and first started collecting the dead animals his dog brought home from his romps in the woods. He was fascinated by the skeletons, soon learning how to clean and preserve the bones for his collection. Sitting in an antique dentist's chair, Evan asked if I was a collector. To Evan and the others, collecting isn't a hobby but a lifestyle. Parting with things from their personal collection is usually a tough choice for them.
This isn't just a freak show, though. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, and there are lessons in history, science and good old skepticism throughout every episode of the TV show. You can't be in their business without being able to spot a fake two headed duck when someone brings it into the store. That starts with understanding the typical anatomy of this kind of rare birth defect. Your kids aren't going learn that kind of information on any other show that will hold their attention.
Whether you're a collector or an oddities geek, or you're just looking for a change of pace from the usual, this show could be just the thing. Tune in to the Science Channel this and every Saturday at 10:00pm ET/PT, and take a walk on the wild side with Oddities.
