Entry No. 3 — the Cincinnati file — filed under: witchy
HAIL - Records & Oddities
Located in MainStrasse Village, HAIL marries a curated punk, goth, and metal vinyl record shop with cabinet-of-curiosities oddities like taxidermy, Ouija boards, tarot cards, and mummified specimens.
The story
If you walk down Main Street in Covington’s MainStrasse Village and spot a storefront window declaring itself "the best place to get your freeze dried ducklings on your wedding day," you have arrived at HAIL. Run by owners Neil Higginbotham and Tracy Blankemeyer, the shop operates at the exact intersection where heavy music meets the macabre. You didn't hear it from us, but this isn't a novelty shop—it is a legit record store spliced with a cabinet of curiosities where nearly every oddity carries a price tag.
Flip through the record crates and you'll run across Sid Vicious bootlegs, obscure post-punk LPs, local metal tapes, and vintage country pressings. Glance up from the vinyl and you'll find yourself staring directly at a full lion skeleton in a glass case, a cyclops whitetail deer mount, or a mason jar holding a raccoon hand floating in liquid. Spread across the shelves between dark wave albums are bat skulls, mummified cats, taxidermy coyotes, Ouija boards, selenite wands, and vintage medical gear.
Despite the morbid inventory, there is zero pretentious gloom inside. The air smells faint of incense and dried herbs, classic rock or heavy riffing plays over the speakers, and the owners are as ready to chat about an obscure new wave release as they are the provenance of a framed black scorpion.
What it's like
Expect a compact, tightly packed shop where vinyl hounds flipping through crates bump shoulders with people hunting for taxidermy or metaphysical tools. Take your time scanning the upper shelves and corner cases; some of the stranger wet specimens and vintage medical gear are tucked high near the ceiling. Main Street parking in MainStrasse Village gets tight on weekends, so grab a spot a block or two away and walk.
The move: Dig through obscure post-punk LPs while admiring taxidermy animals, wet specimens in jars, and vintage medical gear.
- 📍 Covington
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 720 Main Street, Covington, KY 41011
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Hierophany & Hedge — Walk four blocks down the road to swap HAIL's punk vinyl and taxidermy for handcrafted ritual supplies and arcana.
- The Secret Bar at CHAD — Duck a block down MainStrasse to grab craft cocktails hidden inside an active art studio.
- Second Story — Head a few minutes east into downtown Covington for late-night drinks served beneath a massive indoor tree sculpture.
- Lloyd Library & Museum — Cross the river into Cincinnati to pair HAIL's vintage medical gear with rare 15th-century botanical texts and pharmacy artifacts.
Good to know
What kind of items does HAIL carry besides vinyl records?
Beyond punk, metal, goth, and obscure vinyl, HAIL sells taxidermy, animal bones, wet specimens, tarot cards, Ouija boards, metaphysical crystals, vintage medical equipment, and VHS tapes.
Where in Covington is the shop located?
It is located at 720 Main Street in Covington's MainStrasse Village district, right across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati.
Do I need a ticket or an appointment to browse?
No, HAIL is a standard walk-in retail store open to the public.
Are the animal specimens and oddities real?
Yes, the skulls, taxidermy, and wet specimens displayed throughout the shop are real preserved specimens.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: hailcincinnati.com · visitcincy.com · Official site · nkytribune.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21