Entry No. 14 — the Denver file — filed under: oddities
The Learned Lemur
Set inside a restored Victorian house on East Colfax, the Learned Lemur is Denver's longtime oddities dealership (going since 2015) — real, ethically sourced skulls, one-of-a-kind taxidermy, true antiques, and local art priced for every budget. In the back you'll find a tiny apothecary and reading room, and the shop runs a monthly artist market plus a sideshow called the Conspiracy Circus. It took Westword's Best Oddities Shop nod for a reason. This is the place to buy your date a beetle in resin instead of flowers.
The story
Owner Jonathan 'Gio' Alberico spent his childhood scavenging the antique stalls along South Broadway's Antiques Row, pulling out the discarded medical tools and stray bones other dealers passed over. By his college years, he was breeding his own colonies of flesh-eating dermestid beetles to strip animal skulls down to anatomical precision. In 2015, he and co-owner Bex Schimoler Alberico established The Learned Lemur inside a Victorian house on East Colfax, turning a lifelong collecting habit into Denver's premier oddities vault.
Step past the skeletal zebra wearing a brown top hat beneath the front chandelier, and you are in a shop that treats historical artifacts with quiet reverence rather than cheap shock value. The glass cases hold pinned beetles, postmortem photography, antique poison bottles, and retired human anatomical bones that previously sat in medical school classrooms and museum archives.
You didn't hear it from us, but the Victorian house operates as a neighborhood gathering point for the strange. Once a month, the venue opens up for an artist market showcasing local macabre makers, followed by the Conspiracy Circus—a monthly live sideshow event held right on the premises.
What it's like
Stepping inside feels like entering the ground floor of an eccentric Victorian collector's home, where human skulls share shelf space with local artwork and dogs are treated like honored guests. Parking along East Colfax can be sparse, so grab a metered spot out front or circle into the residential side streets a block off the avenue. The shop is open and straightforward—you won't need a secret password to reach the apothecary and reading room tucked at the rear of the floor. Daytime browsing is calm and low-pressure, making it easy to examine a ten-dollar insect in resin or ask staff about their skull preservation techniques. If you want to catch the monthly Conspiracy Circus or the local artist market, check their Instagram (@the_learned_lemur) before heading out, as those event nights draw dense crowds.
The move: Wander the Victorian together hunting for the weirdest affordable curio, dare each other to buy a skull, then poke around the back apothecary/reading room — a low-pressure browse that doubles as a conversation generator.
📍 Before you go The shop sits on the East Colfax strip near the Bluebird District, in a single Victorian storefront — the apothecary and reading room are simply at the rear of the same shop, not a separate hidden door, so just walk to the back. Colfax is busy; grab metered street parking out front or duck onto a quieter residential side street a block off the avenue. Daytime browsing is easiest and most relaxed. The monthly artist market and the Conspiracy Circus sideshow are separate dated events, so check ahead if you're timing a visit around one. Real specimens are present, but it's kid- and dog-friendly and easy to wander. Pair it with a walk and a bite along the surrounding Colfax stretch.
- 📍 Capitol Hill / East Colfax
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2220 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206 (inside a restored Victorian house; apothecary and reading room in the back)
Hours: Open Mon and Wed–Sat ~11am–7pm, Sun ~12–6pm, closed Tuesdays (per recent listings). Monthly artist market and Conspiracy Circus sideshow are separate dated events — check Instagram @the_learned_lemur.
Pair it with
- Herbs & Arts — Walk two minutes down Colfax to follow up your skull browsing with ritual oils and hand-blended ceremonial incenses.
- Bar Max — Cross Colfax after dark to talk through your curio purchases over custom cocktails ordered off a flavor wheel.
- Cheesman Park Pavilion & Its Buried Dead — Head six blocks south to walk the grassy lawns of Denver's original 19th-century cemetery, where thousands of unrecovered bodies remain beneath the turf.
- City Records (City Records, Comics & Toys) — Head half a mile east on Colfax to flip through vintage vinyl and retro toys at a store run by Mutiny Information Cafe alumni.
Good to know
How does the shop source its human remains?
All human bones sold in the shop are retired specimens originally donated for medical study or museum display that entered the private market after institutional use.
How are the animal skulls prepared?
The shop cleans animal skulls in-house using colonies of flesh-eating dermestid beetles, a museum-grade method that preserves delicate bone structures before degreasing and whitening.
Where are the apothecary and reading room located?
They sit directly at the back of the ground floor inside the main Victorian storefront; simply walk toward the rear of the shop.
Is the shop suitable for kids and pets?
Yes, the store is both kid-friendly and dog-friendly, provided pets are kept under control near fragile displays.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · Westword · Yelp · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-07