Entry No. 13 — the Des Moines file — filed under: oddities
Curioso Antiques & Uniquities
A Beaverdale house quietly converted into an antiques-and-oddities shop where owners Matt and Shawna lean into gothic, art deco, and European Renaissance curios. Per Axios, it's a residential home reimagined as a curated cabinet of odd and artistic finds rather than a typical mall booth.
The story
Pulling up to 3808 50th Street in Beaverdale feels like you're pulling into a friend's driveway for dinner, except there's no dinner—just a quiet single-family house transformed into a multi-room cabinet of oddities. Owners Shawna Neal and Matthew Gregoire opened Curioso in early 2025, bypassing standard commercial strip malls to set up shop inside a residential neighborhood northwest of downtown Des Moines.
Instead of standard antique mall booths filled with dusty depression glass and mass-market kitsch, Neal and Gregoire focus on gothic decor, Art Deco pieces, and European Renaissance curios. The house layout means you browse room by room through estate finds, rare art, and dark-leaning oddities, with inventory constantly moving and rooms rearranging as pieces sell through pop-ups, online auctions, and private buys.
What it's like
Look for an ordinary house on a quiet Beaverdale street rather than a commercial sign, and park along the curb. Walk-in browsing is strictly limited to Friday and Saturday afternoons from 12 to 5 PM; come Sunday through Thursday and you'll need an appointment to get through the door. Because room layouts and inventory flip frequently, arriving early on Friday or Saturday gives you first pick of the newest acquisitions before hitting the coffee shops along nearby Beaver Avenue.
The move: Go on a Friday or Saturday afternoon (12-5) and roam the rooms of the converted house picking out the single strangest object you'd each actually live with, then debate it over coffee nearby in Beaverdale.
📍 Before you go This is a converted single-family house in Beaverdale, a quiet residential pocket northwest of downtown, so look for a home rather than a storefront and park considerately on the neighborhood street. Treat it more like a by-appointment shop than a drop-in mall: weekend afternoons are the reliable walk-in window, while weekdays generally run on appointment, so it's worth confirming or booking ahead. The inventory turns over and rooms get rearranged, so arriving early in the weekend gives you the best browse. The Beaverdale business district along Beaver Avenue is a short hop away, with coffee shops and casual restaurants for after.
- 📍 Beaverdale
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3808 50th St, Des Moines, IA 50310
Hours: By appointment Sun-Thu; open Fri-Sat 12-5pm (verify before visiting). Opened early 2025.
Pair it with
- Ratt's Underground Records — Trade one domestic treasure hunt for another less than a mile north, where a buried record shop operates out of the dead end of Merle Hay Mall.
- Wonderland Apothecary at Groovy Goods — Keep the niche, tucked-away theme going by heading south to Drake to browse 70-plus medicinal herbs inside a vintage shop.
- Drake Municipal Observatory — Follow up your haul of gothic and historic oddities with a night visit to a 1921 stone observatory that holds the actual ashes of its founding astronomer.
Good to know
Where is Curioso located and how do I park?
The shop operates out of a converted house at 3808 50th St in the Beaverdale neighborhood. Park considerately along the residential street out front.
What are the shop hours?
Walk-in hours are Friday and Saturday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Sunday through Thursday visits are strictly by appointment.
What sort of items will I find inside?
Expect gothic curios, European Renaissance art and artifacts, Art Deco pieces, and curated oddities sourced from estate sales and auctions.
How do I set up a weekday appointment?
You can reach out directly via phone at 515-210-5937 or through their official social media pages to schedule a private visit.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Axios · Facebook · hibid.com
last checked: 2026-06-06