Entry No. 39 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: witchy
The Downtown Oddity Parlor
The owner sources animal bones from local taxidermists who clean them using a live beetle colony, then weaves the skeletons into wall hangings threaded with dried flowers — and those are the decorative items. The shop at 906 9th Ave also carries human bones, true-crime memorabilia, terrariums packed with skulls and dead bugs, and costumed taxidermy, plus tarot readings on weekends. Established in late 2021, it is quietly the only shop of its kind in Northern Colorado, operating under the alternate name The Strange and Unusual LLC. Most people driving through Greeley have no idea it exists.
The story
Most people rolling through downtown Greeley keep their eyes on the road and miss 906 9th Avenue entirely. On paper, it operates as The Strange and Unusual LLC, but the sign over the door reads The Downtown Oddity Parlor. Opened in late 2021, it remains Northern Colorado's solitary holdout for high-grade macabre, dealing in specimens that standard gift shops wouldn't dare shelf.
The craft behind the stock is surprisingly surgical and local. The owner gets animal skeletons directly from regional taxidermists who use live dermestid beetle colonies to scour every fragment of bone down to pristine white. From there, those skulls and vertebrae are hand-loomed into delicate wall hangings laced with dried flora—turning skeletal remains into genuine art. Move past the flower-and-bone hangings, though, and things get uncomfortably real: human bones, true-crime relics, mini terrariums crammed with pinned beetles and rodent skulls, and squirrel taxidermy stitched into full costume.
Down beneath the display cases, the space keeps dark company. A local ghost tour guide leads after-hours groups right into the building's basement to tell ghost stories among the stone walls. Back upstairs, tarot readers take over corner tables on Friday and Saturday nights, turning what could be a quick browse into an eerie pre-dinner pit stop.
What it's like
Step off 9th Avenue through the ground-level door—no steps to navigate—and you're immediately hit with the dry smell of preserved flowers and old shadow boxes. The floor plan is dense and narrow, lined with brass display cases and glass bell jars. It feels less like a retail shop and more like an obsessive collector's private parlor where you can pivot from examining human vertebrae to snickering at a taxidermied toad. Grab a street parking spot along the block, and plan your run for a Friday or Saturday evening if you want a seat at a tarot table.
The move: Browse the bone-and-floral wall art and taxidermy cases, then grab a tarot reading on a Friday or Saturday evening before dinner in downtown Greeley.
📍 Before you go Street parking available along 9th Ave and adjacent downtown Greeley blocks. Shop is street-level, no stairs at entry.
- 📍 Greeley
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 906 9th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631
Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Greeley History Museum — Rattlesnake Kate's Snakeskin Collection — Walk two blocks over to see 140 taxidermied rattlesnake skins turned into a legendary dress and belt at the Greeley History Museum.
- Colorado Model Railroad Museum — Contrast the dark cabinet curiosities with 5,500 square feet of obsessively miniature train layouts just a short walk away.
- Bruce's Bar — Drive 11 miles northwest to Severance to follow up bone art and tarot readings with a basket of fried Rocky Mountain oysters at this iconic watering hole.
- Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum — Double down on hyper-niche Northern Colorado collections by driving north to a farm housing thousands of antique washing machines.
Good to know
What kind of items does the parlor sell?
The inventory ranges from handcrafted bone-and-dried-flower wall art and bug-filled terrariums to genuine human bones, true-crime collectibles, and costumed taxidermy.
When can you get a tarot reading?
Tarot readers operate inside the shop on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Is the shop accessible?
Yes. The shop sits at street level with step-free entry directly from 9th Avenue, with street parking along the block.
Does the parlor host ghost tours?
A local ghost tour operator periodically brings tour groups into the parlor's basement for late-night ghost story sessions.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: uncmirror.com · bbb.org · Yelp · visitgreeley.com · greeleytribune.com · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-21