Entry No. 6 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: oddities
GJ Oddities
“Grand Junction didn't know what oddities were. It does now.”
The first thing you meet is the raven bear — a full black bear rebuilt with wings and unsettling blue eyes, hauled home from a Denver oddities festival. Past it, a family-run strip-mall unit on 9th Street stacked with taxidermy ravens, sheep hearts and brains in jars, a mummified baby iguana, wet-specimen sharks and bats, and a quiet shelf of serial-killer memorabilia. The McManus family opened it because Grand Junction didn't know what oddities were. It does now.
The story
You don't expect a winged black bear with icy blue eyes to greet you in a North 9th Street strip mall, but that's precisely the point. The McManus family opened GJ Oddities after hauling that raven bear home from a Denver oddities festival, realizing Grand Junction didn't yet have a home for real preserved curiosities. They took Unit 7, set up shop, and filled a void the local desert town didn't know it had.
Inside, the shelves are loaded with wet specimens suspended in glass jars—sheep brains, hearts, baby sharks, and bats—alongside mummified baby iguanas and taxidermy ravens. Tucked into one section is a quiet shelf of serial-killer memorabilia for true-crime enthusiasts. It isn't a slick tourist trap; it’s a family-run cabinet of real, dark preservation work sitting right in a quiet retail block on the Western Slope.
What it's like
Pull into the free parking lot on the 1000 block of North 9th Street and head for Unit 7. Inside, the atmosphere is straightforward and unpretentious rather than theatrical—you are browsing shelves of real taxidermy and jars under normal retail lighting, with the McManus family available to talk specimen origins. The main trick is timing: early in the week the shop often goes dark while the owners vend at regional oddities expos, so check their Instagram (@gjoddities) before driving over.
The move: Challenge each other to find the strangest thing in the shop under twenty bucks, swap them, then explain your picks over coffee downtown.
📍 Before you go It is Unit 7 in a small retail strip on the 1000 block of North 9th Street, with free parking right outside the door. Walk-in retail most of the week, but the shop tends to go dark early in the week and the owners vend at markets and oddities expos, so check their Instagram (@gjoddities) before driving over. Downtown Main Street's sculptures and coffee shops are about a mile south, an easy pairing for the rest of the afternoon.
- 📍 Grand Junction
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1000 N 9th St, Unit 7, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Escape House GJ — Located just a tenth of a mile away on North Avenue, it makes an easy pivot from specimen hunting to a 60-minute puzzle room.
- Board Fox Games & Coffee — Head a mile south to Main Street to show off your shop finds over coffee and modern tabletop games.
- Moody's Lounge — Follow up an afternoon of true-crime shelves and wet specimens with an evening drink behind a hidden downtown sign.
Good to know
Where is GJ Oddities located?
The shop is located at 1000 N 9th St, Unit 7, in Grand Junction, Colorado, roughly a mile north of downtown Main Street.
What unique items will I find in the store?
Expect taxidermy ravens, wet specimens of sheep brains, hearts, bats, and sharks, mummified iguanas, serial-killer memorabilia, and their signature winged raven bear.
Why do I need to check Instagram before visiting?
The McManus family travels to vend at oddities markets and expos, which means store hours fluctuate early in the week. Their Instagram (@gjoddities) posts current schedule updates.
Is there parking on site?
Yes, free parking is available right in front of Unit 7 in the strip mall lot.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: kjct8.com · Official site · visitgrandjunction.com
last checked: 2026-06-11