Entry No. 1 — the Louisville file — filed under: witchy
Unorthodox
A delightfully morbid storefront on Barret Avenue where oddities, dark art, taxidermy, and bone specimens meet occult and altar supplies. Alongside preserved curiosities and vintage macabre decor, visitors find ritual candles, dark arts prints, incense, and herbal altar essentials.
The story
You don't just stumble into 968 Barret Avenue looking for house plants or scented hand lotion. Since 2015, this woman-owned storefront along the edge of Germantown has operated as a quiet, year-round refuge for the post-mortem art form. It avoids the neon gimmicks of a Halloween pop-up, treating its inventory—from preserved wet specimens to dried botanical altar blends—with the hushed reverence of a private natural history vault.
The shelves here balance natural history and esoteric craft. You’ll find ethically sourced animal skulls, framed butterfly specimens, and taxidermy sitting alongside dark art prints, ritual candles, incense, and vintage macabre decor. It’s built for people who prefer their interior design served with a side of memento mori, offering hand-curated curiosities that you won't spot on a standard retail display.
What it's like
Stepping inside feels less like entering a retail shop and more like slipping into a collector's personal study. The room is quiet, meticulously organized, and free of chaotic thrift-store clutter, letting you inspect the finer details of pinned insects or wet preservation jars without feeling overwhelmed. Keep your hands steady, take your time browsing the artwork near the register, and note that they run on a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule.
The move: Browse framed ethically sourced butterfly specimens, animal skulls, and dark artwork before picking out an esoteric candle for your altar.
- 📍 Highlands / Germantown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 968 Barret Ave, Louisville, KY 40204
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Eastern Cemetery — Pair a browse through the shop's bone specimens with a quiet stroll through this historically overcrowded 1840s burial ground just half a mile away.
- Shrine of Saints Magnus and Bonosa — Match modern taxidermy and skeletal art with two full 3rd-century Roman martyr skeletons encased in glass down the street.
- Planet of the Tapes — After picking out an altar candle, head down Barret Avenue for drinks in a dimly lit cult VHS archival bar.
Good to know
Where is Unorthodox located?
You'll find it at 968 Barret Ave, on the border of Louisville's Highlands and Germantown neighborhoods.
What are their operating hours?
The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (closed Monday and Tuesday).
Are the animal specimens and taxidermy ethically sourced?
Yes, the shop explicitly focuses on ethically sourced bones, taxidermy, and insect specimens.
What else do they carry besides bone specimens?
Beyond taxidermy and wet specimens, they stock dark art prints, occult and altar essentials, ritual candles, herbal incense, and vintage macabre decor.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · gotolouisville.com · Instagram · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21