Entry No. 15 — the Phoenix file — filed under: oddities
Curious Nature
A natural-history emporium of skulls, wet specimens, and framed insects run by a former vet tech who describes it as "a museum, but you can take it home with you." Between retail hours it runs scheduled hands-on classes taught in the store itself — build your own jackalope or rat shoulder-mount, or sit in on human osteology, palmistry, or tea-leaf-reading crash courses.
The story
You walk into 4346 N 7th Avenue expecting a standard vintage shop, but what you get is a dense, glass-encased archive of things that used to breathe. Founded by a former veterinary technician who frames the shop as "a museum, but you can take it home with you," Curious Nature anchors Phoenix's Melrose District with an unapologetic collection of skulls, osteological specimens, framed insects, and wet specimens floating in glass jars.
It isn't just a place to buy taxidermy mounts for your living room wall, either. Between retail hours, the store floor transforms into a hands-on classroom where specialists walk you through actual preservation work. You can sit at a workbench and craft your own rat shoulder-mount ($300) or mythic jackalope ($350), or drop in for crash courses on human osteology, palmistry, and tea-leaf reading.
What it's like
Expect a tightly organized shop packed to the rafters with bone specimens, pinned butterflies, and wet jars that keep a year-round Halloween energy alive. If you sign up for a taxidermy workshop, prepare to get your hands dirty: you will be working directly with real raw specimens and real tools, so leave any squeamishness at the door.
The move: Grab two seats in the taxidermy jackalope class ($350) or the rat class ($300) and leave the shop holding a genuinely strange, slightly disturbing piece of shared handiwork.
- 📍 Phoenix (Melrose District)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4346 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Stardust & Sage Crystals, Apothecary & Botanica — Continue your curio run downtown with custom candles, Florida Water, and botanica supplies on Roosevelt Row.
- Rising Phoenix Spiritualist Church — Pair an osteology or palmistry crash course at Curious Nature with a Sunday message or healing service at this long-running spiritual sanctuary.
- Rough Rider — After spending the afternoon hands-on with preserved specimens, take an unmarked office elevator down into this subterranean Victorian speakeasy for a drink.
Good to know
What do you do in the taxidermy classes?
You are guided through skinning, prepping, preserving, and mounting real specimens, leaving at the end of the session with your own finished rat shoulder-mount or jackalope.
Do I need prior experience or my own tools to take a workshop?
No, the beginner workshops require zero experience, and all specimens, tools, forms, and supplies are provided.
Where is Curious Nature located?
You will find the shop at 4346 N 7th Ave in Phoenix's Melrose District.
What non-taxidermy classes does the shop host?
They offer occasional scheduled crash courses covering topics like human osteology, palmistry, and tea-leaf reading.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · phoenixnewtimes.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-19