Obscura Antiques

Cool place! Definately a shop to check out if your in the neighbourhood.

Love this store! The owners are really nice and they have lots of cool gift items for the freaks and geeks. I bought some lucky rabbits feet. They have a cool selection of ouija boards too. No tarot though.

There aren’t many shops like Obscura in NYC anymore. I’ve seen their show, so I just had to stop by while visiting my family. Evan happened to be there that day, I was busy fangirling to notice all the awesome stuff. I did take a quick look, though. Their merchandise satisfied my love of curiosities and oddities. I asked Evan if I may take a photo of her and she sweetly replied «Why don’t you take a picture *with* me?»

Imagine Nocturne Alley type décor and ware, but instead of a grimace, presented with a smile. I adore this shop and it’s quirky, freakish creations.

Going into Obscura has been a dream of mine since I saw Oddities on TV. Mike is just as he is on the show, super friendly and easy to talk too. There was an employee working that was knowledgeable and created many of the interesting store displays. Aside from excellent staffing, Obscura did not disappoint. Expert curation with such awesomely interesting antiques and oddities on every shelf. The shop isn’t big but everything there is really perfect. I went home with some great stuff. I hope to shop there again in a few days before I return home.

What’s not to love about a wonderful antique shop that displays quite possibly the most abstract oddities in East Village. Take everyone here since the shock factor is worthy of viewing expressions and those creepy dolls look like the next Chucky. The folks here are awesome with the service and the store has beautifully placed items. Hello there hologram postcards that display skeletons hanging out with people nonchalantly. Explore this place with great curiosity and it will reward you greatly!

Visited last year. Can’t wait to go back! Staff very friendly and nice. No one from the tv show was working sadly but had a 5 star experience anyway.

Still a cool store, but the staff got pretty uppity when they changed locations. I made one major purchase, but i kept coming back until there was someone friendly on duty. I can’t stand to buy my hard earned money from stuck up people. Of course if I had the money I would probably buy the store out! They have the most awesome crap you have ever seen. .. unless you have been to my house.

My boyfriend is a huge fan of these types of places. Given the relative fame of this shop in particular, we had to stop in. He’d probably give it 5 stars. I thought it was interesting, but very difficult to walk through (it’s a VERY small shop) and some of the items seemed mass produced (Christmas ornaments, for example), not exactly obscure oddities.

I asked my daughter where she wanted to go on our recent trip to NYC. Obscura and a cosmetic shop were the only 2 places she requested.
It is a small shop but has all kinds of things you can’t find elsewhere. My daughter is into all things medical so she found an old bottle that was pristine and still contained pills that could make one really sick today… oh that periodic table of elements can be a tricky thing.
The staff working was so helpful. It was a fun stop out of the normal tourist way. We walked back to time square from the shop and found so many fun stops on the way. It was worth the few miles.

I have always been drawn to the creepy crawly! And this is the place to find those unique treasures. They had all kinds of taxidermy, vintage Halloween mask, petrified cat, old medical supplies and so much more. i love seeing the nooks and crannies. And hunting down the perfect and unique gift or a loved one that shares my same interest.
The shop is very small and can be a little snug to walk around in. I have yet to bump into the famous owners, co-​owners Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson and buyer Ryan Matthew. Ryan specializes on curating rare skulls and creates masterful «exploding skulls». And since I was completely wrapped up on their TV show «Oddities», I was more than smitten to see an actual «exploding skull» at the shop.
It’s shops like these that help keep the east village the neighborhood I remember as a teenager!

As a long-​time collector of antique tarot decks, I am no stranger to quirky antique stores. However, when it comes to unique, one-​of-​a-​kind items, Obscura remains in a class by itself.
I’ve visited Obscura several times over the years, and I’ve never been disappointed. The shop itself is fairly small, but inside you will find a wonderful variety of objects ranging from the fascinating to the macabre.
The staff is always helpful, even when faced with hordes of visitors lured by the «Oddities» program. They were patient and tolerant of even the silliest questions.
The selection is largely indescribable. I’ve purchased everything Ouija boards to reliquaries. Some of the more high-​end items don’t turn over as often as the less expensive stuff, but I’ve never felt that the stock wasn’t fresh with each visit.
Make sure to check out the back cabinet with several of the not-​for-​sale items. They aren’t all for the faint of heart, but well worth a look. Overall, this is a great shop that is surprisingly lacking in pretension given the position they are in with their TV show.

Was walking down this block with my boyfriend yesterday when the window of this shop caught my eye. I love shows like Pawn Stars, Antique Roadshow, American Pickers (intro’d to me by the boy), etc. so whenever I pass by flea markets or antique stores I get super excited. With this store specializing in oddities, I was even more excited to pop in.
Apparently this shop has a show on the Science channel and my boyfriend and I met Miz Margo who was a former customer at the shop turned employee and is also a burlesque performer.
Considering that I had no knowledge about this whatsoever when we entered, hopefully we were a breath of fresh air since we weren’t looking for any TV personality sightings or anything… but I’m not gonna lie, this tidbit is pretty awesomepants and I totally plan on looking up this show now.
I did ask if I could take a few pictures to which she answered that I could snap 1 or 2 so hence why I only took 2 despite my wanting to take pics of a lot of really neat things.
This store is like part store and part museum. It’s full of lots really rare and interesting items which all tell unique stories and have riveting histories. There are items here for everyone of all different price points and interests.
I made a comment about hating roaches when a saw a small display of deceased insects that strongly resembled waterbugs and was schooled by Miz Margo about how they weren’t roaches.
Then I inquired if they were beatles, but nope — it was a different type of insect family — I decided to just settle for not liking all sorts of insects, waterbugs especially — lol. Chock it up to my Skeeter Syndrome and feel free to look that up if you don’t know what that is.
I definitely plan on returning soon as I think this place has some really cool items that would make unique gifts and when I move in a few months I may invest in something neat to display in my new apartment. So glad a place like this exists in NYC.

It’s a place filled with the oddest antiques. Saw an endless amount of things in this little store, such as real human bones, cow with an extra leg on it’s back (few thousand dollars), raccoon penises ($ 1 each), giraffe’s skull, old medical equipment, creepy dolls, frog coin purses ($ 20) and really old porn. Who knows how they get all this stuff.
My friend bought a human scapula for $ 65.
Would recommend going here if you want items that would make great conversation starters.

Stumbled across this place while exploring my new neighborhood in the spring. I had never heard of the show, so had to be filled in by the cashier and some eager fans visiting the shop.
Left and immediately went home to binge on the first season.
Essentially pawn stars but with weirder shit and cooler people. I have since turned all of my family (especially my 9 yo sister) onto this show. We LOVE Evan, Mike, Ryan and all the reoccurring characters (especially Edgar!)
It’s so cool having this place around the corner. I’ve made it a habit to stop in every once in a while. They always have new bizzaro artifacts to show off, and the staff is incredibly patient about explaining backgrounds and origins.
Most of the real unique authentic stuff is going to run you 100s of dollars, but they also offer cheaper, but still weird, trinkits.
If you’re trying to meet Mike and Evan, you need to come during the weekdays. Unfortunately, still haven’t been able to

Even if you’re not buying anything, a visit to Obscura is like an admission-​free trip to a world class museum.
I’d like to think that a visit to Obscura is also a look into what the inside of my brain is like.
Impeccably curated curios, rarities, objets d’art, old pjotographs, taxidermy and even a Shriner fez or two is only the beginning– you will see things you’ve only dreamt of, and so much more.
Need an exploded skull? A cane toad coin pouch? Polio brace? Vintage naughty postcards? A bottle of poison?
If it isn’t here, it probably doesn’t exist.
The best store ever.

Obscura is a kooky little antique shop nestled in the East Village. This shop is known for its show on Science channel, «Oddities». On the show random people and sometimes celebrities walk in looking for the odd and mysterious.
This is what Obscura is all about, strange antique items. From Victorian medicine and dental equipment and charts to taxidermied animals. You name an odd old thing and more than likely they will have it. They also have a collection of pictures in drawers in a little island to give the shop «isles». The shop itself is very small. Three customers and the owners will make it feel packed, buy hey its Manhattan.
The prices for these strange wares vary. On sale are things for every budget from little marbles with insects or nick-​nack stuff. This could be considered the more tourist on a budget items. Other pieces in their collection can go for much much more. I was able to get two items on two occasions at reasonable prices.
On my second sojourn to this shop I had the pleasure of meeting the owners, Mike and Evan, who are also on the show. They were incredibly helpful and friendly. We had a little conversation and I was on my way. Neither of the duo came across as pretentious or rolled their eyes when you mention the show. There was another bloke working there who was just as friendly but I admit I wanted to talk to the folks who are on the show.
If you are looking for something weird as a gift for yourself or a friend you must come here.

When I got into a car accident and then also suffered a setback from a condition I have, I had all the time in the world. So, Oddities was on Netflix and I literally became obsessed! I said «when I recover, I’m going!»
And that I did. I was totally nervous because when I got there with my friend, there was literally nobody inside but two people who worked there. We stood outside awkwardly before I braved the first step in, and it was a few minutes of complete awkwardness before I broke the ice. I guess they were feeling us out and wondering if we were approachable which is totally cool. I ended up telling them about why I was there basically and some of my life which they patiently listened to hahah, and the guy working (whose name I forgot. sorry! longish hair, tattoos on his arms) gave me and my friend a tour and basically showed me things I never knew I would be interested in. When I asked questions which were probably at times pretty ignorant, he was informative and cool.
I came in expecting to buy a little something just to remember the experience but I left with an amazing book, an antique vintage print of a mourning painting which they let me haggle down by a pretty epic amount after checking with the owners for me (seriously they called it in and it was less than a 8 minute wait!), and a cool little decorative owl. The girl who wrapped my framed picture was so nice, and I really will go back whenever I’m close by and have the funds! They also said when the owners (from the show) would be around with out me even having to ask, which was cool of them. If you feel ignored when you go in, it might just be because they don’t want to crowd you or overwhelm you since there’s a lot to take in. Just say hi, and they’ll help you out.

The staff is very friendly even though 99% of people that come in are just looking, including myself. Although they probably did profile me as the type who would want to buy a preserved monkey head or a creepy antique clown mask.
Obscura is almost like a mini Mutter Museum (creepy 19^th century medical museum in Philly). All of the items seem to revolve around mortality and the macabre. The items can be pretty expensive although I’m sure they’re old and rare. They have some inexpensive souvenirs like bottles of snake whiskey and change purses made out of intact, real frogs.
FYI if you’re wearing a backpack they’ll ask you to put it down near the front or wear it in front of you like a pickpocket-​frightened tourist.

I was so excited to visit Obscura as I have recently started watching Oddities with my boyfriend. When I found out Obscura was close to my brother’s apartment I knew I had to visit on my first day here.
Unlike another Unilocaler’s review down below, I encountered no unfriendliness from the staff. Yeah, they didn’t greet me right away but this is not a corporate enterprise. After a few minutes of browsing one the staff asked if there was anything in particular I was looking for. I let her know I was browsing and she let me be. I ended up with just a t shirt because I was afraid the drunk taxidermy frog I had my eye on would not make the flight back in my carry on.
When I come back to the city I will come back to Obscura will be on my list of places to visit again.