Visit This Ohio Shop that Blends Science, History and the Macabre

Taxidermied animals line the walls alongside well-stocked shelves of morbid novelties, while a ventriloquist’s dummy peaks out from behind a cabinet near the shop’s entrance. Step through the door of Cleveland Curiosities and you’ll be surrounded by a world of collectibles that range from cool to creepy. Most of the finds here fall somewhere in between, depending on your point of view.

Clement Kunkle and his wife, Hallie Wallace, opened their Lakewood emporium in August 2018 after years of collecting, taxidermizing and selling an eclectic assortment of wares from their home. The stock at their Lakewood shop can range from animal skulls to antique medical equipment to even the occasional casket.

“We can see when people get kind of creeped out when they come in here,” Kunkle told us in 2019, “but it gives us the opportunity to talk to them so they can see the historical and scientific aspect behind stuff.”

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Editor’s Note: This article was published in 2019, but was updated in 2023 to reflect changes at the shop. It was most recently updated in March 2026, when Cleveland Curiosities celebrated its grand reopening in a space next door to its original location and announced plans to open a mini museum on-site. Associate editor Lainey Novak contributed to this story by providing the 2026 grand reopening updates. 

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It’s the scientific aspect that captivates Kunkle the most. The son of a biologist, he was 13 when he learned how to pin bugs and clean small animal skulls as a way to better understand nature. It didn’t take long for him to become a full-blown collector of the peculiar as well as a self-taught taxidermist. What started as a hobby eventually became Cleveland Curiosities.

Kunkle is quick to add that everything in the shop is ethically sourced. When exotic animals die in rehabilitation centers and small zoos, he acquires them legally and taxidermizes them in an off-site workshop, while Wallace does all the bug- and butterfly-pinning. Human specimens are acquired from medical schools and physicians’ offices.

Thanks to community support and intrigue, the shop expanded in 2023 to showcase more of its eclectic and fascinating items. The expansion allowed for more permanent displays with informative signs, which fits the store’s mission of education and appreciation of all things weird. After relocating the shop to a building next door, Cleveland Curiosities hosted a grand reopening March 13, 2026, with Kunkle and Wallace announcing plans to open a mini museum in one of the front rooms of their new space. 

While the museum had no concrete opening date at the time of our visit, Hallie Wallace says it will feature rotating collections of human and animal bones, unique taxidermy, vintage paintings and other items. Admission prices and ticket information will eventually be available on the shop’s website.

“We want to make sure that we do the museum right and that everything is perfect before we unveil it,” she adds. 

As far as the store’ inventory, new items are added regularly, which means there’s always something to discover. During one visit, it could be a purse made of armadillo skin, while next time it might be autopsy photos. What sells best? 

“Whenever we get human specimens or oddball items, they go fast,” Kunkle told us in 2019. “Like glass eyes — we can never keep those in stock.”

13377 Madison Ave., Lakewood 44107, 440/334-0455, clevelandcuriosities.com