By Kerry Ingram
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Plastic baby faces with an octopus’s tentacles hanging out of their mouths, real life animal skulls, and taxidermy ducklings are just a few of the items one can buy when taking a trip to The Bazaar in Baltimore.
The Bazaar, a store located in the Hampden area that describes itself as “specializing in natural history items, home decor, jewelry, and other unique & morbid gifts,” is known for its unique spin on the classic gift shop model.
The store’s owners, Greg Hatem and Brian Henry, opened the store five years ago out of pure interest in odd objects, and their business has since grown in popularity.
Receiving rave comments on social media — ranging from an Instagram comment by user @notcamdamage stating “What in the amazing glorious hell yes” to an anticipatory comment from user @carabevan.art stating “I need to visit your store someday, so awesome” – The Bazaar’s fan-base has surely increased over time.
“It kind of was just a fun project that we started off doing,” Hatem said. “Later on, as business grew, we were able to make this a full-time thing.”
The store, located on the quaint Chestnut Avenue, exists within a lineup of small shops and merchants, including The Charmery ice cream shop and Stay Humble tattoo parlor. Although its avocado-hued exterior catches the eye amongst the surrounding buildings, it’s the selection of ghoulish gifts that attract consumers.
Hatem described the overall selection of items as being vast, saying that the store holds “as many items as you can comfortably fir into the front room of a Baltimore row house.” However, the co-owner also explained that the constantly-changing inventory of items has its own share of best-sellers.
“Every year, [our most popular item] is always different,” Hatem said. “Usually, I can rely on the skulls selling really well.”
The skulls Hatem is referring to, which range from those belonging to armadillos to coyotes, are all ethically sourced, meaning that no animals are killed to obtain their remains. The Bazaar seeks out its inventory from cleaned roadkill specimens, mostly being sourced from Montana.
As for the source of The Bazaars customers, Hatem said people from all backgrounds shop at the store.
“Our customer base is pretty varied,” Hatem said. “We get medical students, artists, professors, punk rockers, science nerds, and everyone in between. If I had to say, probably our largest customer demographic is women-identified, between the ages of 25 and 34.”
Baltimore Watchdog reporter Kerry Ingram decided to make a trip to the local business to see just what all of the fascination was about. Watch below to see just how bizarre the selection of items can be at The Bazaar in Baltimore:
Despite being located in a more residential part of town, The Bazaar receives attention from people outside the Baltimore area, just as much as it gets noticed by locals.
“Thanks to the internet and social media, we are able to attract a lot of customers from out of town who either collect items themselves or just have a fascination,” the store owner said. “Out entire neighborhood, Hampden, has traditionally had a bit of a tourist draw in general. [The town] is usually featured in travel websites and publications, so that helps a lot too.”
In addition to selling animal remains, the shop also sells an array of antique oddities found at auctions, such as an antique ultrasound machine and old-aged medical tools. The Bazaar also curates its own products for sale, from cemetery themed candles and incense to greeting cards and handmade jewelry. Depending on the time of year, a shopper can snag some of the store’s spooky swag for a great deal.
“We have sales occasionally, typically around the holidays or for special neighborhood events,” Hatem said. He continued to hint that the store may be hosting a mega-sale during its official five-year anniversary, set to be celebrated in July.
Another unique aspect of the store lies in its relation to taxidermy. Although Hatem and Henry are not professional taxidermists themselves, they open the store to taxidermy classes throughout the year, inviting professionals into their space to teach customers the process of preserving animal remains.
“[I] can’t wait to take more classes there,” shared Hillary Wilson, an attendee of one of the taxidermy classes, on Instagram, partnered with a picture of her holding her taxidermy rabbit along with her group of friends. “I love my little jackalope.”
Having reportedly steady traffic year-round, The Bazaar can always count on the holiday season as the busiest time of year.
“We tend to get busy in September, with everyone being back at school,” Hatem said “Spring is pretty busy too, but we can usually count on the Christmas time as being the busiest season. This whole neighborhood gets really amped up for Christmas.”