Visiting

Where are you?

341 Ottawa Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, L8H 3Z8.

When are you open?

Wednesday to Friday 1:00–4:30pm · Saturday 11:00am–4:30pm · Sunday 12:00–4:30pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

How long should I allow?

Longer than you think. It is four thousand square feet and people routinely lose an hour without meaning to. If you are driving in, give yourself the afternoon.

What is it actually like inside?

It is consistently described as a museum — the difference being that here, if you can’t live without it, you don’t have to. Visitors have called it “a museum you could buy an exhibit from”, “like a trip down Diagon Alley” and “HomeSense through the eyes of Stephen King”. Expect Victorian taxidermy, anatomical models, funeral arts, apothecary bottles, fossils, sideshow material and a great deal that resists description.

Is it suitable for children?

Families are welcome, and plenty of children find it the most interesting room they have ever stood in. But it is an honest shop about mortality: there is taxidermy, human and animal anatomical material, funerary objects and medical instruments on open display. You know your own children — we would rather tell you plainly what is here than have you find out at the door. If you would like to know more before bringing a young or sensitive visitor, phone us.

Can I take photographs?

Please ask when you arrive. We are usually delighted — the Cabinet is one of the most photographed shops in Hamilton — but some pieces are on consignment or held for a production, and occasionally there are things we would rather not have online yet.

Is there parking, and is the shop accessible?

Ottawa Street North has street parking, and there is more on the surrounding side streets.

On accessibility we would rather be straight with you than vague: this is a densely packed heritage building, and aisles are narrow in places. Phone us before you visit on 905-818-5728 and we will tell you honestly what to expect and what we can do to help. If there is something you would like to see and cannot reach, we will bring it to you.

Buying

Is everything really one of a kind?

Almost. Antiques, oddities, natural history and ethnographic pieces are one-of-one — when one sells we cannot reorder or replace it. Gift Shop goods, Cabinet Originals and Mystery Boxes are made or assembled in small numbers.

Is the piece I am looking at online still available?

If it is listed as available, yes. With one-of-a-kind stock things do occasionally sell within minutes, in the shop or online. If two orders arrive for the same object we will contact you immediately and refund in full.

Can you hold something for me?

Yes. We offer interest-free layaway on pieces at $250 and above. A 50% deposit takes the item off sale — off the shop floor and off the website — and we hold it while you pay the balance, which is due within 60 days. No interest, no credit check, no fees. Do note that the deposit is not refundable and there is no grace period on the 60 days, so talk to us before you commit. Full terms are in our Terms & Conditions, section 7.

How do I pay?

Card payments are handled by Square, online and in the shop. We also take cash and debit in person.

Do you sell gift certificates?

Yes, in any denomination, redeemable online and in the shop. They never expire and carry no fees. Spend part of one and we issue a new certificate for the remainder.

Are prices in Canadian dollars?

Yes, and HST is added at checkout where it applies.

Condition and authenticity

What does “sold as-is” mean?

Every antique is sold in its existing condition, with all faults, wear, repairs and alterations, whether or not we noticed them. Age-related wear, patina, old repairs, fading and foxing are characteristics of old objects, not defects.

How certain are you about age and origin?

Our descriptions are our considered opinion, given in good faith and based on our own research. Where we are certain we say so; where we are not, we say that too. “Attributed to”, “in the manner of” and “circa” carry their ordinary trade meanings. If you want independent authentication, arrange it before you buy — we will happily accommodate inspection by appointment.

Can I see more photographs before I buy?

Always. Ask for more angles, a video, measurements or a closer look at a particular detail. This is the single best thing you can do before buying something one-of-a-kind you have not held.

Shipping

Do you ship?

Yes, within Canada and internationally where the item and the destination allow. Shipping is quoted per item, because nothing we sell is a standard size and much of it is fragile, heavy, or both.

Do you ship to the United States?

Not at present. Cross-border costs and customs requirements have changed substantially, and one-of-a-kind antiques are among the hardest things to classify and value for customs — there is no catalogue number to point at and no second example to compare against. The result is unpredictable charges and delays for you. US customers are very welcome to collect in person, or to arrange their own carrier or freight forwarder from our door — we will pack the piece properly and have it ready.

Who pays customs and duties?

The buyer. They are not included in our shipping quote.

Something arrived damaged.

Keep all the packaging and tell us within 48 hours with photographs, so we can claim.

Returns

Can I return something I have changed my mind about?

Not on one-of-a-kind pieces — they are sold as-is. This is exactly why we would rather you asked every question first. New Gift Shop goods and Cabinet Originals can come back within 14 days, unused and in original packaging.

What if it is not as described?

Then we got it wrong. Tell us within 14 days and we will take it back and refund you in full, including your original shipping.

What about Mystery Boxes?

A Mystery Box is sold on the understanding that the contents are a surprise chosen by us — the surprise is the product, so a box cannot come back because the contents were not to your taste. If one arrives damaged, incomplete or materially not as described, the usual protection applies in full.

Selling, renting and trade

I have something. Will you buy it?

Possibly. See Selling to the Cabinet for what we look for and how to get in touch. Photographs help enormously, and so does anything you know about where it came from.

Do you rent props to productions?

Yes — it is a substantial part of what we do. Pieces from the Cabinet have appeared in productions you have almost certainly seen, on Netflix, Prime and elsewhere. Start at For Productions or write to props@cabinetofcuriosities.ca.

Can I shoot here?

We have always extended the shop to film makers, artists, photographers and videographers, including people just starting out. Tell us what you have in mind.

Do you do wholesale?

For some Gift Shop lines and Cabinet Originals, yes. Wholesale terms are not published, so write to us with your business details and what you are interested in and we will take it from there.

The difficult questions

Is the human and animal material legal and ethically sourced?

Yes. We are careful about provenance and about what we will and will not sell, and our reasoning is set out in full on Ethical Sourcing & Provenance, which forms part of our Terms.

Can I take an item out of the country?

Some pieces cannot lawfully be exported or imported into particular destinations — CITES-listed material, protected species and cultural property among them. Where an item is restricted, its product page says so and our checkout will prevent delivery where we cannot lawfully ship. It remains your responsibility to be sure you may lawfully import and possess an item where you live. If in doubt, ask before ordering.

Why do sold items stay on the website?

Because the record matters. Everything we sell is one of one, and once it is gone the only trace is the page. Past Curiosities is the archive of what has passed through the Cabinet — useful to collectors, to researchers, and to anyone trying to work out what something is. Nothing in it is for sale.

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