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This venue is closed.

It's fitting that this eerily unique shop is situated just steps away from the American Museum of Natural History; after spending the day gawking at dinosaur skeletons, glittery gems, and stuffed wildlife specimens, you can take some of the organic magic home by shopping this self-proclaimed "world's first and only osteological store." Since opening in 1984, Maxilla & Mandible has attracted a ghoulish mix of artists, scientists, collectors and teen Goths with its hair-raising inventory, which includes shark-tooth necklaces and weevil bracelets; glass-encased tarantulas and butterflies; sparkling geodes and bottled gold leaf; and an astonishing selection of fossils and bones, some dating back thousands of years. The cramped boutique doesn't waste an inch of space—bones are piled up to the ceiling, which is adorned with anatomy posters—but the overall effect is more fascinating than fearsome. Even skittish kids (and adults) will find something to enjoy, like the syringe pens or fake rubber snakes. — Raven Snook

Far more than kid stuff, M&M staffers curate private and institutional natural history collections, and design and install custom, museum-quality exhibits, thanks to an armada of science specialists, sculptors, and master craftsmen.