the Otherist

A beautiful store filled with lovely things. I bought two ornaments and I had a difficult time choosing which to get because each was so wonderful and intricate. The store owner was so nice and packed my items carefully. My friend and I had a wonderful conversation with him and both of us plan to stop here any time we're in Amsterdam.

Top notch store! Amazingly unique selection. You’ll find something for everybody in this store! This place is worth every penny! Everything is high quality and well thought out. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly as well! If you’re looking for that special gift someone, I can’t suggest The Otherist and more!!! If you have the opportunity, definitely check this place out. You won’t regret it!

Fantastic, quirky shop to browse and to buy from. The shop assistant is very knowledgeable and helpful. We bought two items within first 5 minutes of browsing - which is a rare thing! Highly recommend for original souvenirs and gifts.

Unusual gifts and items of the botanical and entomological variety. Practical household items and tools as well. A great store all around. Fascinating museum-like setting. Really fun!

Love! Love! Love! Indeed, a shop of curiosities and treasures. So many unique items that speak to my heart. Joshua is a lovely soul too.

Very odd cabinet of curiosities for gifts. A large choice of preserved insects but not only. The place is wonderful to look at.

A Fascinating place. But don't treat it as a museum - buy something! Small independent shops like the Otherist need our custom. Even if you just pick up a birthday card for someone....

Beautiful hand made glass blown Christmas ornaments in all shapes and sizes. Be prepared to splurge for these tempting shiny trinkets, because it’s all rather pricy.

While I was in Amsterdam I Googled, "unique shops". The Otherist came up in every list so I had to stop by. I had walked by this shop so many times and ironically, on my first trip to Amsterdam I stayed two doors down from it and never noticed it. I mentioned this to the owner and he said, which I agree, that part of the charm of Amsterdam is there are so many things here that you are constantly stumbling upon amazing shops and more every time you walk down the street. He couldn't be more right. The shop itself is so unique. I knew immediately that I would love it here. The items were cool and not like anything else I'd find while shopping. It's definitely not a tourist shop; it's not a t-shirt or postcard sort of place, but it features really cool home decor items from suspended butterflies to really cool metal displays. I knew immediately I'd find so many things I'd love and couldn't bring back to the states with me because I'd have no room and I was right, but I did find some cool metal keys to bring with me to decorate in my living room. I asked the owner if they had a story to them and he replied, "everything has a story" and that was good enough for me.

Stumbled across The Otherist while wandering around Amsterdam and couldn't have been happier to find this shop. I'm a sucker for oddity shops and this one is so gorgeously laid out with a downstairs and upstairs and from bottom floor wall to top floor wall covered in absolutely beautiful preserved insects of all kinds, beetles, moths, and butterflies primarily. They didn't seem to have any real articulated skeletons or any actual skulls (animal typically), but they have a lot of DIY articulating kits of snakes and bats and ceramic skulls of all variants. Some of my favorites were of the small bird skulls. This shop seriously has my heart when it comes to oddity shops though. The collection is just so beautiful. They have the shadow boxes, what seems to be handmade pottery, leather wallets and pouches, various antique looking jewelry with a "natural" feel and some more gothic/antique. They also have medical oddities, syringes, scientific wall scrolls, anatomy models plus antique silverware and the like. Along novel they have cardboard DIY wall mounts, and various DIY kits. It's really so varied, but all cohesive. When it comes to prices, there is a huge range. Obviously, the preserved insects in shadow boxes ($100+ or so for the most part) and ceramic skulls, even the aged jewelry and pottery are at a finer penny, but there are still things below 10 euros that are really cool and fun to collect. I ended up buying a few novelty items from the store and was thrilled to the quality of the entire service. The owner(?) I think, or guy behind the counter was very friendly and super helpful, and just a really cool guy, and the aesthetic of the gift wrapping was love for the overall vision. It's the full package. Sorry if I'm gushing, but I was impressed. Awesome staff/owner, awesome/amazing collection, well presented, amazing packaging/presentation. I can safely say, I wish this shop was in my home city. Seriously, though, if you're visiting Amsterdam and love oddities or shadow boxes-- insects especially, the like, go give The Otherist a look. It won't disappoint!

Such an amazing store! Definitely one of my favorite in Amsterdam. It's so original and different. Its a collection of different finds that are so exotic on their own but they still come together nicely, appearing to fit a certain theme. Exquisite pieces of decor, for sure! They have very "weird" pieces too, and simpler ones. For those who call themselves collectors, you might find something here for you. The displays are carefully curated so you should look carefully to appreciate everything!

This is an excellent shop for nature décor lovers. It feels like being at an old botany, anthropology and chemistry laboratory. A bit like a museum ambiance. They have insects, horns, old charts, old lab glassware as well paintings of nature related themes. It will be a reference shop for me and I am sure I will be visiting every time I am in town.

This shop is absolutely beautiful. I came across it while online searching for places to shop during my weekend in Amsterdam. If I didn't have take all my purchases back to Florence in a tiny carry-on bag, I would've caved and bought one of the exquisite framed butterflies. Instead I got something tiny: a beautiful leather woven ring with a gold piece with a scale pattern. It's so simple and small, but I'm absolutely in love with it. If I had the money (and space) I would've bought almost everything in this shop. It's full of wonderful curiosities that will tickle anyone's fancy. The man behind the counter, who I assume is the owner based off his conversation with the woman in front of me, was talking about why he opened the shop and he just seems like such an interesting guy. I definitely recommend stopping by here, even for just a peek at all the wonderful curiosities!

If you have some time to kill or money to burn, this is definitely the place to do it. As Vladio mentions, it is a mix of a museum, laboratory, and gallery. When I visited, there were some dishware, paintings, jewelry, and animal skulls on display. Everything is artfully arranged and inspiring. The prices are pretty high for me, but each piece undoubtedly takes time and money to source or create. If only I had more money; I would decorate my home with many items from this shop.

There is a similar type of place in the east village of NYC, however this one is so much cleaner and beautifully curated.

I saw a keychain in the shop that I really liked. I told myself that i wouldnt spend more than €20. The owner showed me how his had aged and that he was a fan of it, so I ended up spending €20 more than I originally planned. Its a cool shop. The gift wrapping was very nice too.