Reviews of Prehistoria Natural History Centre & SkullStore Oddity Shop (Museum)

Leanne Dwinnell

Great staff and so many amazing things!

Vivian K.

This store is incredible. If you're wondering if it's worth the drive out, it really, truly is. Everything is priced really reasonably, the specimens are in great shape, and the owner is a solidly lovely person. And then there's the free museum. It's so cool! Fascinating, lovely, and genuinely educational.

Nikki F.

If you like history, odd things, skeletons, or conservation - go here! It is weird and wonderful.

crypto-pox

This is my favorite place to stop whenever I'm in Toronto. Super unique shop and amazing museum all in one.

Jason Beers

Ben (the owner) should be given the Order of Canada for being such a great guy and somebody who is always a pleasure to do business with. His communication is great when you shop online, he always has great items available to keep me interested, his web experience is great and shipping is fast. When he is able to travel and share his wares on the road I always love when he drops in. He has been to my home on multiple occasions to sell me cool things. Love it and highly recommend.

Emmersn Outlaw

Great selection! Always bringing in new stuff! Totally recommended

Bill Shaw

Very engaging exhibits. I very much enjoyed the bits of history and culture associated with each piece. Their focus on sustainable and ethical collecting is admirable.

Berrie Dingle

What a great place to shop and especially online. Very professional, ethical and honest place if your looking for unique and one of a kind items. Wonderful staff too.

Kat Ross

Amazing .

Anita Windisman

Part store, part museum - this is the place see all sorts of mostly animal and some human artefacts here. You will be relieved to find out that they are ethically sourced too. A fascinating place to visit - where taking photos and posting them is encouraged.

Mark Cadman

An absolutely amazing shop with an incredibly friendly and informative staff!

Jean Adams

Wonderful location right next to a bus stop, wonderfully colorful and helpful employees. The exhibit is breath taking and expansive, absolutely a must-see for anyone visiting Toronto. Amazing collection of both human and animal artifacts and taxidermy. A great place for artists to get creative ideas from real life! A great place to learn about nature, both from the store itself and the knowledgeable staff!

Shawn Maclean

Interesting store, excellent staff

Rejean Quesnelle

Great oddity shop. A must visit.

Spam Dagger

This place is amazing. If you're not squeamish and not feint off heart you may have a lot of fun here. There are bones from anything you can think of from bats to humans. It's crazy what you can find here. One half of the place is a store where you can buy tons of fun stuff and the other half is mostly an oddities exhibit with a small reptile zoo in the back. The staff is really knowledgeable and friendly.

VRon

unbelievable rude owner. Also brag about attack trade show booths. Put sign up on other store to say "UNETHICAL donot shop here". seen before. See if same this year. V.unethical and wrong of owner. V.greedy. Also hear in store talk trash about customers and "competitors". I'm guest to Toronto shop tattooer, not return ever here. Do self favor dont. sorry english is bad I'm learning. re: owner response - I watched this happen.

Vicky Kao

Cool place run by a super cool guy

Ivan Latendresse

Hands down the nicest people whom I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and buying from. All staff are very knowledgeable and willing to help you with any of your needs

inked on3

Ben and all his staff are awesome people. I buy from his shop regularly. Fantastic place for artifacts and oddities truly a must see. Keep up the outstanding work

Teresa Villalobos

Awesome place, can’t recommend this place enough to friends and even strangers on the street ????

Lynne Ionita

Amazing product with excellent quality. This is a good store to buy from. Don't be shy to call them if you have questions either! They're customer service is also excellent, they respond to you as quick as they can, are very polite and patient.

Madame Absinthe

AMAZING! Everyone should go experience that fantastic awesomeness that is Prehistoria! Not only do they have a museum of oddities and natural history that you can see FOR FREE, but they have an incredible selection of cool stuff to buy too! Plus the staff is knowledgeable and friendly! What more could you ask for? GO! Go now! Go multiple times! You won't regret it!

Isa Augustin

Love it

Ray Chisholm

Haven't been to the museum (yet ????????) but I've ordered from them a couple times and they're always great! The online store is easy to navigate even from mobile and I love their commitment to ethically and sustainably sourcing their products! Also the prices are excellent and everything comes packaged super well - nothing broken or crushed! And it usually ships to me in BC in about a week.

Allison

Coolest oddity shop I've ever been to. The free museum is amazing!

Yauheni B.

Such a cool place! So many cool items. Free to enter! And you can buy sculls and other suff

dorian labelle

Really cool place awesome bone collection ????

Vince Stupidface

Ive always been interested in anatomy and natural history. The Skull Store has given me the opportunity to collect really cool stuff at prices I can afford. I’ve ordered a variety of different items from the Skull Store and everything arrives safely and quickly to the US. The mystery bags & boxes are great - the value of the contents is more than what you pay for. I’ve developed quite an interesting little collection of insect taxidermy, animal and human bones, Egyptian artifacts, rocks & minerals and miscellaneous neat stuff. I’m always happy with items I have purchased here. Thank you!

Stacey Reid

Very interesting store/museum. Everything on the expensive side but everything is certainly unique. Would give it a 5 star rating but it is a little smelly in there. Definitely worth a visit.

Lee Johnson

on my way to visit this Saturday but i do own several skulls and wet specimens from the webstore

Noremac N

I've purchased a couple items from these guys and the skulls show up poorly packaged and with broken pieces floating around in the packaging. BUYER BEWARE!

Trev B

Never been to the museum in person, but I have purchased a few items from them. Everything arrives as described very quickly and is the real deal! Also, messages are responded to super quick. Love this place and definitely recommend.

Mikey YA YA !

A Museum of natural history (you can actually buy some stuff too!!). Great friendly staff (& a fully-articulated whale fossil hangs wondrously from the shop window!!).

Harbir Anand

A fascinating place. I look forward to the opening.

Josh Horner

Two rooms with enough to see for a half hour visit. I wonder the legitimacy of some of the historic relic items like the Egyptian stuff but the animal skeletons, furs and taxidermy is all really neat.

Gerred Smith

Fun and smells kinda weird too !

IG reikihermitmoon

Creepy and fun.

N

Super cool, fascinating place. Staff is so knowledgable and chatty, which makes it a no-pressure environment. There are some very interesting oddities and various bones. I really love how they are ethical because it shows they care about the animals/things they preserve. There are also live reptiles that are very animated throughout the day. Loved every second of it and would go back.

Grimm Raven

Super cool place, lots of stuff to look at!

Chris Fourney

Lots of dead things. Really cool animal objects but a terrible place to buy knitting supplies. . . Trust me.

Scarlet Black

A true Toronto gem!

Trevor Cuming

Great place, really well done displays with a touch table for some skins and bones. Staff were very personable and funny. Awesome dog, must pet again!

Jermaine Lawrence

Staff is incredible and very friendly. The place is a marvel to explore.

Jessica Hughes

I went into this place expecting a shop that sells bones, but what I got was an experience. When I walked in I was enthralled by the diversity of bones, rocks, minerals, fossils, geodes... You name it! Staff is super nice, and friendly, and they welcome you to wander, snap photos, and enjoy their little world of macabre wonders. 10/10 will return again!

nina salem

Fun place

Katrina Lovrick

Lovely customer service

Edza Sanchez

Excellent place for all ages Dr. Baum is very informative

V M

I can't even begin to thank you guys ! Our cat Olive passed away suddenly a few months ago. We were able to bring her body to you guys for a bone reticulation . We just brought her home , with her heart and some fur. We were worried we wouldn't find anyone in the area to provide this service, so thank you thank you thank you for what you do. It means so much..

Brenda Hand

Amazing place, lots of neat things to see and buy. A huge must to see

Tom Fox

These guys are seriously the best! Knowledgeable staff with massive collection that keeps growing. Live reptiles and amphibians definitely worth checking out!

Fossil Daddy

Love these guys. Always such a pleasure to talk to, and they’ve some amazing stuff

paul ramses

We are so privileged to have the skull shop here in Toronto. It reminds one of how museums should be ;an experience for the senses

Brent B

soo cool good place to take children aswell

Sweet Freak420

If you love anything Prehistoria related, gems, and some weird and interesting things and want to learn something new, check this place out!! Fell in love the moment I walked in the door. If I had a million dollars I'd buy almost one of everything they have for sale!! ????

Horatiu Druma-Strugariu

Cool stuff from a cool shop. Although there was an error with respect to my online order, the shop reached out and rectified it quite quickly and professionally, and indeed providing a superior item instead. Would buy again.

Leanne Loewen

The space might be small but there is a lot to look at! Also, the staff is amazing at answering the endless questions from my kids and the store portion has a lot of amazing items to purchase.

Dan Malette

My favourite place in Toronto! Every time I go, there is something new and exciting. And not many free things to do in the city, but the FREE museum is fun for all ages!

Brad Blucher

Very friendly staff. Huge selection of artifacts. No free parking.

Mollie Pittman

US buyer! I’ve bought from the skull store multiple times as they have a good selection at a fair price compared to oddity stores and expos near me. Every package has come in excellent condition and arrived reasonably fast considering it having to cross into the US. I’ve purchased items from this store that would easily cost me 3-4 times more where I’m located. But what really got me recently was the sincere customer service. The world is a tuff place right now with covid and I think most of us are exhausted. I can’t say I’ve talked to a decent person in what feels like ages.. covid has really taken a toll. And with covid brain I realized I’d completely lost track of a package ordered before thanksgiving.. with the tracking number long gone I felt crazy to even email. I expected Either no reply or a rude reply. I prepared myself to open the email that was sent back and be made to feel a nuisance. But within LITERALLY 5 MINUTES, Ben emailed me back. Polite friendly and understanding. In literally 5 minutes, I had been reassured and had my tracking number. Just a few days later my package arrived in perfect condition as always. Not only did Ben help but was even nice and understanding, which is so hard to come by right now. I conclude this with... Ben rocks.

Lo Lo

Very cool

Andrew Ooms

Fantastic place. We ordered 3k worth of skulls and received them within a week perfectly wrapped up. Cannot be happier with the store. Thank you

Christopher Thorne

Looking forward when they move to a Bloor St. 2020

Fancydino12

It is now my favorite place to visit after work

Joey Proulx

Very cool place!

Ryan Clark

Best oddities shop in Canada. Knowledgeable staff. Ethical.practices. Free museum

redeemed toremain

GREAT WEBSITE! LOVE THE COINS! THX FOR SHARING!

Max Mancuso

Great selection of affordable oddities. Lovely staff. Visiting is just a wonderful experience in general.

Sabrina Paez-Parent

The owner is fantastic and provides details about when and where he acquired the bones. He clearly has a passion for animals- reptiles in particular and for being sustainable when keeping as pets and collecting for his museum. The taxidermy lessons are well attended and the methods and processes are done to be as safe as possible. Highly recommend checking out the reptile zoo in the back!

Aaron G

Very cool shop! Lots of fascinating stuff to see. Highly knowledgeable staff.

Andy Li

This store is awesome! I would love to visit again sometime whenever I have the time.

Double U

Got some really great stuff but also comes with a really really odd and offputting smell.

Mink Minkslaughter

Amazing find. Friendliest owner in the world and so knowledgeable and eager to share what he knows. Go.

Esteban

Awesome place both for learning and if you are into skulls as house decoration. The staff was super knowledgeable and helpful, knew what couldn't and could be brought back over the border. Was a very fun trip seeing everything on the museum side. Will definitely be going back on our next visit to Toronto!

Marc Reeve-Newson

Interesting place. There's a free museum section where you can poke and prod things.

Brooke Macaskill

Love this place. Staff are amazing. The owner Ben is very friendly and interesting to talk to. He's filled with interesting stories and animal facts. And above all it's a place I trust completely to buy animal products. Been a customer for years and I will continue to be.

Charles Moffat

A fascinating place to visit. Wish it was bigger.

Anastasia Kosareva

Awesome place! Great selection of so many things in good condition! Perfect spot to stop by and add things to your collection. Definitely will be back again. And again. :)

Patrick Burke

Really cool store. If you're into buying or just looking at animal and human bones, specimens and taxidermy.

Stephen Geigen-Miller

This place is remarkable, the kind of mashup of store and collection of curiosities that you don't often see anymore, especially in a big city. The exhibits are fascinating, and being kind of crammed into a small space actually adds to the charm!

Guillermo Samaniego

Fun place to spend some time and money, from cruelty free fur to human skulls. ????

Spike

I ordered a package from them and it had the correct address but for some reason did not get delivered to me and was sent back to Toronto. It then took me several emails to get someone to finally write back to me but they said I would have to pay shipping again even though it was not my fault it was not delivered so I then Had to send several more emails before I got a response about getting a refund Instead of having to pay shipping again. They answered me back Finally with “refund sent.” No apology or explanation. I found it kind of rude. But that’s fine if they don’t want my business I will take it some place else. It is a shame though as I have bought things from them on the past but will unfortunately never again. Funny how I send an email and it takes 3+ days for you to get back to me but a bad google review gets an immediate response. I’ve got Canada post saying it’s your fault and I have to contact you but then you say it’s their fault so I’m just stuck in the middle. But Thanks for your “compassion” refund for the product I never received.

Allan Connor

I love this place. It is unique and totally fascinating. You have to have a weird streak to appreciate the place. Staff are friendly, chatty with no pressure to buy.

Jeremy Kuzma

Love the collection, love the staff, either I was laughing with them, or in awe of the collection. Please support this business! They deserve it

Olayemi Rasheed

Nice place ????!

Abdullah Al Zahid

I love museum, I like this place a lot. But they should have more collection.

Doug Sheffer

Absolutely love this place! After following their page on Instagram for over a year I by chance realized they were in Toronto (my wife and I were to be vacationing in Niagara Falls the following week). So we drove an extra hour or two to visit and we were not disappointed! The staff was friendly, the shop has a nice variety of oddities, minerals, and fossils. The museum portion of the building is also very interesting! When we visit Canada again we will definitely return!

drpencilify

Wonderful free museum with great selection in the store. Wide variety of common and rare specimens at a reasonable price, with a healthy sprinkling of gems and other oddities. Staff are knowledgeable and helpful. Parking available around back.

Francesco rigitano

A must-see to spend the day with friends family or just yourself

Vive L’OPC

(Translated) It takes a long time to get your order. I received a letter from Canada Post saying that they can't find my packages, because Ben Lovatt, owner of Skull Store, is a HUNTER / HUSTLER who wraps the customer's order in thin white envelopes when it comes to of supposedly rare metals. Furthermore, Ben Lovatt does not take out insurance on his deliveries. So I lost over $ 150 because without insurance, Canada Post does not take responsibility for the loss and Mr. Lovatt does not even bother to try to correct the situation. For him, customer satisfaction is the last criterion to prioritize. I sent him the Canada Post complaint ticket number, all the evidence that my credit card was charged, but I never received a response from him. However, my order contained only 4 small, easily packable items; 4 bears claws, and some pebbles like Chalcopyrite Ore, Amethyst ... when I received 4 emails stating that the order would be delivered in 4 shippings. In the end, I only received one item out of the five ordered, amethyst and a single bear claw, not 4 as in the photo of the item, when "Bears clawS" is listed in the plural. And see, below, he mentions that the address is untraceable for sending. First, how is it that I received two items but not all of them ?? Yes, put a brain in your animal skull Mr. SkullStore (Original) Ça prend du temps de fou recevoir sa commande. J’ai reçu une lettre de Poste Canada disant qu’ils ne trouvent pas mes colis, car Ben Lovatt, propriétaire de Skull Store, est un ARNAQUEUR/HUSTLER qui emballe la commande du client dans de minces enveloppes blanches lorsqu’il s’agit de métaux supposément rares. De plus que Ben Lovatt ne prend pas d’assurance sur ses livraisons. Ça fait que j’ai perdu plus de 150$, car sans assurance, Poste Canada ne prend pas la responsabilité de la perte et M. Lovatt ne prend même pas la peine de tenter de corriger la situation. Pour lui, la satisfaction du client est le dernier critère à prioriser. Je lui ai envoyé le numéro du billet de plainte de Poste Canada, toutes les preuves comme quoi ma carte de crédit fut débitée, mais je n’ai jamais reçu de réponse de sa part. Pourtant, ma commande ne contenait que 4 petits items facilement emballables ; 4 bears claws, et quelques cailloux comme Chalcopyrite Ore, Amethyst... lorsque j’ai reçu 4 courriels précisant que la commande serait livrée en 4 shippings. Au final, je n’ai reçu que un seul item sur les cinq commandés, l’amethyst et une seule griffe d’ours, non pas 4 comme sur la photo de l’item, quand « Bears clawS » est inscrit au pluriel. Et voyez, ci-bas, il mentionne que l’adresse est non repérable pour envoi. D’abord, comment se fait-il que j’ai reçu deux items mais pas tous?? Oui, mets une cervelle dans ton crâne d’animal Mr. SkullStore

Kay Hawkins

Great shop and museum! Something for everyone living or dead. A great place to check out not just a museum also a store. Great place very educated and enthusiastic staff.

Natalie Robertson

Best place to shop for oddities in Ontario without a doubt

Perla Chumacera

Awesome. Unique great store

Naoki Izumida

There are many very interesting specimens that can be purchased. It is a shop like no other.

Shane Kelly

Nice little spot.

Haggis McBeastie

This place is great! Whether you're there for entertainment or educational purposes, you'll enjoy your visit. Highly recommended.

E Flynn

I've made a few purchases and the staff has always been helpful and friendly

Chris Mahler

Awesome place!

Devon Serket

Very cool place!! Im an artist and wanted to use some skulls and assorted animal parts for painting reference. The for sale section is packed with curious oddities for very reasonable prices, and the products are salvaged (as cruelty free as it gets with taxidermy or skins) and they seem to have partnerships with some indigenous peoples, as they sell native made bear claw necklaces and such. The museum section is small but stacked with fascinating artifacts. I'm glad that this personal collection is being shared with the world (also they have reptiles in the back, so thats a personal plus)

lono lono

very cool spot, with all kinds of bones, fossils, and oddities. fun to look around, and prices are reasonable. definitely worth a trip.

Teresa S.

Although this is a small facility right now, Toronto is fortunate to have access to a place where you can see so many interesting natural artifacts up close and for free. You can also chat with the very knowledgeable and entertaining proprietor. They also run a variety of workshops that are completely unique. Look for the workshops hosted by Jeremy from Meddling with Nature: he's like Sesame Street for adults --- he makes learning so much fun!

Benjamin Giroux

I've ordered multiple items off the online store at this point, and have nothing but good things to say about the quality of the pieces I've got. Exactly as advertised! Great place for oddity collectors!

Melanie McIvor

What a great little shop. So many fascinating this to look at. Loved the vibe too. A very thoughtfully curated space. Thrilled with my very pretty purchases too!

Eve Glazier

An absoloutely amazing ethical place ! The staff are fantastic and knowledgeable! Highly reccomend checking this place out. I can't decide if the shop or the museum is my favorite part! Their social media posts are always A+! I cannot wait to go back!

Max McCullough

I haven’t been there in person for a while, but from what i remember, i absolutely loved it. I order from their online website frequently. I can never have enough in my collection! As a biology and health science major, I’ve always had a fascination with anatomy and the natural world. These specimens always arrive well packaged and in perfect condition. And as an animal lover, i appreciate how the specimens are ethically and sustainably sourced. Thank you, SkullStore!

Scott Hughes

Very unique and unusual place.

Brittney S

Everything here is fantastic - the people and the skulls! Make sure to come with full bank accounts.

Logan Malette

Great educational place to visit. Bring a camera and open mind.

jerry duarte

This place is crazy cool! You can get lost in all the wonder. Staff is crazy cool too

kim saliba

Awesome store!! Beyond cool, so much to take in. Staff is amazing and very knowledgeable. Definitely will visit next time in Toronto. A Toronto gem!!!!

Jeannie Howe

Loved this place. The staff are very informative and friendly.

G B

Always a pleasure to do business with!

ReXx Effects

Best place ever if you like Animals or skeletons or are interested at all in Natural History! A Free Museum, A Reptile Museum, & Skull store !!! If you haven't taken your kids here, you have to go ! If you haven't taken yourself here, you have to go!!! Some of the coolest items you will never see anywhere else !!! Honestly worth a trip at least once and you can't beat the cost, haha

Erik Mitchell

Interesting place with good service

Gregory Phillips

Extremely friendly staff who work hard to provide an amazing resource to the city. It's a great bonus that some of their unique items are for sale. Unlike some similar purveyors, they take care to ensure all animal products are ethically and legally sourced.

kustimork

Fantastic place!

Colin Wily B

The only place in Toronto to buy skulls, skeletons, and other ethically sourced creature parts. The museum is very small but even has some live reptiles! Great place for buying unique gifts, seeing a penguin skeleton, and small animal bones to forecast the crops next season.