Taxidermy and 'oddities,' Jackson's newest downtown business attracts rare market
Skulls or bones, hearts or lungs, insects or mammals. Wet specimens or mummified frames in jars or boxes. Just about anything of an "odd" nature can be found on the shelves of SmithodditieS, Jackson's newest downtown business, or "friendly odd dead dealer," the hub for taxidermy and sights uncommon to the everyday browser.
When Jackson native Dustin Smith left his job working in a body shop after 11 years, he seldom thought there would be a market for "oddities," especially not one big enough that would lead him to open a business specializing in them.
He began with a website four years ago, selling and shipping his pieces across the country and internationally. In 2023 alone, he shipped 572 packages with the highest volume of orders coming from California, Florida, Tennessee, and Washington.
Shipping products to every state and nearly a dozen countries, all items are packaged and distributed by Smith himself. In addition to his website, he would vend his goods at events and have local tattoo shops keep items for sale in their display cases.
On Jan. 6, he opened a brick-and-mortar store at 207 East Main Street in the heart of downtown Jackson.
Entirely self-taught and with moral integrity at the forefront of his business model, he says, Smith's niche market is changing the conversation around taxidermy and preservation.
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A taxidermy kingpin
His store contains nearly anything and everything in the realm of taxidermy and preservation of animals such as raccoons, opossums, deer, goats, bobcats, and crocodiles, which scratch the surface of what he has to offer.
The majority of the animals he works on are roadkill, either picked up by him or delivered by a connection, but some come from farms where they died of natural causes. Choosing ethically-sourced animals is a non-negotiable for Smith.
"I don't want to make money on the backs of animals that have been killed for the sole purpose of being sold," he said.
When he started his unique entrepreneurial endeavor, he was living in Henderson and looking for animals on the side of the highways became routine. He learned how the animals migrate depending on mating patterns and which year's seasons yield the most roadkill as more animals venture near roads to find food.
He has since developed a vast network of sources across the state who aid in his search and let him know when they spot an animal on the side of the road for him to pick up.
With his connections extending as far as Texas and Florida, he receives tips and offers about roadkill from out of state regularly. If interested, he pays for the parts of the animal he needs and has it shipped to him.
On the flip side, he makes it clear that he "won't pay for killed animals."
"If somebody kills one in their chicken coup or something like that, I'll take it but I don't buy it, I won't pay for it," Smith said.
Waste not, want not
Every component of an animal that comes across Smith's hands is maximized to the fullest extent, except for the intestines and most hides, he said. Bones are kept and sold in bags or individually and organs or the animal in its entirety are preserved in jars.
While much of the roadkill comes with acutely damaged hides, to begin with, the market for animal hides continues to decrease and the return on investment when sold is minimal.
"I'm more for just not letting things go to waste. If it's going to rot in a ditch, I'd rather make it something that people can enjoy," he said.
Adhering to his resourceful approach, he purchases already-dissected squid specimens from college marine biology classes, making use of parts like its gills and tentacles which would otherwise be disposed of.
Supply and demand
Not a problem he's upset to have, the demand for his "animal dolls" is unrelenting.
"Maintaining the supply is difficult when you're a one-man operation," he said.
Dolls are made with smaller-sized animals like raccoons, which are stuffed, then dressed in doll-clothes. Eyes are replaced with gems or pearlescent buttons, while the dresses and doll bodies themselves are sourced from thrift stores. Making the dolls can take anywhere from three to four hours but, at times, up to 10 hours — the more decorative, the more time-consuming.
"I didn't expect it to be as big of a demand in Jackson," he said.
Both a challenging and empowering task, he feels more connected to everything by doing it himself.
"I tell people all the time that for the most part, you can point out a specimen, and I can tell you where it came from, where I found it, or how it died just because I'm that connected to what I do," Smith said.
With an overwhelmingly positive response to the opening of his store, he says he's already developed regular customers in the short time he's been on Main Street.
"I'm proud of it though. It's really starting to seem like Jackson might be a really cool, art, alt-supporting area and I'm for it. I just want to be a part of it."
He encourages people to explore the shop even if they don't buy anything, as the reactions to his work are what's priceless.
"I just enjoy seeing people come in here, and it's a pretty cool feeling that people come in and look around at stuff that I've made with their mouth open," he said.
"As long as I can pay my bills and my family's happy, I'm not trying to make a million dollars, I'm just trying to help other businesses and other people."
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Taxidermy, skulls characterize Jackson's newest downtown business
