The sentiment of the oft-repeated slogan, "Keep Portland Weird" is exemplified in the eclectic shop / museum known as the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium.
According to the Peculiarium's website, the shop and art space was established in 1967 by a Portland, Oregon explorer named Conrad Talmadge Elwood whose love for all things weird, freaky and zany caused him to have a dream of the store which he promptly forgot. While Elwood's story is suspect, the fabricated origin is perfectly in character for the shop which seems to celebrate pranks and hucksterism.
The space contains a massive Bigfoot statue that greets customers and the shelves are jam packed with weird pop artifacts, cheap gag toys, and creepy specimens. There is even a life-size recreation of an alien autopsy that visitors can pose with. In addition to the items for sale, the space doubles as an art gallery, spotlighting local Portland artists who can hang their works among the bustling kitsch ephemera.
Ironically the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium's most squirm-inducing attraction is not its fake severed body parts, but its ice cream parlor. In the back of the space, visitors with an iron stomach can order an ice cream, but the toppings aren't made of candy. Instead, you can take your pick of dried scorpions, mealworms or crickets to spice up your dessert.