A Look at SoCal’s First Steampunk Odditorium

If you’re in the market for a new top hat and a preserved sheep’s brain, there’s a nearby business offering you a one-stop shop.

North County recently became home to Doctor Watson’s Steampunk Odditorium, a store filled with things that’ll likely confound and creep you out a little—but that’s the point.

This shop—which is the first of its kind in Southern California—has a lot of locals scratching their heads, however. That’s because many have never heard of steampunk, a science fiction subculture that blends Victorian themes with post-apocalyptic modern technology. The shop carries common steampunk costume props like goggles, bloomers and ray guns.

“We’re getting a lot of people in that didn’t even know this stuff existed,” said store manager Celeste Barbier. While some customers are just learning about the subculture, there is a growing steampunk community in San Diego. Barbier said she also hopes ComicCon, slated July 12 to 15, will bring in more customers.

Peppered into that steampunk apparel is an impressive inventory for anyone who has a penchant for collecting things that are downright bizarre, everything from shrunken heads to jars of leeches.

“We sold out our fetal pigs and our frogs the first night,” she said. “We try to have unusual things you just can’t find at any other shop or boutique.”

The shop is attached to a tattoo parlor, which belongs to the same owner.

“This kind of started out as a grandiose waiting room for the tattoo shop and the boutique grew around it,” Barbier explained.

Doctor Watson’s Steampunk Odditorium is located at 421 A. South Coast Highway 101 in Oceanside. The store is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (760) 757-6628.