Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy
Stacy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a young boy in Texas, I always loved learning about animals. Like so many others, it started with dinosaurs, but then I learned about other prehistoric animals, then modern animals, then people and cultures, and how it all comes together under the umbrella of nature, biology, and evolution. I received my degree in anthropology from UCF, and have always considered myself a life-long naturalist. Whether it’s hunting for fossils, visiting museums and zoos, or taking photographs on safari, my mind can’t escape it. Back in 2014, I decided to make it my career to sell natural history specimens. In doing so, I can share my passion with so many others.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s never a smooth road. While I do have help from time to time, I’m basically a one-man-band when it comes to preparing most of my specimens to where I feel the quality is suitable enough to share with the public. Not only do I do sell specimens at our host store within Adjectives Market (Winter Garden and Altamonte Springs locations), but I also travel the country selling specimens at conventions. It’s a lot to prepare for, and I’m always trying to keep up with the demand. As the old saying goes, it’s “a good problem to have.” None of this would have even been possible though had my wife not carried the burden of supporting the both of us financially at the beginning while I got this business off the ground.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The majority of our specimens can be broken down into these categories: fossils, minerals, skulls, skeletons, taxidermy, wet specimens, and mounted insects, the latter unquestionably being our most popular product. I would say that pinning and mounting insects is my favorite part of the job, though it is the most demanding because of their popularity (and because I’m a perfectionist). I’d say what really sets us apart though, is our presentation. Whether it’s at our vendor spaces at Adjectives Market, or in our booths at conventions, we always present ourselves with an old world elegance, in my opinion. With glass cases and cabinetry, we try to invoke the feeling of being in a museum, or study, or a wunderkammer of sorts.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson is to always remember what the majority of customers find interesting, and to not spend too much money in other areas. If something isn’t gaining as much interest as other specimens, then that should be a good indicator of where to focus more.
Pricing:
- Mounted insects: $60 – $200
- Fossils: $15 – $10,000
- Wet specimens: $5 – $500
- Skulls: $20 – $1,000
- Taxidermy: $75 – $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DarwinAndWallace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darwin.and.wallace.store/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarwinAndWallaceStore/
Image Credits
Stacy Trenary
