Arkana Antiques and Oddities opens at 900 Rutter Ave
Feb. 3—FORTY FORT — Arkana Antiques and Oddities just opened inside 900 Rutter Ave. The new shop showcases creativity that stretches the bounds of the imagination.
Artist and owner, Elissa Kline literally gives animals new life at Arkana. Opening at the end of December 2023, the new store features an assortment of creepy, cool and "oddly" cute designs for decor, art, jewelry, gifts, and more.
It's a gallery just as much as it is a store. The whole place is bright, open, and invites shoppers to rethink their perspective of anatomy.
Elissa Kline is a relative of Franz Kline, the famous abstract artist who grew up in Wilkes-Barre, however she makes her own creations — out of preserved animals! She creates one-of-a-kind works of art using bugs, rodents, reptiles, bones, skulls, and other unique elements. What better way to express life and death?
Elissa Kline said she was always interested in both art and science, but it was while working at the "Bodies Revealed" exhibit in Arizona that she discovered her true passion for oddities. After that, she was comfortable with the macabre.
"There would be a lot of times that the exhibit wouldn't really have anyone in there, so I'd walk around and check out everything," said Elissa Kline. "It was an exhibit based on real human cadavers but showing the actual science. You don't realize what you live in everyday until you see it like that."
Elissa Kline has been an artist her entire life. She started with drawing and always thought she'd become a tattoo artist but after returning from "Bodies Revealed," her work began bridging the gap between art and science. She began creating 3D art that incorporated pinning, mounting, and taxidermy. Tattooing wasn't going to be enough for Elissa — she had to take her art to the next dimension.
Elissa uses deceased, preserved animals to create brand new works of art. With these creations, you can view these magnificent creatures in a whole new light.
"I like working with insects because, before working with oddities, I never realized how many incredible species there really are," said Elissa Kline.
The scorpion butterfly wall art, displayed in gorgeous ornate frames, is one of her favorite pieces of late. She realized that when butterfly bodies are damaged, she can replace them with a scorpion to create a whole new metamorphic creature. And it does somehow look right! You'll have to see it for yourself.
Her father also does all the woodwork featured in the shop, including handmade walking sticks and one even made from wood out of a dormant poison tree. He was always a big inspiration for Elissa to go after her wildest dreams.
One of Elissa Kline's very first oddities, a walrus skull found by her father during his travels at sea.
Also, inside her literal cabinet of curiosities, you can view a dolphin and walrus skull so old that they're considered fossils. These were the first oddity pieces in her collection. They were discovered by her dad during his many years spent sailing at sea. They're extra special — and extra rare.
Most of the creations at Arkana Antiques and Oddities are straight from the mind of Elissa Kline, but the store also works with other artists to sell their curiosities at the new store. These pieces are something you won't find anywhere else.
In the coming year, she aims to build a sense of community with other like-minded alternative and oddities artists. She wants to give other artists the chance to display their works that may otherwise be overlooked at other, for lack of a better term, "mainstream" galleries.
"We're a small business that supports different small businesses," said Elissa Kline. She also sources all her materials from other small businesses as well.
Arkana Antiques and Oddities will soon begin monthly Fine Arts and Curiosities events starting Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will host art, food, vendors, and more from other local creatives. It will then take place every third Saturday of the month.
Arkana Antiques and Oddities at 900 Rutter Ave — Photo by Gabrielle Lang, The Weekender
She's looking forward to bringing new visitors to the beautiful new storefront and to the wonderfully and artfully wacky land that is 900 Rutter Ave.
Elissa Kline has been in business for five years but only as a vendor in the past. So, when she got the opportunity to move into 900 Rutter Ave — she took it! She owns the store with her husband, Dave Baella Jr., and they opened practically overnight over Christmas Weekend.
Um also, if you've never taken a trip to 900 Rutter Ave — it is an actual indoor wonderland. How have I never been here!? There's interesting, unusual design lurking around every corner, like a real-life Tim Burton movie or trip to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory!
Ever wanted to do yoga, grab brunch, get tattooed, eat chocolate, and buy art in one day? Well, this is the block to go to have the coolest day ever. There are no two businesses alike in this zany building that lets the imagination run free.
900 Rutter Ave just feels welcoming to all creatives and that's the same kind of environment Elissa Kline wants to build at Arkana as well, especially by holding Fine Arts and Curiosities each month. She also has a connection to this building in more ways than one.
"This building has always been a special building to me. When I came back from Arizona and I was going to school for forensic science, I actually started across the hallway at the cupcake shop and then, that's where I met him (*gestures to Dave*). And now, we're married!" said Kline. "Everybody who's meant to be here, the building has a way of pulling them into it."
This artist said she used to watch forensic documentaries while painting skeletons. This path, as strange as it may seem to some, is the same one that's continued to find her throughout her life. Now, she's opened a full store dedicated to that self-expression.
Visit Elissa Kline and Dave Baella Jr.'s new store, Arkana Antiques and Oddities in Forty Fort and feast your eyes on art unlike anything you've ever dreamed up before.
