Coronavirus April 2021 Update: Please note that some information in the posts may have changed and some places may be closed.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

California Through My Lens

California Travel, Food, Hiking & Road Trips

  • Start Here
  • Explore
    • Beaches
    • Bizarre
    • Caves
    • Food
    • Hikes
    • Historical Structures
    • Natural Wonders
    • Waterfalls
  • Drive
    • El Camino Real
    • Highway 395
    • LA to Las Vegas
    • Pacific Coast Highway
    • Route 66
  • National Parks
    • Channel Islands
    • Death Valley
    • Joshua Tree
    • Lassen Volcanic
    • Pinnacles
    • Redwoods
    • Sequoia & Kings Canyon
    • Yosemite
  • Cities
    • Los Angeles
    • Palm Springs
    • Sacramento
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • Resources
    • Day Trip Ideas
    • Road Trip eBooks
    • Hotels
    • My Favorite Travel Products
    • Travel Videos
  • Browse By …
    • Map Of Locations
    • Cities
    • Counties
    • National Parks
    • State Parks

LA Coroner’s Gift Shop: Skeletons in the Closet (closed as of May 2019)

Last Modified: November 30, 2019

27shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Yep I did it. I went to the LA Coroner’s gift shop called Skeletons in the Closet. I even took Amie along with me, and though she wasn’t super excited to go, she enjoyed it. Yes, it is located in the coroner’s office of LA, and yes, it does sell nothing but weird crime scene and coroner related merchandise, but it has been attracting visitors from all over the world in its 19 years of existence. They also have tens of thousands of people on their catalog mailing list. So check out the photos or go in person if you have been desperately searching for that perfect chalk outline beach towel (their top seller). Update 2019 – Unfortunately, this is now closed.

The store has been in existence for almost 20 years, and in that time it has gathered a pretty large following and been moved right into the principal office of the LA Coroner. When I was there on a Friday morning, there were three other people there as well, one who was spending over 100 dollars on merchandise. They sell everything from shirts and crime scene kits to full-scale body bags, body outline notepads, and beach towels.

The store owner told me that spending over 50 dollars is not outside of the norm and that they have people come from all over the world to see what they have to offer and to bring something back (especially their towels). For a store that can’t be more than 25 square feet, this is a pretty impressive achievement. There is almost no mention of the store anywhere on or around the building; there is simply a door with small letters that states gift shop when you enter.

Skeletons in the Closet entrance

Another thing that sways many purchases is that all of the proceeds go to anti-drunk driving programs for youth, which makes it a lot easier to splurge on some of the crazy items, and their prices are pretty low. The best part about the store is that they don’t take themselves seriously. I think they are well aware of how ridiculous it all sounds, and they use that to their advantage with signs saying, “Checks accepted with two forms of ID or dental records.”

It is a unique experience, but probably one for those with a darker sense of humor. I didn’t leave empty-handed, I invested one dollar in a nice new pen. Check out the rest of the pictures and get directions below if you want to check it out for yourself.

Filed Under: Southern California, Strangely Awesome Tagged With: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County

Interested in supporting this blog?

This blog is simply a hobby and labor of love for me. If you have enjoyed the posts consider sharing it with your friends. I want as many people as possible to explore this state and you can help by letting them know about all of the great spots!

Join the Newsletter

Subscribe for the four day welcome series and to get the latest content every month.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    About JoshMc

    Thanks for checking out the blog, I am happy to be sharing my adventures with you! You can get to know me by reading my about me, which includes a video and additional information on the site, myself and my full disclosure. Also, follow along on Twitter here or read all of my posts on this blog here.

    Primary Sidebar

    About

    Josh from California Through My Lens My name is Josh, and for the last 10 years, I have been exploring as much of California as I possibly can. This site is a collection of those adventures to encourage you to get out and explore California for yourself. More about me.

    Popular Posts

    The Big List of Strange, Fun & Unique Attractions in Southern California
    Pacific Coast Highway: Where to Stop on Your Road Trip
    Top Hiking Trails in Southern California
    Fun Stops on the Drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
    24 Things to do in Downtown LA
    17 Things to do in Lake Tahoe
    Donner Pass, Summit Tunnel Hike: Old Abandoned Railroad

    Categories

    Other Resources


    Footer

    Search the site

    Additional Information

    Privacy Policy

    About Us

    Copyright California Through My Lens, LLC © 2021