GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Hundreds of people poured into DeVos Place on Saturday to witness all things strange at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo.

The expo was founded by Michelle Cozzaglio and her husband in 2017 but made its Grand Rapids debut Saturday. 

“My husband Tony is actually from Grand Rapids. He grew up here and so I’ve always wanted to add it to our schedule,” Cozzaglio said. “I’m really excited to be in Grand Rapids and I think it’s going to be bigger and better than we thought it would be.”

The expo is advertised “for lovers of the strange, unusual, and bizarre” and showcases a variety of vendors, dealers, artists and small businesses. 

“We have vendors from all over the country with all things weird, so people come here looking for taxidermy, skulls, bones, dark art, fantasy style art. I mean, we really specialize in all things weird and we try to have something weird for everyone,” Cozzaglio said. 

Vendors like Kei LaVonne, who owns Neant Glass, said it’s a great opportunity to showcase her products. 

“I make things out of stained glass with sterling silver, natural gemstones, butterflies and then I do some art pieces,” LaVonne said. “I think this is my seventh Oddities and Curiosities Expo. I’ve been doing it for two years now. The crowds, the attendees, the vendors, and the owners of it are just the nicest people I’ve ever met. So they’ve made me feel very welcome and with the positive reception I’ve had on my work here, it’s made me really be motivated to grow as an artist, try new things and meet new people with it.”

In light of the large turnout, event organizers said they already have plans to bring the expo back to Grand Rapids in 2024, making it two days instead of just one.