Today we’d like to introduce you to Karis Miranda.
Hi Karis, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Dungeon Oddities is owned by husband and wife duo, Ivan and Karis Miranda. I (Karis) had been selling clothes online for about 10 years prior to getting into the oddities selling space. Around 2021, I (Karis) began selling online on Instagram as I discovered a whole market of online sellers making Instagram their main “storefront.” Myself and Ivan then began doing live sales on Instagram with other sellers in the community and began to source a more curated selection based on our special interests. We began sourcing antique religious items, medical items, taxidermy, antique photos, antique dolls and other odd inventory. We then began vending at events in 2023 and quickly found a community that we absolutely loved.
We had hopes of one day opening a storefront but had no solid plans. In 2025, we began searching for a house. Our goal was to own a Victorian Era home and adorn it with our collection of eclectic, spooky finds. Life had other plans when we discovered a home in Oley, Pennsylvania built between the 1730s and 1750s that had the front of the home zoned as a light business. Upon touring the home, we immediately felt “home” and quickly submitted an offer on the home and the rest is history.
After purchasing the home/shop in November 2024, Dungeon Oddities opened up on April 18th, 2025. Our plan was never to be “just” an Oddities Shop. Because of the advantage of having the shop in our home space, we began acquiring vendors without requiring them to pay us a monthly rent. We wanted to give local artists the opportunity to sell their wares without an expectation of owing us whether or not they made sales. We also wanted to be a safe place in a scary world.
In October 2025, we became aware that the government shut down was going to leave people without their much needed SNAP benefits. We had put out a call to action on our social media to collect non-perishable food items and hygiene products at the shop. We were incredibly overwhelmed by the response. We decided that we would dedicate ourselves and our shop space to Mutual Aid in our Berks County community and quickly acquired volunteers to deliver food to recipients. We allowed people in need to reach out to us and request food and/or hygiene products. We would then deliver meal and hygiene kits to the recipients door – we had come to find requiring pick-up was a barrier that kept many from accessing assistance. At one point, in one single day, we had conducted 17 deliveries to families. We were overwhelmed by the need that was so apparent in our community.
Unfortunately, I (Karis) was in a very bad head-on collision car accident in March 2026 which led to the very hard decision to step away from mutual aid to focus on my health and allow for other groups to take over the hard work we had been so dedicated to. It was hard to step away from mutual aid as the need was and still is very much so present. However, it was needed for the sake of my health. We plan on re-entering the mutual aid space once my health is better managed because, like I said, we never wanted Dungeon Oddities to just be a place to shop.
At this time, we have over 50 artist vendors covering a litany of different mediums and styles. Our favorite part of the shop is the eclectic variety of offerings. Our second favorite thing is our “shop cats,” two sphynx named Roxanne and Ruby, that often grace the shop with their presence. It has quickly become a frequent request from customers to catch a glimpse of Roxanne and Ruby. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching the joy people get from interacting with our “shop cats.”
We have met so many wonderful people from our town and the surrounding areas through the shop and are encouraged by the support we have received. We feel as if we’re truly only at the beginning of our journey and growth despite having been operating for well over a year. We have hosted a fall fest in 2025, a candle and tea making class, terrarium building class and other classes, including a Women’s Safety Seminar (for FREE). We hope to continue to host community driven events and keep growing our business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely been a learning curve on running a physical storefront versus online sales. However, we have been incredibly lucky to have had no catastrophic struggles (apart from a car accident, falling and getting a concussion, and a broken foot in the matter of 3 months this year).
If we were just to be a shop, I believe we would have a “smoother” run. But, the added stress of mutual aid did create a very stressful time period and subsequent burn out for us. We desperately want to “do it all” but everyone has their limitations and we’ve been learning ours. Additionally, Ivan and I still work full time jobs Monday through Friday. So, our schedules can be quite jam packed between sourcing for the shop, creating content for the shop, answering emails and messages, pricing & cleaning inventory and cleaning the shop on top of our full time jobs & duties of the household. We do not have any days off but we still wouldn’t change it for the world. We love being a safe space away from the insanity of the world and being apart of a community striving to create a better world for everyone.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Aside from sourcing antiques & oddities for the shop, I (Karis) create different pieces involving taxidermy butterflies, animal bones & skulls, dried florals, crystals and more. It has been a creative outlet for me that I thoroughly enjoy. I am committed to ethical and sustainable displays. I often used secondhand and/or damaged vessels to put my creations in. Sometimes they are cloches or convex framed displays but they can also be in vessels like a dismantled, broken clock or other non-traditional items. The butterflies, bones and other specimen I use are either vintage specimen or found in the wild. I also utilize flowers and other greenery from our property. I pour a lot of love and care into my items and do my best to keep my prices low. We believe in making oddities affordable as we have seen the oddities market get out of control and unattainable for many.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Ivan, my husband, has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter. I give him a vision and he executes it. He has taken care of me as my physical and mental health has floundered and has always shown up when I need it. Additionally to that, my sister has also shown up in massive ways. My sister, Hannah, frequently helps me run the shop, which tends to be the only time we get to really see family. It is a lot to sacrifice losing weekends to the shop and not being able to spend time with family and friends. But, my sister has made it a point to travel nearly 2 hours one way to hang out with us while we run the shop quite frequently. Words cannot simply express how grateful I am for Hannah and her commitment to being the best, supportive older sister.
Furthermore, enough cannot be said about how amazing our vendors are. They have shown up and supported us in ways we could never repay. We feel incredibly lucky to have such fantastic vendors who not only elevate our space but enrich our lives.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dungeonoddities?stkn=ZHRqYzR2dzNvaWQ0&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19ZLWD69Xh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
