For The Birds: Birdhouses for the Down and Out

The adorable Curiosity Shoppe is not likely news to you. An online (and off) retailer based in San Francisco's Mission District, they carry a selection of quirky housewares, books, and unusual objects that include talking paintings, "Put it there Pal" coasters, and ties that offer "how to" instruction.

The Curiosity Shoppe has recently teamed up with artists, Luke Bartels and Jeff Canham, to offer a neighborhood of wooden bird houses. This particular neighborhood is on the seedy part of town of course, and includes a bail bond office, a foreclosed home, a strip club, a liquor store and a pawn shop. These bird houses measure only 5-7" square and vary in height to about 11" tall. I am a sucker for all of the building detailing which includes newsstands, street lighting, dumpsters, payphones and surveillance cameras.

You can own one of these bird houses for your yard for a not so down and out price of $675.

(Images: Curiosity Shoppe)

Comments (12)

These are so clever! (But $675...really?!).

love love love these. was dying. the little dumpster, so cute. heh. but the price. ouchie magouchie!!!

These are incredibly offensive. $675 to mock the poor side of town? The foreclosure one is particularly not cool, considering how many people are struggling with the issue right now.

Love!! but yeah, priced like artist objects and not like birdhouses. But it gives me great ideas to make my own...

At first *peep* I love these--clever! but $700 for a birdhouse with a down and out theme is kinda ironic, no?

they look like mass productions. 10 year olds from china feeding their family. Send your $$ directly where you want.

I saw these in person and they were AMAZING - much better than the photos depict.

Handcrafted - to the point you would expect a $700 object to be (one of the artists has a woodworking background) - and each is one of a kind. They actually only produced like ten or twelve houses total, so it's definitely not mass-produced.

Although I don't have the spare change for one of these, totally worth the $675. I guess a few other San Franciscans thought so too as only one or two are still available for sale.

i'm with chillrepute. making fun of poor people and their neighborhoods just isn't funny. or cute. i mean, really - jail birds? it's HILARIOUS that people in jail are disproportionately poor! please.

I found some unique birdhouses for sale. They are really cute and reasonably priced!

Check them out at http://youruniquehousedecor.com.

Donna