The 12 Things You Can’t Live Without from Wally’s Castle in Grand Rapids

I pride myself in my love of all things antique mall and flea market. If you're willing to walk around and dig, you can find a massive amount of treasures, sometimes for a steal.

Sometimes, however, you run into a wild amount of nonsense that will either haunt your nightmares or make the greatest conversation piece the next time someone comes over to visit.

Grand Rapids has had Wally's Treasures on 28th in Wyoming for awhile, but they've now expanded into a second location with over 100 vendors, called Wally's Castle. And let me tell you, I found some royally amazing things during their opening weekend.

A ton of tiny wooden shoes

West Michigan has it's fair share of Dutch and European influence, so it's not totally surprising to find souvenir wooden shoes somewhere secondhand. I was just surprised at HOW MANY of these tiny shoes one vendor had. One size fits all, but I'm sure you an make do.

A boyfriend arm pillow

Need someone to hold you at night? Want to creep everyone else out on your next flight? This boyfriend arm pillow is perfectly weird enough to make everyone in your life uncomfortable the next time they come over to visit.

These homemade Simpson's dolls

Sure, you can find tons of officially licensed merchandise from Matt Groening's hit animated sitcom, but what fun is that? Marge is missing an arm, and Bart is entirely missing from the collection, but that won't stop your fun.

Uranium Glass

These pieces of glass are neat and tend to trend on social media frequently. They have small traces of uranium in them (which is why they are no longer produced today) which causes them to glow under a black light.

This may be one of the larger collections of uranium glass I've seen, so if you're hunting you're in luck at Wally's Castle.

This taxidermy nightmare

I guess this squirrel schoolboy is the most unique thing you'll find at Wally's Castle, but I'm not sure it's the one you want to take him. Perfectly fun for anyone who loves all things creepy, but honestly I had a nightmare starring him last night so... good luck.

A KISS Skateboard

Lots of music memorabilia exists on their floor, but this may be one of the more original things you'll find. If you're a KISS fan or just looking for a deck unlike any others, this may need to come home with you.

This theatrical release 'Tootsie' poster

Remember that time Dustin Hoffman played a man who wore a dress to make money? Sure, this movie wouldn't fly in 2022, but that doesn't have to stop you from adding to your mancave or she-shed. (or, don't.)

A room full of dolls

Some people apparently find dolls to be cute or endearing. I, however, find them to be tiny potential vessels for nightmares. And if you're in the same camp as me, I'd recommend skipping this room entirely.

"Oops, I sharted myself!" sanitizer

We all needed hand sanitizer desperately at the start of the pandemic 2 years ago. But, are you desperate enough to use this one? No idea what the smell is, but I think I'll pass...

And last but not least...

This weird decorative plate

I'm sure there is a story behind this plate, but it's lost on me. I have no idea why his forehead is a 15head, but it's making me and everyone else a little uncomfortable.

And to hold myself accountable, I left with this guy:

He's weird, and he's keeping my bookshelf company. So, don't worry I found something just for me there too.

Good luck out there to everyone trying to find their next special treasure at Wally's Castle or anywhere like it. May your hunts be inexpensive and just weird enough to make this list.