Entry No. 10 — the Helena file — filed under: oddities

Curiouser and Curiouser

Retired Carroll College philosophy professor Barry Ferst opened this storefront the same day he stopped teaching, filling it with the 'urban folk art' he builds at his home workshop. The walls carry framed historic photos and 1940s comic covers, while interactive box-sculptures made from Barbie dolls, 1950s toy rockets and other castoff Americana have moving parts you can fiddle with. A taxidermy jackalope (white rabbit with hooked antlers) presides over the room and is pointedly not for sale. It's less a store than one man's walk-in cabinet of curiosities.

The move: Tumble down the rabbit hole on a Saturday afternoon, taking turns cranking the handles on Ferst's kinetic junk-sculptures and arguing over which is the strangest.

📍 Before you go Limited posted hours (roughly Thu/Fri afternoons and Saturday late morning to afternoon); call 406-438-8736 to confirm before going, as it's a one-person operation.

• 📍 Helena
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 429 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24