Inside Ryan Matthew Cohn’s Cvrated, rare curiosities, macabre artifacts, and unconventional treasures become a cabinet of wonders waiting to be discovered.
Behind a matte-black metal door in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, is a new epicenter for the “Kunstkammer,” or “cabinet of curiosities,” subgenre of collecting—Cvrated by Ryan Matthew Cohn. Who better to represent such a place than Cohn, whose assemblage art installations and personal collection have influenced a new generation of antiques enthusiasts leaning toward the macabre and obscure. He and his wife and business partner, Regina M. Rossi, co-founded the groundbreaking traveling Oddities Flea Market in 2017. The bazaar gathers vendors in fields from Victoriana and natural history specimens to Gothic-leaning fashions, in cities from New York to Los Angeles. Recently, they released their first book, The Witch’s Door: Oddities and Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme (Chronicle, 2024). Cohn is also the host of “Antiques and Their Afterlives,” a recurring virtual series on Atlas Obscura that welcomes viewers into their nineteenth-century Connecticut home to survey the wondrous objects therein (their home was also featured in “Living with Antiques: The Oddities Couple” in this magazine’s March/April 2023 issue).
of a painting of an unidentified saint. All photographs by Pieter Estersohn.
Indeed, stepping inside Cvrated is not unlike visiting the couple at home, as most of the wares are from Cohn’s private stock. Though he’s been a buyer and dealer since adolescence, this is his first physical retail location. “Space has always been an issue,” he explains. “We filled our brownstone in Brooklyn, and showroom costs in New York City were too high.” Relocating to southern Connecticut provided more space for storage, but that was just a temporary solution. After searching for a few years, he finally found a newly renovated warehouse in Bridgeport’s East End. “It’s a great location for industry buyers and regular customers,” Cohn says.
The gallery experienced a stellar debut over Valentine’s Day weekend, when standing room was scarce and many of the original offerings were snapped up by friends and loyal fans. “This feels like the Oddities Flea Market,” Rossi commented on that first day.
taxidermy bobcat (top) and smaller goods such as coral specimens or vintage dental molds.
On the heels of this initial success, CVRATED’s customer base has expanded to include visitors from afar and curious walk-ins, many of whom discovered the showroom through social media.
“The clientele dictates what’s coming in,” Cohn says. “Customers are looking more for true ‘Kunstkammer’ objects and ways to display them, and fewer decorative pieces.” Those who come searching represent a broad spectrum of collecting concentrations that he aims to serve at a variety of price points. Cohn’s talent for presentation is augmented by the contrasting genres of art and antiques he collects, encouraging others to approach collecting from a similar viewpoint. “The rules don’t have to be so strict,” he explains. “All that matters is what makes sense to the buyer and viewer.”
Cvrated is only open on Sundays or by appointment, as most of Cohn’s time is spent sourcing goods to suit his clientele’s ever-changing tastes. Plans for expanding the showroom are underway to provide more space for customers to browse the trove of treasures great and small, and, of course, a greater capacity for inventory. “We have new stuff coming in daily,” Cohn smiles. “Keeping it full? No problem.”
