UWS Maxilla & Mandible Has Closed, Get Your Bones Elsewhere

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Famed Upper West Side store and "World Renowned Natural History and Science Emporium" Maxilla & Mandible closed its doors on Sunday, with a (genius) sign posted on the window that read "Gone Digging." The shop has been hawking fossils, skulls, dinosaur sculptures, and all sorts of bones since 1983, making it an UWS staple for just about everybody. Because who doesn't want to poke around in a store full of old bones?

Owner Henry Galiano blames the closure on rising rents, nearby scaffolding, and initially, difficulty parking due to the Columbus Avenue bike lane. West Side Rag reports that Galiano will still find rare bones for private clients, but the shop itself is dunzo. After a massive sale (dinosaur teeth were 50% off), the shop has shut its doors to the dismay of residents and paleontologists alike. "Throughout the week, Galiano said, people kept coming into the store aghast to hear it was closing, some of them even breaking down in tears."
· Maxilla & Mandible Closes Its Doors For Good: "Gone Digging" [West Side Rag]
· Maxilla and Mandible [Official Site]