Taxidermy art. Vintage goods and oddities. Potion bottles and antique uranium glass juicers. Nothing combines witchy and whimsy better than Morii Mercantile, created in 2024 by Katie Donner after noticing a lack of spooky goods quite like hers in Bellingham.
Photograph by Katie Donner
“I haven’t seen many people locally doing my kind of art. I’ve mostly seen it other places online, and I feel like Bellingham is, in general, really good at living authentically, so I wanted to contribute to that,” says Donner.
Donner’s fascination with the spooky started when she was a kid, which is when she began collecting oddities. Now, she is a Ouija board collector and a “haunted doll caretaker” on top of being an artist, according to her TikTok. “I felt for a long time that I couldn’t really be myself and show that to the world. What really changed that for me was wanting to be an example for other people,” says Donner. “Just be weird. [I’m] so much happier being weird.”
Donner’s popularity and success began after posting a TikTok video in late 2024 showing her beautiful butterfly taxidermy art, which gained almost 2 million views. Now, with over 30,000 followers on the app, she has a successful 5-star-rated Etsy shop, with countless more sales from her pop-up table at markets.
Photograph by Katie Donner
Everything is handmade, and Donner does her best to source all materials honorably. “I go through a lot of ethically-sourced insects. They’re mostly scientific specimens. I also have a few friends who will scavenge bones in Friday Harbor and bring those back to me, which is super cool,” says Donner. “So I like to find things locally and naturally if I can.”
Some of her artwork takes up to 10 hours from start to finish, as there is a lot of waiting when it comes to creating taxidermy art. Not only does she have to wait hours for the glue to dry, but the bugs take two days to dry after Donner pins them. “I have to dry flowers for two weeks at a time, it’s all staggered and spread out,” says Donner. The detailed, precise, and wonderful artwork that you see Donner produce is made after hours of patience and impeccable handmade placement, which comes with having a natural eye for creating gorgeous things.
Donner has sold her art at many markets, and will be at more markets in the future! Her art can also be found at a store in Blaine called Carrefour Marche. Donner is selling items locally that aren’t on her Etsy, such as pieces with bigger skulls and bones that are more likely to be damaged in the shipping process.
If you’re interested in purchasing from Donner or seeing her art in general, make sure to check out her Etsy and her socials. Don’t forget to visit her in person as well!
Bellingham, Instagram @moriimercantile, TikTok @mementomorii_, etsy.com/shop/MoriiMercantile
Photograph by Katie Donner
