About 75 percent of Schwendeman's taxidermy business comes from museums, and the store itself looks like one with animals mounted on walls and set in glass cases. Business cards are offered from the jaws of an alligator. In the cellar is a walk-in freezer where the animals are placed when delivered to Schwendeman's. But, it is a painstakingly detailed procedure that takes days. Taxidermy supply companies help by selling forms used as molds within the mounted animals.
Some taxidermists are sensitive to mistakes people make about the profession.
But perhaps the biggest blunder happens on the phone. Schwendeman's gets one or two calls every week for people who want a taxi. It is the hazard of being listed next in the phone book. Schwendeman's refuses to do dogs or cats because the owners believe people consider the pets as members of the family. Also, it would be difficult to satisfy customers who would expect the pet to look a certain way, he says.