A new display of rare geckos is coming to East Williamsburg

The largest public display of rare and endangered geckos in New York City is set to open to the public in East Williamsburg next month.

Despite its large and diverse reptile collection, the Gecko Gallery is located in a diminutive, approximately 400-square-foot space in the basement of once notorious party mecca the McKibbin Lofts, at 255 McKibbin St..

The idea for it came after gecko researchers Richie Laleh, 29, and Joseph S. Migirov, 19, realized their collections had outgrown their respective Brooklyn apartments. They pooled their resources and in September 2024 rented the space, where they occasionally gave private tours of their geckos to their friends.

The decision to turn the space into a galley came after building management saw what they’d done with the place and encouraged them to formally open it to visitors.

“ It was a seed in our head, and then they're like, ‘Why don't you just make this public?’” recalled Laleh. “We’ve always wanted to have education as the forefront of what we’re doing, so it was a dream come true.”

The two Brooklyn natives got into caring for and collecting geckos as children, and have spun their passion into full-time careers. They met last year through mutual friends and decided to join forces.

Their collections have been cobbled together over the years from zoos and the legal pet trade. There’s a Madagascar leaf-tailed gecko (a species that is on the verge of extinction), a New Caledonian giant gecko named Kermit (who enjoys napping in Laleh’s sweatshirt hood) and a giant day gecko (the species that inspired the Geico gecko), among approximately 150 others.

Laleh and Migirov are waiting on some signage – informational plaques about the different species – but hope to open the tiny venue early next month. Entry will be $20 per person.

They hope the Gecko Gallery will appeal to people of all ages around the boroughs and beyond. They already have a few elementary schools and colleges lined up to visit with students.

“ There a lot of people who love the natural world, people who love oddities, who love reptiles, and people who love conservation,” said Laleh, describing whom he expects to come visit the Gecko Gallery.

“ And then of course there are people who just want something to do,” Migirov said. "Our goal is that someone who doesn't really know about reptiles sees this and comes by and falls in love just like we did.”