Medina couple opens Black Cat Books & Oddities, the cool, quirky new bookstore you’ve seen on TikTok

Jul 09, 2023

MEDINA, Ohio -- Max Frazier had been a software engineer for nine years when he decided he needed a career change. Ideally, it would be something that he and his wife, Alicia Hoisington Frazier, a Medina native, could do together.

“We knew we wanted to do something we’re passionate about, and we knew we wanted to do something that Medina didn’t have,” Alicia said. “We just kept coming back to a bookstore.”

That passion project evolved into Black Cat Books & Oddities, which celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 13.

“We think black cats are probably the coolest of cats,” Alicia said when asked about the inspiration behind the name. “But it’s also a metaphor. Black cats are often overlooked at the shelter because of their appearance in the same way books are sometimes overlooked because people judge a book by its cover.

“You can miss out on something really cool when you do that.”

Cool, quirky and fun is a good way to describe Black Cat Books & Oddities. That much is evident from the exterior alone. The store is located at 420 S. Court St., just two blocks from Medina’s historic Public Square, in a brick, craftsman-style home that was built in 1927 but used as office space since the 1990s.

“I pretty much renovated this place by myself to bring it out of the ‘90s and into the present day,” Max said.

He spent three months removing wallpaper, spackling the walls, ripping out carpet and refinishing the floors to restore some of the home’s original charm.

“I tried to match the floors to as close as they would like in the 1920s,” he explained. “I used a stain with a similar varnish to what you would’ve seen back then to bring back that sort of antique look.”

Alicia helped with the decor, painting walls during lunch breaks from her marketing job at a tech company. In her spare time, she and her husband picked out furnishings by checking out estate sales and scouring listings on Facebook Marketplace.

“A lot of the decor and furniture is interesting in and of itself because a lot of it is just from our life, collecting it as we go, traveling all over Ohio looking for cool pieces that we just thought were interesting,” Max said.

The end result is an aesthetic the couple describes as “Victorian Gothic.” The vibe not only reflects their personalities, but it was perfect for the kind of store they had envisioned.

“We wanted it to be more than just books,” Alicia said. “We wanted it to be more of an immersive experience where you can discover something new every time you come in.”

The segmented floor plan of the old house allowed them to do that. The store is divided into six themed rooms, a distinguishing feature that has sparked attention in the BookTok community on TikTok. One of the videos already has nearly 50,000 views.

“We actually had someone drive in from Columbus because they saw our store on TikTok,” Alicia said.

The first room you encounter, just off the entrance and past the vintage fortune teller machine, is The Raven’s Roost, which is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, a favorite of both Max and Alicia. Here you’ll find a life-sized statue of the master of the macabre himself presiding over a selection of thrillers, ghost stories, classic literature and more.

The Cabinet of Curiosities is next. Its shelves are lined with an eclectic mix of fantasy, sci-fi, true crime and kooky cookbooks like “Baking Yesteryear” by B. Dylan Hollis. There’s also a “Feed Your Brain” section.

“That’s where you’ll find titles that make you think outside the box, as well as ‘little snacks’ like poetry and short stories,” Max said.

Continue on to the Literary Commons. The room, you’ll know it by the Venus Flytrap from “The Little Shop of Horrors,” is stacked with a curated mix of bestsellers, new releases, BookTok and Bookstagram picks and vinyl records. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy is a popular pickup here.

The maze of books continues upstairs in Sherlock’s Study, a Victorian-themed room created for fans of mystery writers like Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. The space includes a Banned Books shelf, where titles like “The Great Gatsby,” “Of Mice and Men” and even “The Wizard of Oz” come with a bookmark explaining when and why the book was banned.

“People love the banned book area, which is awesome,” Alicia said. “We were afraid that we might get a little flak for it.”

Intended for readers ages 8 to 12, The Phantom’s Passage showcases “thrilling adventures, mysterious quests and tales of friendship and self-discovery.” Think R. L. Stine, Louisa May Alcott, graphic novels and everything in between. The room connects to the Secret Garden, an enchanting space furnished with a mushroom tent and forest cottage and filled with children’s books and interactive toys designed to stir the imaginations of the store’s youngest customers. The second floor has a space dedicated to local authors, too.

“There’s something for everyone,” Alicia said. “But we also want people to look beyond the popular books and discover something new to them.”

To that end, the couple regularly hides a gift card in a book, leaving clues in the store and on social media for customers to find. Books are stuffed with stickers, bookmarks and other fun things to inspire people to open up something they normally might not. The shop also offers a selection of “Fright or Flight” books, which have their titles obscured by brown paper wrapping and come with surprises and prizes hidden within.

The store’s spirit of discovery is enhanced by a plethora of plush sofas, comfy seating and irresistible reading nooks.

“We’re hoping to encourage more people to sit around and read,” Alicia said. “It’s fine with us if you want to open up a book and just read it here. People aren’t used to doing that when they go to bookstores anymore.”

Indeed, the bookshop was designed for people to linger. To entice customers to spend more time there, the owners offer a selection of canned coffees and, eventually, cake pops from a local baker. Customers are also welcome to bring their drinks and snacks from nearby coffee shops like 1904 Brews or Cool Beans into the store.

Events such as book club meetings, children’s story time, book signings, talks and dramatic readings with local and national authors are in the works, too. They’re also hoping to partner with Project: Learn Medina, a county initiative that provides free education resources to adults seeking their GED.

“We want to do our best to integrate into the community,” Max said. “I think a big part of that is having people stick around.”

Black Cat Books & Oddities is located at 420 S. Court St. in Medina. The store is open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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