Black Cat Books & Oddities

Upon entering the first of two historic homes that house Black Cat Books & Oddities, it’s immediately evident this isn’t just a bookstore. Visitors are invited to explore two buildings containing beautifully decorated rooms that bring favorite books and characters to life.

The first, the Raven’s Roost, features a life-size statue of Edgar Allan Poe, and the room is decorated with macabre oddities that recall the author’s classic tales. The shelves hold ghost stories, thriller novels and other similar genres, as well as Poe-themed merchandise.

Mystery enthusiasts can settle down on the deep-red velvet couches reminiscent of those at 221B Baker Street in the shop’s Sherlock’s Study, a Victorian-themed room filled with mystery books based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective novels.

Upstairs, kids can find a cozy place to sit under the flowers that hang in the Secret Garden room. Here, those ages 8 to 12 can travel through Phantom’s Passage to find books selected just for them. The experience continues next door, where flowers, a chandelier and a sumptuous pink velvet couch make up the Pemberley Room, the name of which is taken from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.

In the Shire Room, visitors can picture themselves on a quest to Mordor as they browse the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. (Sit under a tree in the center of the room and snap a picture with the dragon head protruding from the wall.) 

Book lovers can stay connected to the shop’s highly curated selections by signing up for a monthly themed book box shipped to their door. 420 S. Court St., Medina, Ohio 44256, 440/263-0560, blackcatmedina.com