River Street in downtown Troy. Photo: Daniel Case via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tonight’s Troy Night Out is the Halloween edition, and one of the River Street storefronts that will be busiest is also one of the newest. Odd House, at 199 River St., opened in June and has spent its first few months building a reputation as a place to linger as much as a place to shop.
The store is run by Matty and Scottie Dwyer, a married couple who describe it as queer-friendly and steeped in goth and emo style. The shelves carry home decor, apparel, gifts, candles, tarot cards and ritual supplies. Scottie also offers tarot and mediumship readings.
“This is a celebration of subculture,” Matty told the Troy Record in an Oct. 9 small business profile.
A storefront that found them
The Dwyers weren’t exactly hunting for a new venture. According to the Record, they had stepped away from an earlier business, and Scottie had been through a health scare when the city reached out by text to let them know about an available storefront on River Street. They decided to go for it.
“When the universe drops an opportunity in your lap, you take it,” Matty said.
The couple has worked with the Troy Business Improvement District since opening, and they have folded the shop into the rhythm of downtown events. Odd House hosts acoustic performances during each monthly Troy Night Out, which gives the room a different feel from a typical retail stop.
For Scottie, the city carries personal weight. The couple is marking five years of sobriety together, and he connects that directly to Troy. “I found my sobriety in Troy, and in that process I found myself,” he told the Record.
Not just a place to buy things
What the Dwyers talk about most is the space itself. They want it to work as a community space, somewhere people can stop in without feeling pressure to buy. “You don’t have to come here to spend money,” the couple told the Record.
One of their longer-term hopes is to bring in queer elders, older LGBTQ residents who can share their experience with younger visitors. As the Dwyers put it: “It’s not just an Odd House – it’s an odd home.”
That approach fits River Street, where independent shops, cafes and galleries fill the old commercial buildings. A shop that sells ritual candles and also hosts acoustic sets is in good company there.
Tonight on River Street
Troy Night Out: The Haunting runs from 5 to 9 p.m. this evening, Friday, Oct. 30. River Street will be closed to traffic from Congress Street to Cafe Euphoria, making room for live bands, vendors, drag performances and costumed visitors. The Hart Cluett Museum is leading a true-crime walking tour as part of the night.
The Dwyers have been looking forward to it. “I really wanted to bring a fall celebration to Troy, filtered through our perspective,” Matty told the Record. Cosplay is encouraged.
The shop’s seasonal calendar doesn’t stop at Halloween. The Dwyers told the Record they plan to offer Krampus photos in December during Troy’s Victorian Stroll, the downtown holiday festival.
Visiting
Odd House is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop posts events and new stock on Instagram at @odd_house518.
For a store that’s only been open since June, it already has a clear identity. It’s dark in style and welcoming in spirit, and it’s built around the idea that a downtown shop can be a gathering place. On the busiest night of the fall on River Street, that’s a good thing to have.
