By: Deb Sanders
The eclectic antique shop Black Cat Antiques and Such has been a staple in Frenchtown for 10 years, recently moving a few doors down from its original location to 820 N. Second St.
Owners Bobbie and Kenny started the business after Bobbie lost her job and decided she wanted to work closer to home. They knew the owner of the building and decided it was the perfect place to open an antique shop.
“My family is big into antiques, and I was around it all my life,” Bobbie said.
The inventory is vast and diverse. Unlike shops that take items on consignment, they purchase all their inventory outright, occasionally relying on "pickers" or locals who bring in unique finds.
“We just try to have a little bit of everything because you never know what people want," Bobbie said. "Sometimes, when people come in, they don't know what they want until they see it.”
The shelves are filled with nostalgia, evoking memories of parents and grandparents. Shoppers frequently hunt for childhood toys or vintage household staples, such as a specific midcentury Tupperware pitcher. The store's eclectic inventory spans from miniatures, mini oil lamps, jewelry, and religious items to old tools, garden decor, menswear, and vintage salon hair dryers. Seasonal items are also a big draw.
Among the shop's most notable items is its collection of uranium and depression glass, which glows iridescent under a black light. The inventory even caught the eye of a new neighborhood business, Naked Tiki Distilling, which purchased several pieces to use at its bar. Stephanie’s On 2nd has also sourced décor, cabinets and shelves, from Black Cat.
Bobbie noted that younger generations are driving a resurgence in thrifting, drawn to the superior craftsmanship of vintage items and the environmental benefits of buying secondhand.
“Last Christmas, we had a bunch of young people come that had decided they weren't buying anything new for Christmas presents,” Bobbie said, adding that several customers have already returned to scout out holiday gifts for this year.
The shop's new location boasts its own history: a 1920s bank building where items are now displayed inside the original vault. A walk through the back garden area reveals an original carriage house now used to display thousands of unique items, including vintage dishware and sewing patterns.
Assisting Bobbie with the shop is her longtime friend, Kathy, whose roots on Second Street run deep; her father helped establish the North End Association (NEA) in the mid-1970s. She recalls a childhood where she would ride a horse to the local A&W for a root beer float while visiting her grandmother on Broadway, just off North Highway 94.
Black Cat Antiques and Such
- Address: 820 N. Second St., Frenchtown (St. Charles)
- Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Phone: 314-960-4204
- Social Media: Find them on Facebook at Black Cat Antiques and Such.