Central Oddities

Words and Photography by Joshua Scarselli.

Live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual

– Lydia Deetz, “Beetlejuice”

There isn’t a quote that sums me up better, which explains why when I found this store on Facebook, I absolutely had to go in and see for myself. Central Oddities is a one-stop shop for the strange and unusual. There is something for everyone here. Art, retro toys, swords; the list goes on and on. Not only can you find fantastic art pieces, they also sell some homegrown produce, honey, and hot sauces.

I stopped in and had a chat with the owner, Ivan Pavlovich (pronounced E-von). Ivan was an awesome host. He showed some unique pieces he made himself and told me what makes Central Oddities so strange and unusual. 

RRX: I found your shop on Facebook. The name Central Oddities grabbed my interest. Can you tell me about what you do here?

IP: I started out doing markets. Then I had an opportunity to have a store and have a place for all of the things I have gathered. We are really just a rarity and oddity shop. I like to acquire random, cool stuff, and then I also like to just share it with people. Also, I work a lot with local farmers, and like other artisans and craft people. So all the bones are ethically sourced through my friend Joel, who’s a hunter and trapper in North Chatham. I sell my friend’s honey from Old Chatham Apiary. I have bags and stuff that are made from recycled items. We are kind of like the cool Captain Planet kids or the Garbage Pail Captain Planet kids. You know the reduce, reuse, recycle. That’s really it. Honestly, everything has a purpose and a repurpose, and I just like to make stuff with old stuff too, give it new life.

RRX: What got you into finding old things, repurposing them, and bringing them to markets?

IP: Well, I ended up, in like 2020 during COVID, like losing my job and stuff. So I ended up becoming a handyman around my local town and area with antique dealers. I ended up helping them with moving antiques, art, and all kinds of different stuff, and taxidermy. Then sometimes things would break. They can’t, you know … you can’t sell that. So I’d end up acquiring all the broken stuff. Then I was in a relationship with someone who also made art and did markets and stuff. I was doing markets for my eggs and other random things that I had acquired. We joined together and started doing markets together. Then I ended up getting the shop. 

RRX: What are some of your favorite things you have in the shop?

IP: Honestly, I’m a real big fan of taxidermy, and this art piece made by this artist, Don Hogan, I believe his name is. I like the wet specimens. I sell hot sauce and eggs, and my friend’s honey.

And like all kinds of cool sh** that we make.

RRX: I have to ask about this piece down here, the bat with the barbed wire.

IP: Oh, so that is, that’s an art project that I am working on. There is a Fallout bobblehead in there. So literally it’s just, it’s an art piece that’s for Fallout Four or for Fallout; it’s a television series about post-apocalyptic United States or world. It’s just an artistic piece where it’s just like a bat and a cage.

RRX: Have you done any markets in Woodstock? It seems like a really good place to sell your items.

IP: I haven’t been to Woodstock itself to do any markets, but I’ve been down to Kingston to do a farmers’ market down that way. I’ve been down south, like Red Hook, and all over the place from here to Jersey to Pennsylvania to Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pretty much the surrounding states.

RRX: One thing Center Square and Albany itself have been missing is places with personality and flavor. Your store is helping bring back that alternative vibe this area used to have.

IP: Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it as in like me adding flavor back into Albany as a whole, but I’ve just been thinking about me adding in my own flavor back into the universe. And there are renewable flavors, you know what I mean? Let’s make things pretty again, in a sense, you know?

RRX: Yeah, we don’t have enough of that. It’s nice to see something that is unique and artsy.

IP: I mean, like, you know, I have that cow skull behind you, that blue one with the chakra trees on it that, like, I’m mage-pogged on there. That’s one of my favorite pieces. I also have a statue that is a rabbit skull with a Jesus. I feel like I dubbed it Easter Jesus. It’s kind of just like a play on the whole Easter Bunny and Jesus and renewal life that, you know, the pagans believe that bunny rabbits died every night and were reborn every day, which was how the Christians were able to explain the resurrection of Christ to the pagans while trying to convert them. That’s why we have bunny rabbits and stuff. But, yeah, so this is also a piece that I made that is one of my faves.

RRX: Where can people find out more and keep track of this amazing store?

IP: We have Facebook, Instagram, and a website. We are located at 14 Central Ave., right next to the Fuze Box in Albany, N.Y. We are on Google. I’m pretty sure I have a random review where I am compared to Rick and Morty. That’s kinda pretty cool and funny. So Central Oddities on Facebook and Instagram. Also, www.centraloddities.com, there is a link to Shopify where we are selling t-shirts

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