This downtown store covers a lot of ground – education, clothing, art, science, and more. At the end of the day, however, Possum-bilities is just a wonderful, feel-good, happy kind of place.
by Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Business Name: Possum-bilities
Location: 211 William Street
Regular Business Hours: Thursday – Monday
Website: www.awesomepossumz.com
Instagram: @awesomepossumz1
Facebook: Possum-bilities in the Burg2
Half the fun of strolling through Possum-bilities is watching people walk past the cage near the register, peak in, walk away, and double-back.
“Want to pet our ambassador possum?” store owner Karen Brace frequently asks. Increasingly, the answer is “Yes.”
The only native marsupial in the U.S. and Canada, possums are among the most-misunderstood wild animals people encounter. Brace, a wildlife rehabilitator, is in business to change that.
“Eight years ago,” Brace said, “someone bought me a box 11 baby possums. I knew nothing about them.” Over time, and with a lot of study, she came to appreciate just how awesome possums can be.
Their reputation for ferociousness and being dirty is undeserved, Brace said. She even coaxed me into petting the possum in the store the day I was there. With eyes closed, it would be hard to know, I learned, if you’re stroking a cat or a possum.
When Brace finally rescued Stuart, a possum who was not releasable back into the wild, she decided in April 2019 to start Awesome Possumz as a way to educate others about these critters.
“Early on,” Brace said, “we sold possum-related items like socks as fundraisers. That practice,” she said, was so successful that she decided to open a possum-themed store.
Possum-bilities opened in 2022, and things have been coming together nicely.
The store is a lot more than a place to learn about these cute critters, however. It’s a first-rate community space.
What really catches people’s attention, however, are the oddities. A bone table is in the back for the curious (Hint: Kids will love it.) So-called “wet specimans.” And a wide range of critters. There’s a possum and a reptile ambassador there Thursday through Monday. A cat who is temporary (it doesn’t belong to the Brace). And on occasion there are hedgehogs and a pigeon.
There’s also a snake there on occasion that Brace sometimes carries in her pocket. Brace isn’t into scaring people. Don’t want to see or touch it? No worries. Brace understands.
She’s there to educate, not spook, and to “collect all the possum stuff that I can gather.”
Three questions for the owner
FXBG Advance: What’s the most bizarre thing someone can buy here?
Karen Brace: I would have to say it’s possum poop, but we’re out of that currently.
It’s not real possum poop, but rather candy – chocolate covered butter toffee – that comes from California.
We also have popping possums. We have some strange thing here.
FXBG Advance: What’s your bestselling item?
Brace: Plushy possums, and socks. These are huge. When it was 103 degrees outdoors, I was still selling socks like crazy. People love them.
Our focus is wildlife and nature.
FXBG Advance: So are you a wildlife store, or a retail store?
Brace: Yes to both! We call ourselves a gift-shop and gallery. There are 50 artists working out of the back of the building and on the second floor; we sell all sorts of wildlife goodies in the front of the store.
Visitors will also find a free library, and some interesting oddities.
“It’s a fun place for people to come in, hang out. We don’t judge. It’s a feel-good, happy kind of place.”
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-Martin Davis, Editor
