LOUDONVILLE — May the merch be with you at the new Operation Fandom and Black Bird Records opening in Loudonville.
Owner Josh Lehman had plans to expand his brand since earlier this year, looking at Mount Vernon and Bellville. But as fate would have it, a downtown Loudonville building, located at 149 West Main St., seemed to be the perfect fit.
The Loudonville location is Lehman’s fourth expansion, joining the Wooster, Medina and Mansfield stores. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Lehman said those hours may be adjusted to fit the customers’ needs.
Lehman landed on Loudonville because it was the right place at the right time for the right price; although the original plan was to open the new store in 2026.
“The downtown scene is thriving,” Lehman said, pointing to the summer tourism as an opportunity for out-of-towners to visit the store along with locals.
The store will feature three sections: collectibles and fandom items in the front, records in the back and, by spring, the back room will become the newly established Blackbird Books, Curiosities and Apothecary.
Co-owner Bethany Lehman recently established the new section at the Mansfield location. It features books, home decor and oddities.
Josh Lehman “soft-launched” the new store on Dec. 5 when Loudonville streets were packed with visitors attending the new Christkindlmarkt. Several other downtown businesses stayed open late for the increased foot traffic as well.
“It was so well received. We got it set up, and then half of [the merchandise] got wiped out that weekend,” Josh Lehman said.
He said many people who stopped in were already familiar with the other locations, and expressed their excitement for the new store.
“It’s nice to know we could have a busy weekend there, and people barely noticed it wasn’t fully stocked,” he said.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Josh Lehman wants them to know “the vision is to have the store packed floor to ceiling,” which he said takes six to 12 months.
There are new releases every week, so the store is constantly offering new items. Some of the most notable collection items at the other stores are from franchises such as Star Wars, Back to the Future and Marvel.
Josh Lehman’s passion for collectibles started as a hobby with his father in the 1980s when the two would host sports cards shows.
He always wanted to open a store where people could come in and reminisce on their childhoods, and in 2018 he did just that with the Wooster Location.
“I wanted people to walk in from out of town and say “I haven’t seen something like this since my childhood, and I can’t believe it’s in this little town,” he said.
“We’re super fortunate and excited that so many people want to relive their childhood and their kids are interested in it as well,” he said.
In addition to the day-to-day sales, Operation Fandom invites “autograph guests,” including actors from The Sandlot movie who visit each year, brings Back to the Future DeLoreans for photo opportunities and hosts other events.
The Loudonville location has also been approved for Record Store Day, an annual celebration of independent record shops featuring unique, limited-edition vinyl releases, which will be on April 18.