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New Occult Bookstore Opens in Toledo
Looking for new and used books, a place to sit and maybe a segment of a human finger? Look no further than The Glass Wheel, a new bookstore located at 1505 Adams St.
Benjamin Peregoy and Lizzie Arden, owners of The Glass Wheel, have created a one stop shop for those interested in reading and oddities.
“Its an unusual bookstore. We have oddities, curiosities and a somewhat curated collection of new and used books. We want it to feel like you’re going through an old Victorian mansion,” Arden said. “It really solves that problem of running multiple errands to get something to read and taxidermy at the same time.”
The planning stage
Both Arden and Peregoy grew up in the greater-Toledo area and both worked on Adams St. Arden as a bartender and Peregoy at a now-closed record store next to the location the bookstore is now at.
“I moved to Arizona for about 10 years and when I moved back to Toledo, all of my favorite hangout spots were now closed,” Peregoy said. “While Adams St., has a ton of bars, which we love, it also needed some variety. We tried looking for a bookstore like this one and when we couldn’t find one in the area, we decided to start our own.”
Peregoy, who has a degree in library science, was wanting a change-of-pace. With his own at-home library, which Arden says is “bigger than one may think” he has a passion for reading. Arden was away on a trip when she got the call from Peregoy about opening a store.
“I was actually in Louisiana and for the entire trip I was telling my friends about how cool it would be to open a book store. Then he told me he wanted to open a book store, so it was fate,” Arden said.
For the past two years, Peregoy has sourced books from estate sales, garage sales, thrift and antique stores and through friends.
“For two years, our house was like a maze of boxes. We had so many boxes full of books that he [Peregoy] had been buying,” Arden said.
Peregoy started collecting these books before the pair even had a location. When Ink and Iron Tattoo Parlor closed its doors in 2025, the pair found their perfect location.
“We knew some of the artists at Ink and Iron and since they all found new homes [tattoo parlors] and are doing great, we thought it would be the perfect transition for this space. One of the artists, who’s our friend, even came to scrape off the old logo off the windows,” Arden said.
The usual books
The bookstore, which had its grand opening on August 13, has about half new and half used books. When you first walk in your met with a shelf of spiritual books from all different religions and ways of life, then move onto occult books.
With such an emphasis on occult and spirituality, it comes as no surprise that it’s where the name, The Glass Wheel, came from as well.
“The ‘Wheel’ comes from the Buddist Dharma Wheel, which represents concentration and mindfulness. The ‘Glass’ part comes from Toledo, known as The Glass City,” Peregoy said.
When walk in, on your right are large bookshelves going from new books to used books. On your left you are met with old church pews and seating areas.
“We’re trying to incorporate a community aspect to it as well. We want a place for people to come and hang,” Arden said. “Another thing is a ton of the furniture and accouterments are antique.The pews are from the oldest Lutheran church in Toledo.”
Even though the store has shelves full of books, the pair is in need of both more shelves and books.
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“We have piles of books in the back right now, so we’ll get some more shelves to display those,” Peregoy said. “We have only been open a week [at the time of writing] and already can’t keep up with the demand.”
Because a lot of the books at The Glass Wheel are used, their prices are more affordable than an average new bookstore. While they also sell vintage and rare books for higher prices, this isn’t what they focus on.
“We get our new books at an outlet price. So while we sometimes need to follow the manufactures price, we can sometimes mark it down based on how much we paid for it,” Peregoy said. “While we do have rare books for more expensive, we’d rather sell a bunch of more affordable books. We want this store to be for everyone, everyone can come in here and find a book that interests them and is a good price.”
While the store specializes in occult and spiritual books, they carry all kinds of genres. From childrens literature, to a Dolly Parton memior, to a vintage copy of Gray’s Anatomy, there is something for every reader.
The unusual curiosities
From the outside, you just see an ordinary bookstore, but when you step inside there is more that meets the eye.
Near the front, there are curiosity cabinets, containing the unimaginable.
From a box of rodent feet, a segment of a human finger, a raccoon head, to a trio of animal skulls, there is something for even the weirdest among us.
“All of our taxidermies and bones and oddities are ethically sourced,” Arden reminds customers.
If animal and human body parts aren’t the find for you, they also have incense, tarot cards and other merchandise for book lovers and local witches.
“This space is for weirdos. We’re weird ourselves,” Arden said.
Looking towards the future
Even though The Glass Wheel has only just opened, the owners have plans for upcoming events in the bookstore.
“Dr. Cheryl Wozniak will be here on Sept. 6 to talk about her childrens book ‘I am Enough Just as I am’ and then on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, we will have a tarot reading from 4-7pm with Mystic Matti,” Arden said.
Arden is also looking at hosting witch-related events and book clubs, but more information on that will be posted on their social media accounts.
If you are looking to host a bookclub, reach out to see if space is available.
The main goal of The Glass Wheel is to be a local store to look to first.
“Before you go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble, which I am guilty of, check some local bookstores. We hope that The Glass Wheel makes that list,” Peregoy said.
For more information on The Glass Wheel, go to their website, theglasswheel.com or check out their Facebook and Instagram pages of the same name.
Their business hours are Wednesday-Saturday from noon-7pm and Sunday from noon-5pm.
