FAIRBORN — Local business owner Cherish Harrell-Brooks has painted a second mural on the back of her shop — The Secret Chamber House of Oddities and Artwork — in hopes of inspiring others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her latest mural features a moth with “Fairborn” written above. Harrell-Brooks’s first mural honored the nine victims of the Oregon District shooting that took place in August 2019. Both are painted on the back of her shop, located on Main Street, facing the alley.
“I really wanted to continue my ‘Remember 9’ for the Oregon District victims with something that could highlight Fairborn and also be interactive,” she said. “I’ve seen this done in other large cities but i had to be careful not to outshine the original and chose a moth to keep in the same colors.”
Her “Remember 9” mural features nine flowers growing up from grass. Each flower represents a victim of the shooting.
“Art once again has saved me — this time my sanity,” Harrell-Brooks said of painting her latest mural. “I hope artist and small businesses find a way to keep inspired in times like these.”
The Secret Chamber House of Oddities and Artwork celebrated its two-year anniversary last fall during Fairborn’s annual Halloween festival. It features a variety of oddities and hand-made items, and she hopes the business can be a “safe space” that encourages individuals to be themselves.
“We’re not a Halloween store,” Harrell-Brooks said in a previous interview. “We may be influenced by the horror community, but we’re not putting it away Nov. 1 … Halloween is not a holiday — it’s a lifestyle.”
She highlighted that as a child, she became interested in re-purposing items that had been discarded. It became her own art.
“It’s like going from trash to treasure,” Harrell-Brooks said previously. “Bringing new life to things.”
She highlighted that her shop “was just getting good” and used the moth to symbolize her journey as she said it was “turning, morphing from a caterpillar.”
“I hope people see this as an inspiration,” Harrell-Brooks said.
