Fragile Cat revamps Syracuse vintage scene with workwear, 2000s finds
Fragile Cat is a vintage store located in the McCarthy Mercantile in downtown Syracuse. Although the store hasn't had an official grand opening, it is currently open and invites new customers to the space. Collin Snyder | Staff Photographer
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Going from friends to business partners isn’t always a smooth transition. In fact, it’s often not recommended. But for Alexandria Penak and Johnny Cavzola, they couldn’t imagine an alternative.
“We were just talking about it together and we’re just like, ‘Should we go in on this together?’ And we said ‘sure’ so that was really it,” Cavzola said.
Since The Cherry Pit closed, former owner Alexandria Penak and her friend Johnny Cavzola are planning a grand opening for their vintage clothing shop Fragile Cat in the McCarthy Mercantile next month. Penak and Cavzola combined each of their personal brands, Street Cat Vintage and Fragile Threads, to create Fragile Cat.
The duo hopes to expand on the foundation The Cherry Pit offered with their own flair and new offerings.
Michael John, McCarthy Mercantile’s founder, calls the space an “anti-mall.”
“You could walk down there on a Saturday afternoon and stumble downstairs and be like ‘Oh, it says more vendors downstairs. I’m gonna check it out,’” John said. “And then there’s 11 local restaurants doing $2 samples with a DJ in the corner.”
McCarthy Mercantile has come a long way since John first discovered it. With each of The Cherry Pit’s owners putting in their hard work and dedication, it’s become a place that people want to visit, he said.
While Penak is accustomed to the world of vintage from her work with The Cherry Pit, Cavzola is also a veteran when it comes to fashion and entrepreneurship. He started out selling sneakers and flipping thrifted streetwear. His friends were inspired by thrift culture, and he saw potential in it. Not long after, he was hosting vintage pop ups and helping out around the mercantile.
For Cavzola and Penak, the choice to combine businesses was a no-brainer. Their brands fit well together, sharing an Americana workwear vibe with a mix of styles from the early 2000’s, Cavzola said.
“To see the new partnership form down there, (Penak) coming with the experience from before and (Cavzola) bringing some new energy to the table, it’s really good,” John said.
Cavzola is also bringing in men’s clothing, which The Cherry Pit only had a limited selection of. While Penak hopes to see familiar faces carry over from The Cherry Pit, she also aims to expand a new customer base with men’s streetwear offerings.
“(We’re doing) anything we can really think of that will get more of Syracuse down here and connected,” Penak said.
The items sold at Fragile Cat portray an Americana workwear vibe with a mix of styles from the early 2000s. In the future, the owners hope to incorporate more menswear items as well. Collin Snyder | Staff Photographer
To make the store’s environment more attuned to the Fragile Cat brand identity, Penak has collected various items that match its aesthetic. She hopes to incorporate displays and fixtures that can hang clothes or showcase shoes.
“I look for pieces that are kind of unique and catch your eye that I can display certain things on,” Penak said.
Penak sources most of the clothes for Fragile Cat through her trips around New York and Pennsylvania. Anytime she gets the chance, she looks for good thrift finds. When Penak was in Brooklyn recently, she used the opportunity to pick up some new vintage pieces.
In their partnership, Penak handles the finances and documents sales as they come in. Cavzola has the connections and people skills necessary to expand the new business.
The other businesses in the mercantile also rely on and help build each other up. Thrifting’s popularity with Generation Z has contributed to these brands’ success.
“Younger students and clientele are the ones interested in thrifts and slow fashion more than ever,” John said. “It’s helped some of those small businesses downstairs start to grow and give them an opportunity to do what they love.”
John promotes shops like Fragile Cat and the others in the mercantile on social media. He said being part of the mercantile takes the stress off these entrepreneurs, many of whom are working part-time, by offering low rent levels and short-term leases.
Penak and Cavzola have taken advantage of this safety net, keeping the store open four days a week as they explore the world of fashion business.
Beyond the grand opening set for next month, with plans for a DJ, bar service and vintage clothing piles, Penak and Cavzola want to deepen their connection with the Syracuse community. They plan to host more pop ups and thrift exchanges in the future.
Along with changes in Fragile Cat, the mercantile itself will be expanding 2,000 square feet, adding a flower shop and a cafe. John hopes this will be an even bigger draw for customers to discover stores like Fragile Cat.
“My favorite thing is whenever someone finds something that they really love, when I see their reaction and their smile,” Cavzola said. “That’s just like a sense of fulfillment for me.”
