Fat Cat Books

Fat Cat Books occupies a storefront in Railroad Square Art Park, the cluster of converted warehouses on the west side of Tallahassee that has become the city’s most concentrated art and retail district. The shop opened in October 2020 and is run by Feline Advocates of Leon County Inc., a local nonprofit rescue group, which makes Fat Cat Books one of the more unusual retail concepts in the area. It functions as a thrift bookstore and an eclectic boutique, with used books, gift items, and other donated merchandise for sale, and the proceeds go directly back into the rescue’s work.

What sets Fat Cat Books apart from a typical used bookstore is the cats. Adoptable adult cats from Feline Advocates of Leon County live in the shop and are available for adoption while customers browse the shelves. It is a model that a handful of cities have experimented with, pairing a cat cafe style experience with retail instead of food service, and it fits naturally into the creative, slightly offbeat character of Railroad Square. Browsing the fiction section while a cat naps on a nearby chair is a normal Thursday afternoon here.

The inventory leans toward secondhand books across genres, supplemented by the kind of curated gift items you would expect from a boutique built by volunteers who care about presentation as much as inventory turnover. Prices stay accessible, in keeping with the thrift store model, and the selection changes regularly as new donations come in. Because the shop is nonprofit and volunteer supported, it carries a different feel than a for profit indie bookstore, closer to a community project than a straightforward retail business, even though the shopping experience itself is polished.

Railroad Square itself is worth the trip on its own merits. The district holds dozens of galleries, studios, and small shops inside old rail sheds and warehouse buildings, and Fat Cat Books sits right in the middle of that mix at Unit 5. Visitors doing a Railroad Square walkthrough on a Saturday afternoon can easily pair a stop here with the district’s art galleries and other small retailers.

Fat Cat Books is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Monday through Wednesday. Anyone interested in adoption, donating books, or just browsing a shop that blends secondhand retail with animal rescue work will find Fat Cat Books to be a distinctive stop in Tallahassee’s shops and retail scene.