PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A new media shop, specializing in horror literature, DVDs and VHS has arrived in Portland, aiming to build connections in the community while celebrating the genre.

“I’ve always loved horror, it’s my favorite genre, and I collect physical media myself, and I just felt like there wasn’t a dedicated space for it here in Portland,” Midslumber Media Owner Michaela Granger told KOIN 6 News.

“I think it was always my dream — I’ve always loved reading; I’ve always loved film — to open a bookstore or a video store. I think it is for anyone who loves movies and books. But it wasn’t something I went out or intended to do anytime soon. It just kind of happened. I saw the space available, and I thought, ‘Why not now?’” Granger said.

Midslumber Media — inspired by the film title “Midsommar,” — opened March 22, with over 1,500 films packed onto shelves, neighboring books exploring horror sub-genres such as dark romance. But much of that collection dwindled after the store’s grand opening.

“I didn’t know what to expect, I’ve never done anything like this before,” Granger said of Midslumber’s opening day, which she says brought in around 200 customers. “I mean, I used to sell candles, I still make candles, and I did that online and at conventions, so, it was a very different experience. There were so many people in here and I couldn’t believe it. I was very grateful and excited to see so many people excited about this place.”

Midslumber’s shelves resemble Granger’s personal horror media collection. Currently, she’s collecting VHS and has over 100 tapes, including her “prized possession” copy of “Perfect Blue,” an anime horror film from 1997.

According to Granger, her childhood, and maybe her birthday, drew her to the horror genre.

“My mom was a big horror buff, so I think it was kind of ingrained in me a little bit,” Granger said. “I was also born on Friday the 13^th in June, which is the same day as the movie ‘Friday the 13^th,’ so it might’ve been inevitable.”

“I did go through a phase where I wasn’t really watching horror as much, and I kind of revisited it when I was older. I don’t know what it was, it just speaks to me. I like the macabre, I like the dark, I like the weird. I’ve always been a weird person, weird kid. So, it just speaks to me. And I love that horror is such a diverse genre in that it speaks to different issues in different ways, and sometimes it’s really loud in the way that it talks about these issues,” Granger explained.

Now, with Midslumber Media, Granger aims to not only celebrate the horror genre but hopes to create space for inclusivity.

“Highlighting diversity and different voices when it comes to horror was really important to me,” Granger said. “I have a wide range of films here.”

Those films included a March showcase in the shop highlighting horror written and directed by women, with films such as “The Substance,” “The Slumber Party Massacre,” and “Hellbender.”

April’s showcase features horror films inspired by and made in Oregon, with titles including “The Shining,” “Coraline,” and “Longlegs.”

“I’ve had so many people come in here and say that they’re impressed with the selection here, which is all I wanted. They’re saying that they’re glad that there’s so many different authors and so many different stories and different directors, and that’s really important to me. On top of that, I’ve had people make requests that I have more stories about disability, that I have more (people of color) characters, that I have more queer romance stories. It’s really an honor that people feel comfortable enough to ask me,” Granger said.

The Midslumber Media owner also hopes to amplify local artists by selling their art, stickers or bookmarks in the shop, and is accepting artist submissions, noting, “There’s lots of cool, spooky, creepy artists in Portland.”

Weeks after opening, Granger’s favorite part of owning Midslumber Media is building connections with the community.

“It’s the community and getting to talk to different people and learn what their favorite movies are, what their favorite authors are, their favorite books, because I’m always up for a new horror film and horror is such a massive genre and I feel like every day I’m turning a corner to find something new — that’s what’s been the most fun. I’ve had so many requests for events like having movie screenings, book clubs. That is definitely such a great thing that’s come from this, the community building,” Granger said.

“I think that Portland itself is a very art-centric city, and I don’t know what it is, if it’s the nostalgia or just the fact that art is celebrated here, but physical media has a place here in Portland. I mean, we have one of the largest, if not the largest, video rental stores, Movie Madness, I love that place. We have incredible local theaters, we have film festivals, we have a horror film festival,” Granger said. “Portland is the way it is, but if Portland wasn’t the way it is, I don’t think I would have been as confident or courageous to do this. Portland is the best place for a store like this.”