New Thrift Store Opens

When the thought of opening a new business struck Ilona Igolkin and Dmitriy Filitovich they didn't have to worry about gathering inventory or buying overhead.

Instead the Warrington couple, who opened A to Z Thrift at 6 N. York Road in Hatboro last week, looked at unloading many of their own possessions. 

"We just love to go to flea markets," Igolkin said. "Over the years, it just got crazy."

Inside the store, which is situated at the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society, the couple's goods–ranging from Christmas decorations, to clothes still bearing original tags, tools, books, bath towels and decor, CDs, DVDs, a washing machine and other miscellaneous items–fill the space.

"This is all mine that I bought at the auctions. Every Saturday and Sunday that was our day to go and play," Igolkin said. "It's where our passion is. We can take old stuff and make it new again."

Besides the couple's collection amassed over the last seven years, the shop was born after the closing of their kitchen and bath store, which Igolkin said they operated near Cherry Hill, N.J. That closure, coupled with a "bad economy," forced them to take to flea markets to try to sell their goods, she said. 

That, in turn, spurred the idea for the Hatboro-based store. 

Filitovich, referencing the couple's 3,000-square-foot warehouse of merchandise "packed in full," said stock isn't expected to get low anytime soon. 

"We think it's a lot for us," he said. 

That's why, at least at the outset, the business owners, who had previously said they are not accepting consigned goods to sell. 

"I just want to get rid of my stuff and go from there," Igolkin said. 

If you go
A to Z Thrift is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 267-243-8433

What's your favorite thing to shop for at thrift stores and where is your favorite second-hand shop? Tell us in the comments.