Miss Pat’s Thrift Store and Collectables opens on Market Street
New store offers wide variety of items
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Any Youngs- town resident in the market for John Wayne posters, samurai swords and antique video-game consoles — all at once — now has the chance to one-stop shop at Miss Pat’s Thrift Store and Collectables.
At 519 Market St., the 4,900-square-foot thrift store opened Nov. 1.
Business has been “pretty good,” according to manager Patty Larew. The colorful mural on the building’s south side has caught the eyes of many passers-by, she said.
“It’s been fun to see faces just drop when they come in and see how organized and clean the store is,” said
Larew. “They’re just not used to it.”
Lou Hall, 66, checked out the shop for the first time Wednesday and was greeted with a “Hey, sweetie!” from Larew.
“The store is terrific, everything’s in order,” said Hall, a lifelong Youngstown resident. “Other thrift shops I’ve seen are all junky. This place is not junky.”
The building, formerly Gollan’s Honda Motorcycle Sales, sat vacant for seven years before Larew’s husband and brother-in-law purchased it in December 2011.
“It’s been two years in the making,” said Larew, who collected all of the store’s merchandise from auctions and storage units throughout the state. She formerly stored the goods in a building on the West Side where she sold items during the late summer and fall months. It’s also were she gained the nickname “Miss Pat.”
“I told children in the neighborhood who came in that my name was Pat, and since then, I’ve always been called Miss Pat,” she said.
Miss Pat’s has three rooms filled with electronics, vintage clothing and other collectibles and trinkets. Larew hopes to fill a fourth empty room by January with furniture and appliances.
“She’s been putting me to work,” said Brian Larew, who co-owns the building with his brother, Brandon. “It’s been fun, all right.”
Everything in the store is for sale, except one item, which never will be sold under Larew’s watch. The item is a 1971 Coca-Cola snow globe that produces the catchy “Buy the World a Coke” advertising jingle. Larew sings along whenever it plays.
“Every chance my husband gets, he puts it on the counter, and every time, I bring it right back” said Larew. “I don’t let him touch it.” The collector’s item has a special spot in the store’s back office where some of Larew’s children spend time during the day. Larew has nine children, three biological and six adopted. “They all help out when they can,” she said.
The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
“We’re not here to make a million [dollars], were just here to give back to the community at a cheap price,” said Larew.
Upon entry, customers are greeted with the sole surviving trademark of the motorcycle sales building: a sign, which the Larew family has kept and adopted as its motto: “Where quality is higher than price.”