
Marlene Cantoral-Durrant, owner of Another Man's Treasure in Hereford Township, stands with employee Mary Egolf at her new location in the former Underground Biker/Spaar auto dealership building on Gravel Pike.
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Take one step inside the massive building that houses Another Man’s Treasure in Palm and you’ll know you are in for a treat.
A treat, that is, if you are interested in antiques, vintage pieces or just one-of-a-kind finds.
The consignment shop, which moved this year from the 1100 block of Gravel Pike to the 1000 block in Palm, Hereford Township, is a trove of old and new.
A stroll inside reveals a black resin statue of two chimpanzees, a vintage Emerson wooden tube radio, Bohemian puppets, a C.P. Rowlly Princess organ and a metal Kenmore roaster/storage stand circa the 1950s. There are also stained glass sun catchers, primitive signs and taxidermy wildlife.
And not to be outdone by the store’s interior, a brand new outhouse, complete with a crescent moon, is for sale adjacent to the front door.
Owner Marlene Cantoral-Durrant, who founded the business in 2009, said that is part of the allure.
“There is always something different, something new,” she said. “We have used furniture, antiques, household items, some appliances, home décor…all kinds of treasures.”
Cantoral-Durrant quit her career as a general contracting painter in Philadelphia back in 2006 and moved to Hereford Township, where she found a fondness for making older things new again. After hand-painting old farm equipment and quickly selling it, she decided to go into the business full-time.
Now the mother of eight spends her weekends at yard and estate sales and auctions, looking for unique pieces to feature in her busy shop. In addition to her finds, Cantoral-Durrant has a multitude of consigners. Since moving in January, she said she has added 300 more consigners to the store.
“With the customers and consigners, you couldn’t ask for a better job,” she noted, stating her appreciation for having her own business.
Items are consigned on a 60-40 consigner/business basis. All items are displayed for 45 days and then discounted to 50 percent off. Any remaining items are then sold through donation sales for rock-bottom prices.
With ever-changing stock, Cantoral-Durrant said customers come from outside the area all the time. Aside from New Jersey and New York, she said she gets regulars from as far away as South Carolina, who stop by twice a year to take in all that Berks County has to offer.
Some of the draw is her prices, which Cantoral-Durrant said are very reasonable.
Amid the thousands of items dating back decades, even centuries, many better made than brand new items of today, Cantoral-Durrant said, with a laugh, adding that they have a saying that borders on their slogan – “If they didn’t see it here then they didn’t make it yet.”
Another Man’s Treasure, 1014 Gravel Pike, Palm, is open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information call (484)300-2139 or visit them on Facebook.