For over 45 years, Coplay resident Hercules Foskolos has been collecting: original paintings, vintage furniture, Depression-era glassware, retro dining sets, crystal vases, and so much more. Now, those collections are for sale at Foskolos’s new antique and thrift store, Grandpa’s Attic, located at 1204 Main St. in Northampton (the former VFW building). Foskolos hopes there are others just like him in Northampton and beyond who appreciate these one-of-a-kind treasures.
Foskolos started collecting antiques over four decades ago when he began buying
abandoned storage units. Behind those locked storage unit doors were retro furniture, original paintings by Letterman, 19th-century baby cradles, authentic Norman Rockwell dishes, vintage store signs, and lots of antique glassware, pottery, and crystal. Foskolos held on to, showed off, and admired these pieces for decades. However, he says it is time to pass these items off to new owners.
“It was time to do something,” he said. “My garage was loaded.”
When the former VFW building, an impressive stone building at the bottom of Main Street, was available for rent, Foskolos believed the building with so much borough history would be the perfect spot to open his antique store.
Many of the items that await shoppers inside have their own impressive history and stories to share. Shoppers who enter through the front door are greeted by a vintage elephant sign from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. In the back is a 1923 piano, painted red and adorned with East Asian designs. To his knowledge, Foskolos says it is the only piano in the U.S. like it.
Nearing 70, Foskolos says he invested nearly his entire life savings into the building. Although the store only opened in September, he has big plans. If the business is successful, he hopes he can one day expand the antique store into the building’s second floor, where he can sell more furniture and even clothing. Foskolos restores the vintage and antique furniture he finds himself before selling it.
With so many shelves, nooks, and crannies to explore, there’s bound to be a treasure for everyone who enters the store. Make sure to look at the walls, too, so you don’t miss many of the original antique paintings for sale. There are also shelves for Christmas and Halloween items.
Foskolos says it is hard to pick a favorite item in his store, although he does like the Dale Earnhardt toy car and lunchbox collection that is for sale. Shoppers can find dozens of pieces of memorabilia dedicated to the famed NASCAR driver.
In addition to selling pieces from his own collections, Foskolos also takes donations and consignment.
“Why throw something out, if we can find it a second home?” he says.
Grandpa’s Attic is open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Starting on October 1, the store will even be featuring a special sale for shoppers: 15% off anything over $20 and 20% off anything over $100.
Foskolos also posts photos of new items just into the store on the Grandpa’s Attic Facebook page, available @grandpasatticnorthampton. Visit the store in person and follow on Facebook. Who knows, you may just find your next treasure.
