Gigi Greco is a librarian, but not the kind you might automatically think of; she is a librarian of things. As the proprietor of G-Spot, which is located at 152 East Gay Street in West Chester, she has the unique opportunity to not only hunt for and maintain a vast collection of truly unique antiquities, but she also gets to share them with the students and members of the community at large.
While she may have relocated and established G-Spot in the summer of 2014, Greco is no stranger to the vintage sales market. At the age of 17, she opened her first store in Center City Philadelphia, aptly named Divine Decades, and later moved the store to the very boutique-centric city: Austin, Texas.
Although there has been a recent boom in consignment store ownership, according to the San Francisco Gate, Greco has never viewed her store to be among those ranks; she refers to her store as a “thrift boutique” and boasts about the fact that while every single piece in her store is unique and hand-picked, they are all within a reasonable price range that anybody can afford.
The store concentrates on high-end, used clothing, but also has a variety of other treasures whether it be one of a kind art, vinyl records or jewelry.
On recounting her past experiences, Greco made it quite clear that she does not accept consignments in her shop. Instead, she goes out of her way to go out and handpick her items, one by one. More often than not, her results have been quite remarkable.
One item in particular comes to mind. Amidst the rare vinyls, samurai swords and couture dresses, there sits on the front counter a tiny brass contraption.
Greco explained to me that at first she thought it was–and used it as–a candleholder. She didn’t think much of it until years later. While researching the history of the item, she learned it was a rare twine dispenser, used by department stores in the early 1900s to hold the string they wrapped parcels with.
The simple brass device she’d picked up for a few dollars while she was out and about one day ended up fetching her close to $100–and she could have gotten more.
Greco has always prided herself on being shockingly affordable, in her own words saying, “After all, what gives women more pleasure than finding one of a kind stuff at a bargain?”
That’s not what drives Greco, though; she says that it’s the thrill of the hunt that keeps her doing what she does, and she only shares her treasures with people who she thinks really wants them for what they are.
“Every item as a history,” she said when asked about the reverence she has for her antiquities. “You have to respect that history.”
So if you’re looking for something unique to decorate your home, apartment or dorm room with, or if you have an eye for items you’ve never seen before, I’d highly suggest checking the G-Spot out.
The store is open most days from noon until 7:00 p.m., or you can visit her at facebook.com/TheGSpotThrift.
Ryan Wasser is a fifth-year student majoring in English writings track. He can be reached at RW851045@wcupa.edu.