What-Not-Shoppe Marks 25 Years in St. Charles

Doreen Brandolino’s passion for the business she has tended for 25 years imbues her words as she tenderly recalls her mother, who continues to inspire her to this day, and her father, who just happens to be her partner, too.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and every day I have never gone to work,” Brandolino says.

She has been operating What-Not-Shoppe, 106E. Main St., for more than two decades — the last 15 years at the East Main Street address. Before that, she said, the store operated in The Market in St. Charles. But the move to Main Street, into a refurbished older building, was akin to moving home.

Her parents, Angelo and Josephine Terracina, opened the business on Route 64 in 1958 — although in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, Route 64 is North Avenue. Their stock in trade — antiques and collectibles — was a sought-after commodity in Old Town, and in the early 1960s, they moved into larger quarters on Wells, still in Old Town.

They moved the business to Skokie in the 1970s. Major changes came in the 1980s with Josephine’s death at age 61. The family took their What-Not-Shoppe to St. Charles.

Doreen’s been at it ever since. “I do it in my mother’s memory,” she says. “And how many women can say they’ve had their father as a partner for 25 years?”

Specializing in high-end pieces — European museum-quality antiques, estate and vintage jewelry — the What-Not-Shoppe hit the 25-year mark in St. Charles in March. Doreen is inviting the community to her store for a one-night only 25th anniversary celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, 2013, at the store.

She says she is grateful to have had such loyal customers over the years “that have gone by so quickly.”

“I am thrilled to celebrate 25 years and want to thank my loyal customers for their support, and I want to invite the whole community to come and see the store for our celebratory event,” Doreen told the Downtown St. Charles Parnership in a release issued this week to announce the event.

Her secret to success, she told the Downtown St. Charles Parnership, is that that she helps customers find ways to incorporate antiques into any style décor. An antique piece or two can offer something interesting and unique even in modern homes.

Well-appointed antique stores like the What-Not-Shoppe, plus the Kane County Flea Market, prompted the History Channel’s American Pickers to name St. Charles as one of “10 great places for antiques shopping,” according to USA Today.

What-Not-Shoppe, 106E. Main St., is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Call 630-587-8750.

Downtown St. Charles Parnership says no reservation is required for the June 27 anniversary celebration.

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