Rat Pack Antiques and Toys Charms on Main Street
Story and photo by Rebecca Maynard
Whether it’s art, retro toys, jewelry or collectibles, there is sure to be something to catch your eye at Rat Pack Antiques and Toys, which opened at 14 West Main Street in Berryville in October.
“I love it here,” owner Brennah Thomas said. “My mom moved here from Brooklyn to go to Shenandoah University, and she just stayed. I was born in Winchester and raised in Berryville, then I moved to Summit Point for about 18 years. I always worked in Clarke County, and moved back last spring. It’s good to be back even though I was only about ten minutes away!”
“It’s really fun being on Main Street,” Thomas said. “We started in the Strasburg Emporium in 2021, and the last year or so we were in Waterloo (the intersection of Routes 340 and 50 near Boyce). That was a great location, but we couldn’t get a long-term lease.”
The new storefront is nestled between the Tea Cart and Brazen Sheep yarn shop. Thomas says she enjoys the sense of community. “We’re a part of the neighborhood. I like being a part of Berryville Main Street and the events they put on. It’s great seeing people go up and down the street, and talking with different business owners. I have a lot of people who come in after tea (at the Tea Cart).”
Thomas said much of the store’s inventory came from her boyfriend and business partner Chris’s family. His grandmother passed away in 2010, leaving her massive collection to his father, who passed away in 2019.
“It was a tough time for Chris, especially with Covid, because we couldn’t have estate sales,” Thomas said. “So Chris decided to buy the collection from the estate, and we started our own little business. I love to shop and so does he, so we also go to auctions, estate sales, flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores —all of that.”
Rat Pack’s offerings include jewelry, antique and secondhand furniture, art, a large Disney collection, tools, toys, memorabilia, and a nook with Thomas’s daughter’s homemade soaps, scrubs, candles and dried herbs.
“There’s a little bit of everything, and way more where that came from. As soon as something goes out the front door, we’re bringing more inventory in the back,” Thomas said.
She keeps prices reasonable so that anyone shopping can find something to buy, and has kept things fun with events like “soup and cider” days during the cold weather. When she had her previous business, Rapture, on Main Street, she and her mother enjoyed having happy hour events with wine, cheese, refreshments, and sales for customers. Thomas plans to have more fun events for customers to enjoy.
For Thomas, a part-time endeavor has become full time, and she is loving every minute of it. “This is so fun, a labor of love,” she said.The store’s hours are Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and 12pm to 5pm Sundays. It can be reached at 540-327-8134, or visit its Facebook or Instagram pages.
