2 Friends Gifts And Consignment Shop

2 Friends recently relocated to its new location from 536 Burmont Road, where it shared quarters and parking with Burmont Hardware and Rex Dry Cleaners (both excellent). Unilocal limits a user’s categorization of a shop like this one to «thrift stores» but this is less a thrift shop than a high end consignment and gift business with remarkably affordable prices. Yes, you read that correctly: Owner Joanne Rebold is very intentional about her inventory and very price conscious. She understands that moving stock is more important than storing it. That’s rare these days, isn’t it?
The premises are remarkably clean, beautifully well organized and appointed and appropriately lighted. At the front of 2 Friends you’ll find an excellent selection of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, and arranged for convenient browsing. What you won’t find at 2 Friends are ripped stitches, tears or moth holes in anything Joanne sells because she’s meticulous about condition.
To the left of the entrance stands a lovely (and often asked about) china cabinet full of crystal, dishware and fine porcelain. Among today’s takeaways were a Beleek china bud vase for twelve (!) dollars, typically priced at $ 65.00 to $ 75.00 elsewhere (check Rubylane if you don’t believe me). Now, take a deep breath, backtrack and read that sentence again. This sort of shopping find is rarer than hens’ teeth on the ground these days. Dig a little more deeply into the china cabinet and you’ll find full sets of designer dishware (Pfaltzgraff stoneware, Royal Worcester tea sets), cut crystal (today’s visit turned up sparkling Waterford and Wexford sets) and Royal Danish holiday pieces all elegantly presented and priced to sell.
Keep walking through this immaculate store and you’ll pass designer handbags, vintage women’s hats from the twenties and thirties (I counted no fewer than a half dozen cloches, smartly displayed), jewelry, brass, flatware, toys and on and on. You never know what you’ll find so stop by often. Joanne’s stock changes daily and her consignment traffic is high.
What sets 2 Friends apart from so many other neighborhood consignment shops is that Joanne offers high tea for groups in an ever-​evolving, ever improving back room. The 2 Friends «tearoom» is already booked weeks in advance for reading groups, local women’s organizations and product demonstrations so be sure to make your reservations early because her calendar is filling up quickly.
Parking is a little bit of a challenge because meters line the lot out front. However, there’s ample free parking a hundred yards past the store on Woodland so keep heading west until you find a spot. 2 Friends is tucked into a row of stores flanking the Drexel Hill Post Office and set in the business district of historic downtown Aronimink. If you’re planning a consignment junket to the Main Line remember to add 2 Friends to your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed. This is a local treasure owned and operated by one of Upper Darby’s leading lights. Brava…