Sine’s 5 & 10 Store – Shopping Down Memory Lane!

2017 Update: Sine's is doing well, and about to celebrate their 10th Birthday this year! 

Dear readers - as you may know one of my favorite places in the Philadelphia area is Sine's 5 & 10 Store in Quakertown, PA. Since it's that shopping time of year, I decided that Sine's would be the perfect place to start my Christmas gift gathering - so off I went on a bright clear Saturday afternoon. Come along with me!

(Doesn't it look like it popped out of a 1950's postcard? Swoon!)

As I entered the store I could hear, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." playing over the store loudspeaker and I was immediately transported back in time, Christmas shopping at Woolworth's when I was a little kid.

And just like the Woolworths in my old downtown, Sine's has a lunch counter, where I sat to get my bearings - and a grilled cheese- before shopping. You can get lunch until 2 at the counter, and it's cash only. (And the folks there are so cool that they won't mind if you need to excuse yourself from the counter and go out to your car when you realize you forgot your purse  in the car because you were too busy grabbing your camera and dashing across the street to get a photograph of the front of the store before cars parked there. Ahem. ;-))

While spinning on my counter stool I chatted with Bill junior, one of the many Harr family members who were running the store today. I found out all sorts of interesting things - like Sine's is looking forward to celebrating their 100th anniversary next August, we should stay tuned to their Sine's Facebook page for updates and that they're open on Sundays for the Christmas shopping season.

Speaking of Christmas shopping! While I can't tell you when I bought - for fear that the Retro Roadkids might stumble upon my post- I will say that Sine's is a great place to pick up all sorts of toys, gadgets, decorations, and vintage-inspired Christmas items.

Not quite sure what I'm gonna do with a santa head on a stick, but I couldn't resist these cheery "made in Japan" guys.

And I will admit to being totally hopeless when it comes to being crafty, so I'll leave the bright red berries for someone else to use to decorate their wreath with. True confession I was so enamored with all that this store has to offer I spent too much time shopping there!

While not everything in Sine's is for sale, you can get all sorts of inspiration for gift-giving ideas and creative ways to display your own collections just by looking around, as there are collections of collections artfully displayed around the entire store, thanks to owner Bill Harr senior.

(This makes my coffee can of vintage rulers look positively anemic!)

Who can resist cookies during the holiday season? I love those red plastic cookie cutters, just like the ones I have in my collection.

I didn't realize what luck I had in visiting Sine's this Saturday, as I was able to also chat at length with 3rd generation store owner Bill Harr senior AND meet the 6th generation family member Jonas Harr. Here's a photo of these two dapper gents - it was heartwarming to see the phrase "family owned and operated" in action.

You can see loads more photos from my trip to Sine's here on the RetroRoadmap Flickr page, and know that these photos represent but a fraction of what is on display and for sale at Sine's. It is truly a destination to seek out, whatever time of the year it is!