Say goodbye to Toviah Thrift Store (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)
After four decades of service, Toviah Thrift Store at 4211 Chestnut Street has shuttered its doors for good this month, and will soon be the new home of its neighbor, Dana Mandi International Foods and Spices.
When we stopped by Tuesday evening, workers from Dana Mandi at 4205 Chestnut Street were in the process of cleaning out Toviah Thrift. Its front room was mostly emptied of its low-priced products and furniture, with remnants scattered unevenly across the space. The next morning, when we returned in hopes of speaking with Dana Mandi’s owner, Toviah Thrift was cleaned out even further— a shell of its former glory.
(Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)
According to local blogger Mark Krull, the owners of Dana Mandi recently bought the property from Reverend Larry Falcon, founder of Toviah Thrift, and will soon move into the shop. A worker named Suny confirmed this information to West Philly Local over the phone, but noted he didn’t have a confirmed date for the move. He did say, though, that it wouldn’t happen prior to May.
City of Philadelphia records show that Dana Mandi, under the name Asian Spice Food Inc, owns both 4205 and 4211 Chestnut Streets, which totals to over 3,000 square feet.
Toviah Thrift is a significant part of West Philly history. Around since the late 1970s, the Christian nonprofit acted as a self-declared “safe haven” for community children while funding Rev. Falcon’s Covenant Community Church through its second-hand store. The small, welcoming ministry was housed in one half of the building, while out of the back operated The Jubilee School—Toviah’s inexpensive private elementary school serving kids in West and Southwest Philly.
Opened between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., for the last three decades, locals could stop in and purchase a mishmash of donated items that were priced inexpensively. It wasn’t a perfectly coifed space—often a disorderly grouping of products—but Rev. Falcon’s agenda of “love never fails” was apparent in its messy bones.
Much like the shop—and Rev. Falcon himself—reviews for Toviah Thrift are nothing if not interesting. One Yelper gave it one star in 2011, writing, “It looks dirty as a butt 3 days into a hippy music festival.” In 2013, another Yelper, who gave it two stars, compared the space to “an episode of Hoarders,” but noted Rev. Falcon was “nice and knowledgeable.”
Most of the other reviews echoed the same response, with one Yelper writing, “What makes this place outstanding is Larry, also known simply as Papa … Come in to meet this historian if nothing else; he’ll be happy to chat with you as you browse.”
–Annamarya Scaccia
April 4th, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Should have been noted that the Jubilee school
Began in the back of the thrift store but has been located on Chester near Clark Park for some years now ( at least 10) and continues to thrive, directed by Karen Falcon.
April 4th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
In terms of local closings, I just heard today that Tradewinds Pet Store which has been at 40th and Market since before I moved to West Philly in the mid 70s closed! End of an era!
April 4th, 2014 at 8:00 pm
Pastor Larry was a great mentor of mine. With his guidance, I ran a afterschool arts program Expressions for eight years. It really was a haven for many youth that had nowhere else to go.
April 4th, 2014 at 10:06 pm
What happened with all the books in the back of the thrift store? Is it moving? I used to always go there to find an amazing selection of books to read.
April 5th, 2014 at 6:29 am
Toviah, Tradewinds, and also Charlie & Kims grocery on 49th & Bmore. Looks like a pattern to me
April 5th, 2014 at 11:00 am
Tarnished his legacy opposing the conversion of the porn store into a liquor store.
April 5th, 2014 at 8:44 pm
Really? Including those poorly worded negative Yelp reviews was extremely random and disrespectful. You could have at least found one without the phrase “dirty as a butt” and still have gotten the point across.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:58 am
Another chapter closes, another yet to be written… Pastor Larry and Karen Falcon have been and continue to be pillars in the community. They don’t get the recognition they deserve. Jubilee School is a jewel and a lasting legacy to their tireless efforts to build and loving and equitable community. Bless them both for all they do.
April 9th, 2014 at 9:27 am
@anon, His opposition to a liquor store hardly tarnished his legacy. In my eyes it bolstered it.The man cares about his community and city. He cares about the wellbeing of working people and their ability to strive and make it in life. Do you realize there is a shelter, and a mosque not far from where the liquor store was going to be? They built one in another location.
May 21st, 2014 at 10:39 am
Hi I wrote the story referenced in the above article. I can not give you the link here since this site says its “spammey”
I did write some about the history of the store. Hope you like it and let me know if there is anything that is incorrect. Thanks Mark Krull