People of Conshohocken – Antoinette Poluch – Owner of OBVI

People of Conshohocken – Antoinette Poluch – Owner of OBVI

11/22/2017

by Brian Coll

This is part of our People of Conshohocken series…
We have close to 10,000 people in our borough, add in the residents of West Conshohocken, Plymouth, Whitemarsh and Lafayette Hill and we have a large community. Some of the people that will be featured will be well known in the area, some will have just moved into the area, some will have been here their entire lives. Some of them may be business owners, or people who walk around the area, or maybe work in the area. Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t. Everyone has a story. While we are only going to take their picture and maybe ask a question or two, we want to share these stories with you.

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I started my holiday shopping a little early and hit OBVI as my first stop, it was my only stop today, but at least I got started. As Antoinette the owner was ringing up my purchase (I can’t say what it is in case the person getting it reads this) we got to talking and I was really surprised they have been open for 6 years now. I was a little more than surprised because I don’t know if any other retail stores have opened since that time. If someone has opened retail in that time please comment on our Facebook post. We always try to shop local and we love pointing out local businesses. As we were chatting, she was so kind and wrapped the purchase up in a nice tissue paper and then placed it in a bag for me and my daughter. I asked her what brought her to Conshohocken slightly more than 6 years ago and she just felt it was the right fit for her and her business. I seemed to remember she had a store in West Chester so I asked her about it, she closed it about 4 years ago when she was starting her family. While it was a tough choice it really wasn’t. She has felt so loved in Conshohocken and the community has been great here. She could keep one of the two and keep her sanity as well and her dedication to doing the right thing for her customers. We started talking a little about Conshohocken in general and we both agreed that there isn’t much walk by traffic as the retail stores are spread a little thin here, but the customers that do come by have come to love her choices and products in the boutique. She choose Conshohocken all those years ago because she thought it would be a great fit and she has really come to love Conshohocken and the community.

So, when I got around to asking her favorite thing about Conshohocken, there was no hesitation or pause or awkward silence. Her words the people jumped out of her mouth. It was so sincere, I was really proud to hear that. I have always been proud of the people of our community, and I was glad to hear someone else express it.

We’re getting into the “holiday season” but we shouldn’t need an excuse to walk into her store or any others we may have here. I’m sure Flocco’s would love to see you walk in and buy a shirt or pair of shoes, I know I would love to see you walk into Coll’s Custom Framing and buy a book, t-shirt or get something framed for your loved one. I know the crew down at Edward Freemans would love to see you buy some peanut butter, if you do go there, I like fudge hint hint…. So if you do go shopping local, tell them we said hi. If you go see Antoinette, I think you’ll be pleased with what she has to offer. I cant wait to give the gift I bought today, I hope it is well received, no I know it will be. Thanks Antoinette, always great to see you.