A new Astoria shop is looking to bring the community high-quality items at low prices.
Sofia’s Consignment Shop, located at 32-20 34th Ave., opened its doors two months ago and offers customers clothing, jewelry and children’s, household, collector and designer items — and much more.
At the shop, people can come in with their items in good or almost new condition and sign a contract with the shop. They will then have the option of either receiving 60 percent in credit for the items they put down or getting 40 percent cash back on what the item is sold for.
Rabea Oummih, owner of the store, said she chooses the best items and lists them at affordable prices.
“I’m a mother of five and I know it’s not easy having to spend good amounts of money to buy things,” said Oummih. “Our prices are always much less. We are trying to help the community around here in order for them to be able to buy what they need but at very good rates at the same time.”
Oummih, who immigrated to the United States from Morocco when she was 10 years old and grew up in Astoria, has also been the owner of Amana Insurance Brokerage on 34th Street for the past two years.
She opened Sofia’s, named after her niece, right next door in a spot she initially wanted to use to expand her insurance business.
“It’s the best thing — I can keep, balance and manage both,” said Oummih, who has had a career in insurance for 25 years. “It’s a little bit difficult because insurance has nothing to do with this but it works.”
Although Oummih now lives in Long Island, most of her family continues to live in Astoria and she said she hopes the shop will become a store for the community. She said she invites people to come in, sell their items and shop.
The shop also sells furniture and items from Morocco, as well as art pieces, some done by Oummih’s 21-year-old daughter who also designed the store’s logo.
Furniture items are kept in a warehouse and customers can take a look at the options from a book of photographs at the shop.
“[My goal is to] help my community, help the people around here and have a family-oriented business. Where people don’t just come in because they have to buy something, but [also for] a ‘Hello, how are you.’ I like that,” Oummih said. “I am going to start to feel like I belong, this is what I was supposed to do and this is the right way to do it.”
For more information, call 718-775-8455.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
