The Past Finds New Life at Wexford General Store Antiques
The Pine Township landmark is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Marianne and Jim Marino became trendsetters while peddling the past.
In 1966, the couple opened Wexford General Store Antiques and established one of the first antique collectives in Pennsylvania.
Over the years, more than 200 pickers have occupied the space in Pine. There are currently 20 dealers (known as the WGS family) selling wares from a building that, itself, is a piece of history.
Constructed in the mid- to late-1800s, it’s been everything from a general store and a smithy to a slaughterhouse and the Marino family’s home.
For the last six decades, treasure-seeking Pittsburghers — as well as celebrities such as polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk, comedian Jonathan Winters, Billy Corrigan of The Smashing Pumpkins and actress Diane Keaton — have visited the place, which is located on a historic stretch of road that runs parallel to Perry Highway.
The beloved landmark is constantly changing, yet manages to stay the same.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
As you wind your way through the cluttered rooms, you can hear the wooden floorboards squeak and creak. Only the shaker boards inside Noah’s Ark at Kennywood make more of a racket. I believe this enhances the shopping experience like some kind of antiquing ASMR.
As a North Hills native and a packrat, I’ve spent countless hours exploring the store (and its neighboring annex), usually accompanied by my dad, who got me hooked on old things at a young age.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Wexford General is a nostalgic maximalist’s dream, filled with furniture, housewares, seasonal decor, textiles, vinyl records, vintage clothing, books and periodicals, stained glass, artwork and tchotchkes galore.
Admittedly, it’s a bit depressing to see Cabbage Patch Kids, VHS tapes and other hallmarks of my ‘80s childhood on the shelves of an antique shop, but I’m happy to know that Gen X chic is trending with today’s whippersnappers.
There’s also high demand for Mid-Century Modern furniture, typewriters and film cameras.
The busiest day in the company’s history was their 60th anniversary celebration, which coincided with Valentine’s Day.
There’s a lot of love for in-person antiquing, even in an age of high-tech gadgets and online commerce.
In 2025, WGS was named Best Antique & Repurposed Store in Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best of the Burgh readers poll. It’s a popular spot for influencers to shoot TikTok reels.
The Marinos got their start in the industry by taking weekly road trips in search of Victorian and Primitive American odds and ends.
“We would set out every Monday with an empty truck and $100 and we’d come back with a full truck and no money,” Marianne says.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Their first storefront was located in West View. Jim grew up in the borough and his mother, Hilda Marino, would take him to auctions, igniting his lifelong passion for antiques.
Hilda passed away one month before she was set to open her own shop. Jim and Marianne, along with their adult children, carry the torch for her every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at WGS.
The couple’s son, Matthew, who repairs and reupholsters furniture, spent the first 18 months of his life in a nursery on the second floor. Their other son, Joshua, married his wife, Shannon, at the ol’ homestead. The couple sells vintage goods there under the name Twig and Berry.
“We are only stewards of these things,” says Josh, who painted the Uncle Sam that’s been keeping watch over the store since the 1990s.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Tucker, the family dog who looks like he stepped straight out of the RCA logo, is a regular.
Other occupants include friendly ghosts, who are particularly fond of the second-floor library. Once, when a patron came in looking for information on a specific bird, an ornithological field guide flew off the shelf and landed on the floor in front of her, open to a page featuring the avian in question.
If that ever happens to me when I’m browsing in the book section, I’ll shake a tail feather across the street to have a few stiff drinks at Cole’s Tavern, founded in 1902.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
So what keeps the living and the dead coming back to Wexford General?
“We have a good reputation by now,” Marianne says. “We always try to be fair, listen to our customers and try to be kind.”
Wexford General Store Antiques is at 150 Church Road in Pine. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
