Catskill Collectibles

Founded by Tom Illari in 2016, Catskill Collectibles sells antiques, knick knacks, postcards, outsourced reproductions and prints, and other historical souvenirs from the region. Tom’s interest in the Catskills dates from his early childhood, and since then he has been an avid student of their history. In turn, he assembled a substantial collection of regional and historical antiques.

In 2021, Catskill Collectibles was the winner for “Best Antique Shop” in the Best of Greene County Awards. Its mission is to help preserve the memorabilia of the Catskills that were part of peoples’ daily existence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Catskill Collectibles fulfills that mission by making available a collection of postcards, books and prints of the area, and many items such as photographs of the grand hotels and railroad timetables and vintage souvenirs.

Customers can find these products at local pop-up events throughout the year, on Etsy’s online marketplace, and at their brick and mortar location. Tom mentions Etsy has been consistently beneficial to their sales, especially before the recent establishment of his brick and mortar store.

Right now, Tom works part time at an accounting practice, but his vision is “to expand Catskill Collectibles.” Tom has set his sights on eventually selling other vendors’ products in an established brick and mortar store year-round, including wholesale and consignment products in a retail store – not just online.