By Sara Beth Williams–
Following a stressful year dealing with ongoing maintenance problems and major theft at his local thrift store, former owner of Whatsupstairs Anthony Iacolino chose to sell the business to a new owner this past January, and said the experience of transitioning to new ownership “couldn’t have been better.”
The new owners have made multiple changes throughout the store, including rearranging where certain merchandise is displayed, adding large racks of clothes throughout the center of the store, removing much of the larger antique furniture, and swapping the entrance of the store from the side to the front, which faces Auburn Boulevard directly.
A new bright, multi-colored mural also graces the side wall of the building, visible to drivers and pedestrians traveling southbound.
The new owners have also instituted specific color-coded sales for each day, a one-dollar clothing rack outside, 50-percent-off-Wednesdays, and a 10 percent discount every day of the week for students, seniors and veterans. The store has also partnered with Vinted, a viral thrifting buy and sell app, and is a drop-off location for people who sell on Vinted.
The store is still called Whatsupstairs, though store management said it’s a possibility the name could change in the future, but there was no timeline given on any future change in name.
Currently, Google lists the business with two names combined: “Whatsupstairs Thrift Store and Antiques / 2nd Chance.”
Previously Iacolino had been struggling with multiple large thefts and ongoing maintenance problems at the store that took months to resolve throughout 2025. According to Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers, a July 6, 2025, smash-and-grab theft at Whatsupstairs resulted in $50,000 in jewelry being stolen. The case remains unsolved.
Iacolino said the fall of 2025 that he loved the customers and the community and did not want to shut down his store, but that he was considering transferring ownership instead.
This week, Iacolino said the new owners are “amazing” and that he still keeps in touch and donates to the store regularly. He also said he hopes to continue collaborations with the owners in the future, as he still participates in and acquires merchandise through storage auctions.
Management said the owner was not available for comment at this time. Whatsupstairs is located at 7134 Auburn Blvd.
