ERVING — A wall in the side office of Anthony Manzi’s business sports a poster from the movie “The Godfather.”
That’s fitting, because Manzi wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse — or at least a deal that makes you happy.
Manzi is the owner of Anthony’s Accents, which officially opened at 20 French King Highway at the beginning of the year, though Manzi and his wife, Shannon, had sold some items earlier than that.
“I’m trying to get the grip of it, you know? That’s the whole thing,” he said in his store. “People have been stopping in and we’ve been selling some products. We’re pretty new.”
Manzi’s merchandise includes furniture, birdhouses, walking sticks, jewelry, and recurve and compound bows. He is also proud that he carries a lot of wood, which he will likely hold sales for. He said he buys most of his items at estate sales and most recently made his living as a car wholesaler.
“So that’s how I kind of have a knack for buying and selling,” he said. “I have a good eye for things.”
Manzi, 61, said he enjoys antiques and collectibles because he likes learning more about them and the era they come from.
The son of Italian immigrants, he was in the restaurant business for years, owning pizza shops with his brother in the Springfield area, where they grew up. Manzi has lived in Erving for 20 years and bought the building at 20 French King Highway about 12 or 13 years ago, opening Christina’s Pizzeria — named after his mother — before eventually handing off the business to someone else. The spot was previously the home of The Smoking Hippo restaurant and, before that, the Starlite Diner. The building still sports a kitchen (complete with a pizza oven) and a bar, which Manzi uses to display items.
“This is going to be popular, watch,” he said. “I’m going to stick with this. I’m going to really make it go.”
Anthony’s Accents has previously been open exclusively on weekends, but it will have summer hours of roughly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Wednesday through Sunday. The store will also be open by appointment seven days a week.
More information is available on Facebook or at anthonysaccents.com. Manzi can be reached at 413-219-9759 or anthonysbackoffice@gmail.com.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.