A few years ago when I lived upstate, I would take frequent salvage trips up to Albany. It was the motherload salvage. Three huge places in Albany proper plus some great shops in Ravena, Coxsackie and Troy.

Having some difficulty getting everything I need locally, I thought it would be worth the 3 hour drive to load up my car with some awesome inexpensive materials.

The first stop was Silver Fox, a massive building that you can get lost in. Not only does Silver Fox have salvage and antiques but they do a decent business making tables and furniture out of reclaimed wood, upcycling light fixtures and such.

Alas, because of my very tight budget, I only walked away with one light fixture. It IS perfect for a retro beachy house though.

Next up was the Re-Store. It looked like it had been picked clean. They had materials, but it was all cheesy stuff. Worth going if you need windows, electrical and plumbing or building as opposed to finishing materials.

Last stop in Albany was the Architectural Parts Warehouse, a place I remembered being completely fabulous. Oh, it was fabulous alright, but they didn’t have anything for me. And I could swear they raised their prices. I don’t know if everyone has raised their prices or it’s that everything seems so expensive to me now that my budget is crazy-tight.

The Ravena Barn Flea Market proved unsuccessful. If you need dishes, glasses or old adding machines, this is the place to go.

Finally, a bit of success at the Coxsackie Antiques Center where I picked up an English telephone faucet for 48 bucks. They had some great stuff and the prices were good but unfortunately, I was shopping for the renovation and not my own house.

With only two purchases and mega gas and toll expenses, I wanted to hightail it to Zaborski’s in Kingston. Guess what? That didn’t happen when I got pulled over for speeding.

So all in all, my day was fun but a negative drain on the finances.