Ah, it was only a few weeks ago that I was saying it wasn’t worth it to schlep for miles to shop for salvage. Well, then I lost a bunch of stuff due to the storm. Now that I have to shop all over again, I seem to have forgotten my own advice.
And so I was off to southern NJ and Philadelphia yesterday.
My first stop was Recycling the Past in Barnegat, NJ. The town is chock full of antique shops and when I pulled up to this particular architectural salvage oasis, it did not disappoint. It was like being a kid in a candy shop (see photos)! Only when I found out the prices I realized that mommy didn’t give me enough money to buy any candy. That’s not to say they are overpriced, but their prices are more on par with some of the larger Manhattan places rather than the salvage guys I’m used to in Brooklyn.
Light fixtures were in the $200’s-$1000’s. Some were really beautiful and well worth it, but when you’re working with a negative $15k budget, you ain’t buying thousand dollar light fixtures. Not that I do anyway because I am a bargain diva. Claw foot tubs in bad shape were $400. You can get one for half that at Vaccaro’s and even less at Eddie’s.
So why do I travel? Because those guys don’t have some of the newer crap that I need. Tiles and molding in semi decent shape. Kitchen cabinets. I have yet to luck out at Build it Green on those items. BTW, I’m not too impressed with BIG Gowanus prices, so I usually stick to Astoria.
In Philly, I went to a ReStore and the Urban Artifacts Warehouse which looked closed. I walked in and a couple of guys moving furniture said I probably shouldn’t be there. I didn’t argue since I realized it was one of the higher priced salvage shops anyway.
It was actually the Bucks County Restore where I hit the kitchen cabinet jackpot. Well, as much of a jackpot that I could fit into my Rav 4. So, all in all, I came back with 2 base cabinets for $55 and spent about $65 in gas and tolls.
You do the math. Yeah, I know.
4 Comments
Thanks for sharing your story. I admire your tenacity. Just yesterday (5/1/12) was my first purchase from the Astoria BIG. Great place, pleasant staff and decent pricing. Today my plans were to visit the Gowanus location, so thanks for the “fair warning” on prices. I’m still going, but your perspective has helped me better prepare.
I was at Gowanus the other day. At least they marked down the flooded stuff. Still, Eddie Hibbert beats them all!
Can you post a list of place in NY.. And where is Big Eddie exactly, I need to rebuild my home from Sandy and so happy I stumbled upon this site..
Sorry to hear about your home. What area are you in? Eddie is located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn at Greene and Grand Streets. He’s closed on Sundays and Mondays and opens around noon Tue-Sat.
Here are some older posts that list a few places…
Money Saving Tips
Renovating on a Tight Budget