Architectural Salvage, a Business
Back in the early 1970’s when New York was a very different place, members of the Anonymous Art Reclamation Society would remove objects from demolition sites and donate them to museums. At around that same time, however, the salvagers realized that these items had real market value for a certain segment of the public and…
Back in the early 1970’s when New York was a very different place, members of the Anonymous Art Reclamation Society would remove objects from demolition sites and donate them to museums. At around that same time, however, the salvagers realized that these items had real market value for a certain segment of the public and began turning their passions in to businesses. In addition to Gil Shapiro’s Tribeca-based Urban Archaeology, other big players in the New York market included the Scranton, PA-based Olde Good Things and Harlem mainstay Demolition Depot (both of which we used in our own renovation). The Times doesn’t mention two of our faves in Brooklyn, Williamsburg’s Moon River Chattel and Clinton Hill’s Eddie’s Salvage at 222 Greene Avenue. Any other places in or around the city that you’ve found useful? The ceramic tub at the far right in this photo looks a lot like the one we bought from United House Wrecking for our master bath. Cost us $900, if memory serves.
A Business Built on Salvage [NY Times]
Another interesting thing about Olde Good Thigs is that they are owned and operated by a religious cult called the Church of Bible understanding (COBU). Look it up and you’ll see. A very intense and dangerous group. I know a former member.
Another interesting thing about Olde Good Thigs is that they are owner and operated by a religious cult called the Church of Bible understanding (COBU). Look it up and you’ll see. A very intense and dangerous group. I know a former member.
I had a bad experience with Demolition Depot. Earlier this year I found a pair of double front doors that were reasonably priced — a pleasant surprise after seeing the prices of most of the salvage front doors I’d been looking at. After putting the doors on hold, I (very stupidly, I know) asked the salesperson why they were so reasonable. I got a call a few hours later saying that the owner (Evan) had mispriced them, and now they were several hundred dollars more expensive. I was really pissed off they he would actually go so far to change the listed price after finding an interested buyer. But he wouldn’t back down.
I used to work down the street from Urban Archeology on Spring Street, in the late 70’s – early 80’s. This was when the other businesses on that block were scrap fabric converters and cutting rooms, and there was a cafeteria on that block where you could get lunch for under $5.00 Those were the SoHo days! My co-workers and I used to browse in UA, and I remember they had the most ornate, beautiful bar I had ever seen, fully assembled on one wall. They were expensive then, too, but had really beautiful things. I find Olde Good Things to be really expensive too, and DD, forget it.
Thank goodness for someone like Eddie, who certainly isn’t giving it away, but is not overdoing it. Sometimes you can get a bargain on Atlantic Ave, but the shops there are disappearing every day. There is also a place in Bed Stuy on Malcolm X Ave and near McDonough and Macon. I never knew the name of it, but he has 3 storefronts and so much stuff, I bet he hasn’t seen it all in years. Antiques, doors, door frames, iron fencing, general salvage, and lots of junk. I love it. Best time to go is weekends.
One of the reasons that DD has such high prices on some items is that they make a lot of money from renting their inventory out for film shoots.
Once I was looking for antique door knobs for my prewar apartment. Quite a few guts renovation were going on in Harlem that time. My contractor friend told me that I should look for salvage items. So I went Demolition Depot with little excitement. They had $60 price tag for each set. Instantly rejected by my husband. And after all, I found pretty nice antique knobs on eBay for $5 each. Now I own a brownstone but still can not afford their 10K++ cabinet.
Evan Blum of Demolition Depot has long been considered a less than lovely fella — and you can tell by reading between the lines of the article than the NYT writer felt the same. Rumor has it his old store/warehouse collapsed because he tried renovating the space on the cheap, removing several load bearing columns.
I’ve shopped at Olde Good Things – their prices are reasonable. I’ve never shopped at Demolition Depot and never will – I’ve inquired about a number of items but have always been so turned off by their, down right offensive, prices. I often wonder if they would increase their revenue by selling more items for less money.