Some second-hand furniture stores are like ancient libraries. The front is just like any other store--clean, presentable, welcoming. But as you start to move toward the back, another world slowly unfurls.
Soon, you find yourself hidden away among stacks of old things, the smell of wood and mothballs filling your nostrils. The sunlight from the front windows hardly reaches the back.
Through the dim light, you blow the dust off a table top to reveal an ornate design, the colors having faded to pastels. All the way in back of this place, it feels as though you have found something entirely your own.
One such used furniture store is located on Greene and Grand Avenues, Eddie's Swap Shop. It's a gigantic warehouse with piles upon piles of old furniture that often spills onto the sidewalk outside.
Inside of the store, the aisles are narrow and twisting, like slot canyons of vintage. I once found a neon sign I considered bringing home, but it was buried underneath so many other odd objects I deemed it unworthy of the dig.
As with any furniture store, I recommend figuring out your dimensions before you go shopping. A few months ago I lugged home a beautiful coffee table ($10), only to discover that the table was a foot taller than my couch.
Bedford Galleries, located on Bedford and Putnam Avenues, offers a hodgepodge of home furnishings, as well as a few other items (my roommate once came home with a Rummikub game that appeared to be from the early seventies).
The Victorian, located on Tompkins Avenue has a similar feel, although it may be due to the fact that it provides restoration services, while many of the pieces are in the process of being restored. The owner said that the majority of his furniture is sold on consignment from members of the neighborhood, but he still buys furniture from flea markets that catches his eye.
Speaking of which, The Brooklyn Flea is a great place for used furniture finds, open every Saturday at 176 Lafayette Ave. in the summer, and 1 Hanson Place during the winter.
If you are looking for a more organized store, I recommend Panorama Galleries or The Furniture Shop. Panorama Galleries, on Bedford Avenue and Madison Street, brings some of the furniture in from estates outside of the city, and this huge store has a selection of antiques and second-hand furniture that fits any style.
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The prices at Panormama Galleries are slightly higher than Eddie's Swap Shop, but still inexpensive, considering that the pieces are in great condition, and you don’t have to dig to find anything.
The Furniture Shop, on Nostrand Avenue and Clifton Place, offers a limited number of items, but the designs are stylish and modern. This is great place to visit when you are furnishing an entire room and want a distinct style, rather than looking for a single piece of furniture.
Other places, such as The Salvation Army on Quincy and Classon, Scarlet Ribbons on Fulton and Classon, or Not Just Vintage on Bedford and Fulton, have some furniture amongst a variety of other second-hand items. These places are good when you want a piece of furniture more for decor than for function, simply because there are not as many options.
That being said, there is always the chance that these stores will have exactly the thing you’ve been hoping to find. Who knows? That’s the magic of second-hand.
