Take A Seat: Thrifty Chair Finds

Two of the fun things about thrifting here in Arizona are the "Sales" happening  every other weekend at Goodwill and the actual 'home store' they created. The home store that I frequently pop into is on Old Scottsdale Road called Goodwill ReDesign. It's not all donated goods - you can actually find brand new items at discounted prices in the Goodwill ReDesign store. The good feature about it is that it focuses only on homegoods like lamps, dishes, brick-a-brac, pillows and furniture - so you don't have to wade through the sea of people that sometimes crowd the apparel racks. Yesterday, while out on a day-date with my Valentine, we popped into the Goodwill ReDesign store after lunch. With the donated goods, it's hit or miss - you never know what you're going to find (just like at any thrift store). Yesterday, I spotted this interesting chair pair - for dirt cheap - and decided to go for one of the two....

 

The pair, although not an exact match, work well together because of their size and same cushion cover pattern...

 

Total score at only $9.99... 

and by the way: 

The Goodwill ReDesign Stores here in AZ 

will be having a Presidents Day Weekend Sale: 20% off ticketed price!

 Although the chair I picked up yesterday isn't for a particular project, it was too cute to pass up for a possible future project: Could be a great chair for a desk, a dressing table, or a little girls room, painted & recovered black, white, or pink...

 

Of the two chairs I spotted at Goodwill ReDesign, I went with the more transitional chair (above) and left the other more detailed chair (below) for some other thrifter to score...

Besides the Goodwill ReDesign Store, the Salvation Army Family Thrift Store can also have some good finds. Another good chair find I actually saw while visiting the hubs this week in Casa Grande, AZ I spotted in Salvation Army...

 

These slipper chairs at the Salvation Army Family Thrift Store (in Casa Grande) have great bones and vintage character to add to a space - especially a sitting area in a bedroom. Since the chairs were only $68.50 - their makeover could include a splurge on fabric, like this great print from the new Nate Berkus Collection at Calico Corners... (they too are having a sale this weekend: 25% off fabrics!)

An alternative to thrift, and still less expensive than an antique shop or vintage store is shopping consignment. One place up in Phoenix I've passed by on my way to Sweet Salvage on 7th Ave or the Salvation Army is a place called Turtles Treasures Consignment...

 

Note: those stripes aren't just painted onto the wicker: it comes from three different strands (brown, black, white) woven together... How COOL is that?

And although I shared this chair find the other day (I scored for my doctor office make-over project) I came across an image from York Wall-Coverings featuring a similar chair, but with the finish I envisioned for its transformation...

 

Chair find I scored at ReCreate Consignment - Scottsdale for $50.

 

York Wallcoverings - Chair transformation vision for my project.

This weekend, show some local-love for these thrfty sources...

Salvation Army Thrift Store

(location I visit more often than Casa Grande) 

725 W Indian School Road

Phoenix, AZ

(602) 788-9355 

Goodwill ReDesign Store
2115 N Scottsdale Rd  

Scottsdale, AZ 85257

(480) 425-8062

Turtle's Treasures Consignment
2133 E Indian School Rd 

Phoenix, AZ 85016

(602) 374 - 8217

ReCreate Consignment & Staging

4390 North Miller Rd . Suite 101/102

Scottsdale, AZ, 85251

(480) 607-5161

Goodwill ReDesign Store
2115 N Scottsdale Rd  

Scottsdale, AZ 85257

(480) 425-8062

 Just a little map showing some of the terrain I'm driving here in AZ...

I live at "A" - The Salvation Army I went to in Casa Grande is "D" - "H", "G", "I", "E", and "F", are some of the consignment & thrift stores I frequent in Phoenix & Scottsdale... The grid shows civilization - the green is more mountainous... and the flat white areas... desert.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Go out and get your THRIFT on!

Thanks for stopping by...

Shopping Around: ReCreate Consignment - Scottsdale

On last Thursday and Saturday, I went on a little shopping excursion - or as a friend called it a marathon - and took a drive north - way north. Even though I was going to the same stores from my local area (within a 10 mile radius) I thought different areas would have a different selection. It's the same thought process as thrifting: better areas have better goods - location location location. I'll share more about that next, but first I wanted to share a little surprise I found along the way: a gem of a store - a consignment shop called ReCreate Consignment & Staging. Shopping consignment shops is another alternative to thrift and creating your own second-hand style. ReCreate Consignment isn't  like the other consignment stores I've seen here in Arizona - which can sometimes be an over-priced dusty old hodge-podge pile of stuff you'd see on American Pickers. This shop had vignettes set, and rooms displayed around a well-lit store, with reasonably priced merchandise.

Le Corbusier - LC -4 Chaise Longue

 

 The Rothko-like canvas (below) was just getting markdown to $75...

Some items were on sale and clearly marked. But even though a sale price wasn't on a piece, it doesn't hurt to ask: I spotted a simple wood & jute seat chair with character for $58, but saved $12 because I asked if it was on sale. After taxes, the chair only came to $50, which is a huge savings for a chair considering even at a discount home store, something as simple as a dining chair goes for $99 - and benched go for $149 and up. This chair has some character in its lines and will be fun to refinish - painted black for the reception area of my project...

I too have a few items I'd like to sell, so this shop may also be a great source to sell at as well as buy from. The owner's name is Micheal. We got to talking a bit and we had something in common: we're both ex-visual merchandisers for major companies who changed their tune :) Everything happens for a reason! And I'm happy to have met Micheal, found his shop and scored a great deal on the chair to refinish for my project!

 

Loved the amphora shaped cream glass with back rim vase I got plus a pretty petite watercolor painting

 

The watercolor was only $5...

 The area the shop is located in Scottsdale (north of Indian School - on Miller Rd - 1 block south of Camelback) reminded me of thrifting in Wilton Manors - Ft. Lauderdale... Their website is under construction, but you can find them sharing posts of their goodies on Facebook....

ReCreate Consignment & Staging

4390 North Miller Rd . Suite 101/102

Scottsdale, AZ, 85251

(480) 607-5161

Thanks for stopping by!

Shopping Around: Local Love & Fab Finds at Potato Barn

Over the weekend, I headed out for two days of sourcing finds at thrift shops, discount home stores and local shops for the office makeover. I already had done some online searching for prices, but even some places who had a lower price, would have a $55 shipping charge which to me is just throwing money away. That $55 could be used to buy a lamp. The main item I was looking for was a pair of dining room chairs - preferably with oval backs. Traditional in their style, you'd think that might be easy to find at a thrift store, and also a popular trend you'd think stores like Homegoods or even Ross would carry -- but no. I did spot a pair in TJMaxx, but they weren't the right finish (white-washed) or fabric (zebra print). I even contacted the owner at Sweet Salvage to see if any of their vendors had oval back chairs, but at this time they didn't. Come Saturday evening, I felt a little discouraged but tried one last local shop called Potato Barn.

Ding-Ding! Jackpot!

The Potato Barn is a family owned and operated home furnishings store in Arizona, established in 2002. Their showrooms (located in Gilbert and Scottsdale) are filled with unique home furnishings, featuring many one of a kind pieces imported from all over the world. The Potato Barn has everything to furnish your entire home, with a large selection of sofas, sectionals, chairs, entertainment centers, dining room tables, buffets, cabinets, dressers, headboards, accent tables and accessories such as lamps, pillows and candle holders. They carry an assortment of a wide variety of styles from olde world and rustic to shabby chic and even a few modern pieces.  Within their eclectic mix, they specialize in heavily distressed finishes and reclaimed woods.

 The least expense oval back dining chairs online are at Home Decorators (also linked to Home Depot + Amazon). They sell at $169 each PLUS $55 to ship and do not come in grey. A last resort is Target where they have a pair for $199 and free ship, but again, not available in grey. These local finds have more character. And the added bonus of a Parisian feel, which I discovered is my clients favorite place.

Since moving here, I had only gone into the store one other time, and thought they might be too rustic for what I was looking for -- but I actually spotted the mother load of oval back chairs, in a variety of finishes AND on sale! I may need to "tweak" the styling of my project just a little bit, but that's where being flexible in designing a space comes into play. When you find the style & price you're searching for, you think "how can I make this work in the space?"  

 

Chairs by Steven Shell.

Originally, I was thinking the chair frame would be black and the fabric in print. The chairs I found are more solid - with only a slight herringbone print and the wood finish comes natural, distressed black or a milky white with grey finish - which I am actually leaning more towards. Considering the chairs I found online were priced at $449 each (high), $600 for a pair (medium) and $169 each (low) PLUS shipping & tax - these local finds are only $95 to $125 each and no shipping expense. The two options to look into to 'tweak' their look is either to have them re-upholstered (which since their new I'd rather not do) OR just have nail trim added to them (which I think that's where I'm headed).

 

So comfortable and the crushed velvet texture 

can work well to layer the greys in the space.

The store also had a really good selection of that one special chair for the doctor to use during a counseling session. At first, we were going to keep her existing chair - just update the finish and re-upholster it, but then I found a new chair at Pier 1 in a cool print (center pic below). I snapped a picture of it to share (she liked it) and suggested she go give it a comfort test since it was nearby. I gave it a comfort test on Saturday, but to me it felt too firm. While at the Potato Barn, I found some other options - much more comfortable, styles that would work with the space, and one chair in particular that was lower priced (AND more comfortable) than the Pier 1 chair.

ABOVE: Chairs at Pier One

BELOW: Chairs at Potato Barn

Love the more traditional & tailored looks!

The Potato Barn showrooms are only open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10-6. Considering I popped in there at 5:30 Saturday, that's a good thing. It means the chairs will still be in the store Wednesday for me to meet my client there: she can give the chairs a comfort test and we can make the final selections for her office makeover.

P O T A T O  B A R N - G I L B E R T

4900 S. Power Road

(on the NW corner of Power & Ray - just off the 202)

480-279-5500

P O T A T O  B A R N - S C O T T S D A L E
9190 E. Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale 85250

(off the 101 freeway & Indian Bend Rd. in The Pavilions)

480-745-3240

 Tip when shopping here: Bring your tape-measure, snap pictures and bring other room samples with you because unlike specialty chain stores, you can't do returns.

Other finds spotted while at Potato Barn - Gilbert, AZ...

 

 

 

 

 

(I literally laughed out loud in the store when I saw this!)

While out and about I saw so many wonderful finds - from new items at Ikea to Spring assortments at Homegoods,, a new store that opened here called DownEast Home, thrift finds at Goodwill and another (new to me) thrift shop I found nearby... plus a few other local stores I pulled into to check out. I want to share them all, but doing one post would be too long.  So this week (may need to be this month!) I want to do a series of posts focused on "Shopping Around". It's easy to have an unlimited expense account or larger budget to work with, but trying to pull together a comfortable + stylish space on a budget ($5000 or under) can be challenging -- but it CAN be done, if you know where to shop, what to look for or just hire me to do it FOR you!

Thanks for stopping by!