The Savvy Picker travels around the Southeast looking for vintage merchandise to stock her brick-and-mortar and online shops. On her last visit to the North Georgia Mountains, she stopped in at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Clarkesville. Keep reading to check out her hauls and pick up a few tricks of the trade.
Treasures galore!
Stepping into the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Clarkesville, Georgia, is a drool-inducing experience for a picker like me. Look at this long, long central aisle that creates a path through treasures galore, displayed in abundance on each side!
One of the first things I saw after walking through the door was this shopping cart completely loaded with silverplate. I’ve never seen such fancy dishes displayed like that – ha! Now, silverplate has fallen out of fashion these days, so it doesn’t usually command a high price in my shop, but there are loads of creative ideas for repurposing it if you have a minute to check out Pinterest. I rummaged through the cart and… I’m going to be honest here… after seeing a $15.00 price tag on a small tray, I decided to keep on walking. I’ve been able to pick up some gorgeous silverplate pieces at estate sales and yard sales for just a fraction of that.
Sales benefit a wonderful cause
Overall, I found the housewares at this Habitat store too pricey for me to resell, but if you are looking for housewares for yourself, and you don’t need to mark them up, they are definitely worth checking out. And it’s worth pointing out that proceeds from sales of these items go toward such a wonderful cause that you can’t blame the folks pulling the trigger on the price gun for wanting to maximize what they can get for each item. More revenue means helping more people!
Great furniture finds
Where this store really had it going on was the furniture department, and I would have brought home a couple of pieces of it if I had had room in my car. In fact, when first pulled into the parking lot a man was loading a gorgeous tiger oak rocking chair into the back of his pickup. The early bird got the worm on that one, because if I had seen it first, I would have MADE room in my car for it. Truth! Even if it meant donating some of the items I purchased from other stores to the Clarkesville Habitat for Humanity.
So… let’s talk about some of the furnishings I found that hadn’t been purchased yet. Most ranged from reasonably to FABULOUSLY priced! There were a number of nice pieces marked $25 or lower that I would have happily carted back to South Carolina if I had space.
It’s worth noting that the furniture comes in at one price and gets marked down again and again the longer it sits on the floor. Find a piece you love that’s not in your budget? Let it sit for a while. Then come back to see if the price has fallen into your range. Of course, if you find something you absolutely can’t live without… you’d better go ahead and pony up the cash or risk someone else scooping it up before the price drops.
Great finds; even better people
One of the real steals I saw while there was this gorgeous Asian Inspired China cabinet by Basset for only $150. These usually sell online for upwards of $450. If I were looking for a China cabinet I’d have snagged this one in a heartbeat. The carving at the top is beautiful, and the only damage I saw was some scuffing on the bottom legs that could be easily remedied with some Restore-a-finish and Howard’s feed and Wax.
Another great thing about the Clarksville Habitat for Humanity was my fellow shoppers! Everyone was so nice and helpful, without being asked. When I was rifling through the artwork, I pulled out a print priced at $40. When another shopper saw me look at the price and put it back, she pointed out that art was half price that week!
Yet another shopper realized I left one of my packages on the checkout counter, and she chased me down in the parking lot to let me know I had left one of my purchases behind.
So friendly!
I’ll be back
Although I didn’t have room to bring home any of the outstanding pieces of furniture, the Savvy Picker never leaves empty-handed. Two small bags of treasure and a chinoiserie vase came home with me.
Not in the market for vintage? The Restore also carries lots of building materials. Look at this loaded aisle of supplies.
Because of the vast amount of merchandise available to peruse in one stop, I would recommend dropping in on the Habit Restore in Clarkesville to anyone. I know I’ll be back!
The Habitat ReStore is located at 1085 Rocky Branch Road in Clarkesville, Georgia.
It’s open for shopping on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds help support Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia.
To learn more about ReStore, visit their website. To schedule a donation pick-up, call 706-754-5313 ext. 205.
TSP Takeaway
Who should visit: Furniture flippers! Or anyone looking to furnish an apartment or a first home or change up their interiors.
Score of the day: China cabinet
Predicted profit on China cabinet for the lucky
person who could fit it in their car: $300 – 1000
Re-seller takeaway: Sometimes it pays to wait. It’s a good idea to check back and see if prices have been lowered on favorite furniture pieces.
Click here for more great reads and finds. For additional tips on tracking vintage treasures, visit The Savvy Picker website.
