Homes & Gardens / August 2011 / Trading furniture

 Email  Print

Trading furniture

Consignment shops and resale stores provide options for downsizers, as well as shoppers.

 

Whether you’re downsizing and need to sell off furnishings, or you’re in the market for good used pieces, Central Ohio has a wealth of secondhand boutiques and consignment stores ready to serve you. Want an antique roll-top desk, a modern leather sectional or a mid-century dinette set? We’ve put together a list of stores to visit that will allow you to unearth one-of-a-kind treasures. And, if your timing is right for consignment markdowns, you may save even more money than anticipated.

On the other hand, if you’re downsizing or redecorating, these stores will partner to sell furniture or décor items you no longer need.

For shoppers on a mission, a few tips before you zoom around town. First, be familiar with pricing—secondhand pricing as well as retail. For example, some sofas seem to be extraordinary deals, others are not much cheaper than if you bought them brand new. Check the store’s website. Many post photos of their newest inventory, maintain a wish list for specific items to buy or consign, and include terms of sale and delivery, hours and directions.

If you want to sell that Ethan Allen bedroom set or your grandmother’s bone china, secondhand stores will outrightly purchase used furnishings from you. Consignment stores, on the other hand, sign a contract with the seller, agreeing to an initial price that will undergo progressive markdowns over, typically, 90 days. Once the merchandise is sold, proceeds are split (usually 50-50) between store and seller. If an item doesn’t sell, the owner may retrieve it, have it tagged for final clearance or donate it to charity—all possibilities that can be specified in the contract.

 

Consignment stores

ReVue Fine Consignment 

881 N. High St., Columbus

421-5870, revueconsignment.com

Those six Calligaris dining chairs—in a sexy Italian design of dark wood and cream-colored leather—were just inside the front door and to the left. Not so three weeks later. 

In fact, glancing around Grandview Mercantile’s upmarket consignment store, everything’s completely different. The Thomas Stender Modulus end tables ($395 for the pair) are gone. That shabby chic metal chandelier with crystal teardrops ($50), gone. And the gold Chinese painted screen ($195) has vanished.

But on closer examination, a previously spotted honey-colored leather accent chair ($117) is still available. In fact, all the missing items are still here, now clustered elsewhere with a fresh crowd of arrivals: a John Clymer oil painting ($795), an Oriental silver chest ($350). As sales associate Maggi Corna admits, “It’s like a scavenger hunt. We get new shipments every day.”

One final swing through the back room, and there they are. The six Calligaris chairs. Scattered—two here, one perched on an end table, but still six. And what would’ve cost $1,295 for the lot is now a steal at $1,036.

Upscale Resale Furnishings 

57 Granville St., Gahanna

476-4070, upscaleresalefurnishings.com

Owner June Axline’s trade is in “here and now furniture,” she says. From a limestone hall table with carved pedestals ($350) to a six-piece king-size bedroom set ($5,500), an Anthropologie settee ($399) and an Ethan Allen banker’s desk ($899), her inventory is upscale traditional, with contemporary finds mixed in.

For a unique look, check out the six-piece leather sectional in a chic shade of aubergine ($1,999) or the California king headboard in blonde wood with suede and leather insets ($1,299). Best bargain: a Kimball buffet with marble panels, which was $1,399, is now $475.

Fresco Furnishings 

1744 W. Fifth Ave., Grandview

586-1963, frescofurnishings.com

Grandview’s cluster of consignment shops on Fifth Avenue has become a bargain-hunting destination. Fresco carries an eclectic mix of furniture and accessories, consigned from area estates and downsizers.

Recent favorites: a rosewood mahjong table with mother-of-pearl inlay and four matching chairs ($1,083), tasteful art deco acrylic lamps ($26 each), a retro pastel of a New Orleans street scene ($58) and eight Towle cut-crystal champagne glasses ($45).

One More Time Etc.  

1641 W. Fifth Ave., Grandview

486-7571, onemoretimeetc.com

“We’ve been told we have one of the quickest inventory turnovers anywhere,” says manager Sara Childs. Even with a tight 60-day limit for consigned merchandise, only 10 to 20 percent make it that long, she says. Two visits, a month apart, confirm truckloads of new stock, from contemporary to elegant traditional to rustic.

After a month passed, the tin-fronted Americana pie safe was still there ($241), as was the coral velour sofa ($449). But new to the selling floor were an antique, mahogany sideboard ($599), a six-foot breakfront ($579) and an unusual handmade wooden bench, with horses’ heads carved into the back and sides ($393).            

Traders Haven  

2504 Bethel Rd., Columbus

538-0411, traders-haven.com

New to the consignment scene, Traders Haven opened in the Carriage Place shopping center in April. It carries an attractive assortment of bookshelves, desks, end tables and accent pieces. Best deals: a contemporary soft gray armless sofa ($232), the glass-top and marble dining table with six upholstered chairs ($315), a mid-century modern Danish dresser ($175) and a matching chest of drawers ($150) and an Italian movie poster for Funny Face ($25).

Experienced Possessions  

9236 Dublin Rd., Powell

889-0454, experiencedpossessions.com

With much of their inventory from surrounding upscale neighborhoods such as Tartan Fields and Wedgewood, the finds are high-quality and tasteful. A mahogany Kindel dining table is packaged with eight Hepplewhite chairs ($2,999). Purchased new, the table would go for around $11,000 and the chairs $1,200 each, says store owner Lisa Gilton.

Other discoveries: a three-piece, wheat-colored leather sectional by Hancock and Moore ($3,599), a massive Guy Chaddock entertainment unit (also $3,599) and a coffee table topped with antique mirror ($299). Looking for just a little something? Wall sconces ($15) are in cream and gold, a copper fern planter is $75 and a tall frou-frou table lamp with maroon roses and marabou feathers rimming its shade is $40.­­

Trading Places 

4018 Powell Rd., Powell

717-9221, TradingPlacesOH.com

Catering to the Restoration Hardware/Pottery Barn crowd, shop owner Michelle Renda says her inventory attracts a younger demographic.

The Ralph Lauren sleigh bed in natural wicker ($384), a large graphic wall clock ($89) and a decorative screen spangled with geometric shapes ($199) would confirm that. If you need something to organize the small fry, the apple green storage bench and shelf with cubbies ($449 for both) are nice.

Other pieces are more sophisticated: a distressed-wood corner cabinet from Lombard’s ($524) and an unusual glass terrarium ($349) ready to house an indoor mini-garden.

 

Second-hand stores

Flower Child  

989 N. High St., Columbus

297-8006, flowerchildretro.com

This shop specializes in time travel. Seriously, when was the last time you sat in a mod egg chair ($1,800) with orange upholstery? Déjà vu occurs as you go room to room, each tricked out like an overcrowded film set, from the 1950s kitchen with its red-and-white formica dinette set to a ’60s tableau that’s part George Jetson, part early Beatles.

The Sputnik hanging light fixture ($459) with fuchsia, blue and orange bulbs is mixed with Lucite tulip chairs. A brown velvet couch ($900) rests on an orange shag rug with a stack of 1966 Playboy magazines tossed on a nearby coffee table.

Owner Joe Valenti pays cash on the spot for retro goods and will make house calls with his crew if there’s a large stash. “We want these things to find love again,” he exclaims.

New Uses General Store  

7410 Sawmill Rd., Dublin

760-7283, newuses.com

For those outfitting a college student’s off-campus apartment, this is an ideal place to shop. Start with a blonde wood dining table and four matching chairs ($120).

Add the chocolate brown faux-suede-and-black-leather sofa ($200), a computer desk ($55) and the framed Ansel Adams black-and-white photo of Yosemite ($20) for an artsy touch. 

If you have something in good condition to sell, bring a photo. Better yet, load it in your car—they pay on the spot.

“We typically pay 25 to 50 percent of what we can retail it for,” says store manager Dan Icovski. “Unique items are great, but no antiques.”

Ubberhaus  

5760 Frantz Rd., Dublin

761-8888, ubberhaus.com

Owned by the same parent company as New Uses, Ubberhaus is more upscale, with a larger inventory.

Contemporary enthusiasts will gravitate to the tan chenille Century sofa ($850) or a chrome desk lamp with pewter-gray shade ($35).

An antique cross-stitch sampler, dated 1836, by Martha Southwick of Dublin ($20) is charming and historical.

The vintage typesetter’s drawer ($12.50) can be mounted on a wall for a graphic statement. A gutsy handmade table ($85), in thick cedar with a glass-top inset, is perfect for a sheltered porch or an industrial-modern family room. 

 

Rhonda Koulermos is a freelance writer.