Columbus Monthly / November 2011 / A trove of offbeat furniture and accessories

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A trove of offbeat furniture and accessories

GO BUCKS At Buckeye Bargains, an arm of the University Women’s Club of Ohio State University, donated merchandise of all kinds is sold to fund scholarships for deserving young women. All merchandise and the workers’ time is donated.

The shop, which is open to the public, carries new OSU merchandise donated by the Trademark and Licensing office, as well as other donated items priced from 25 cents to $40. Logo sweatshirts, sweatpants and T-shirts range from $2 to $10. A new OSU twin-size comforter is $40. Knickknacks are 25 cents to $4. There also are small appliances, kitchenware, linens, pictures and gently used clothing for men, women and children. Inventory changes weekly.

Buckeye Bargains, Converse Hall, 2121 Tuttle Park Pl. (in the basement of the ROTC building; look for the bright red doors at the northwest corner), 688-5732; uwc-osu.org. Open Wed 9 am-3:30 pm during the school year. Donations accepted Tue 9 am-noon and during regular store hours.

FAMILY AFFAIR Cindy Barker and daughters Breane Walter and Lauren Barker made their dreams come true when they opened Trove Warehouse, a furniture and accessories shop for people who like something different. According to Walter, it took them seven years to find the perfect location: a warehouse big enough to hold their trove of merchandise. Their goal is to sell good furniture at prices a young family can afford.

All furniture is new or repurposed from recycled materials. The shop can special-order upholstery for a piece, but other than that, what you see is what you get. Many pieces are unique, such as a hammered copper table, a wrapped aluminum chest and a handworked crackle-finish table. There’s also a large selection of accessories, including mirrors, pillows, lamps and, at this time of year, decorative Christmas items.

New pieces arrive regularly, and the owners spend time reconfiguring the store to show different uses for the stock.

Trove Warehouse, 2325 Wood Ave. (from Kenny Road just north of Lane Avenue, turn right on Legg Avenue, then right on Wood), 429-8526; trovewarehouse.com. Open Thu and Fri 10 am-7 pm, Sat till 5 pm; closed Sun-Wed.

WHERE’S THE BEEF? For three generations, Meat Packers Outlet has been selling meat to Columbus. Manager Dan Bangert is the grandson of the founder, who opened the store in 1957. Dan and brother Pat now run the market, and three of the meat cutters each have spent 40-plus years in the business.

Buy by the pound or case at competitive prices. The meat is cut daily and displayed in showcases. It is not prepackaged, so you can get just as much as you need. Most is graded as select, which is a leaner cut. After one day, the displayed meat is frozen and sold in freezer packages. You can choose from variety packs, pork or beef packs, BBQ specials and cookout specials. A recent example was the beef BBQ special, which included two slabs of beef spare ribs, 10 beef bratwurst, 20 hamburger patties and two pounds of beef wieners for $49.95.

This store also carries a large selection of lunchmeats and cheeses, along with frozen vegetables, fish and pizza. Bangert says they buy most of their meats locally or statewide. If you want to order something special, such as pork belly, the shop can fill your order.

Meat Packers Outlet, 317 S. Fifth St. (half a block south of Main Street), 469-1720; meatpackersoutlet.com. Open Mon-Sat 8 am-6 pm; closed Sun.

WHOLLY FUN If you’re looking for a unique gift or want to learn a new craft, you might want to check out Wholly Craft, a neighborhood shop with items made by 200 artists. According to owner Olivera Bratich, the store includes handmade, high-quality clothing, jewelry, plush creatures and more.

The shop, gearing up for the holidays, is offering one week of gift-creating classes the first week of December. Throughout the year, it offers a wide variety of beginners’ classes in such media as needlework and paper crafts. One-session classes are $15 to $24, two-session classes $28 to $35. On Dec. 10, from 8 pm to midnight, the Midnight Madness Sale will include refreshments and sale prices on everything. The Holiday Ape (a fun twist on Santa Claus) will be available for pictures.

Wholly Craft, 3169 N. High St., 447-3445; whollycraft.net. Open Mon-Fri 1-8 pm, Sat noon-7 pm, Sun noon-5 pm; closed Tue.

Send sale and bargain suggestions two months before sale to: Bargain Bits, Columbus Monthly, P.O. Box 29913, Columbus, Ohio 43229-7513, or pressreleases@columbusmediaenterprises.com. No phone calls, please.