Here are the five resources to find vintage furniture and decor that I love!
Facebook Marketplace
While Craigstlist used to be the site for all kinds of local furniture and vintage goods for sale, I think Facebook’s Marketplace (their in-app selling destination) is the new holy grail. I found my vintage tulip-style dinning room table plus chairs there for a bargain. I’ve also bought practically new tennis rackets recently for a fun hobby. I’ve sold tons of stuff and I’m currently on the look out for a specific brand of bike that can cost over a thousand dollars at retail. Facebook Marketplace is hoppin’ with vintage and lots of stuff that’s new, get in there! But also, for all any resource where you’re going to someone’s house or meeting someone PLEASE don’t go alone. We joke about meeting people from the internet and getting murdered because so many of us met online, but please be smart and take a friend with you to any pick-up!
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Next Door
Next Door is my new secret vintage furniture destination. Sh! Don’t tell anyone! If you’re not familiar with Next Door, you should definitely sign up. Besides have a buy/sell section, Next Door is really about being a private network for your neighborhood. They even verify your address before you are granted access to your local page. And if you’re like me, you will LOVE the neighborhood drama and gossip. I’ve even tried to rally my neighbors to oppose our local police force in opposition of their unfair ticketing practices. Someone elect me to the city council! Back to the furniture though… Just last week I scored a SWEET deal on a real vintage record cabinet that I saw pop up on the “For Sale & Free” section of my Next Door, and I locked it down immediately, grabbed a friend so I didn’t get murdered and picked it up the very next day. And now all I have to do is figure out exactly where I want it in my home!
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Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar
I LOVE the website Apartment Therapy, so when I got an email last year that they has opened the Apartment Therapy Bazaar, a marketplace for vintage furniture and decor I was stoked! You can narrow your search to more local options, or widen it to include all over the US as many of the sellers ship their goods nationwide. I drool and drool over the gorgeous finds in there and then cry when I see the $400 vintage dressers are all the way in Maryland.
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Flea Markets
I live in LA and two of my favorite places to wander and look for finds are: The Rose Bowl Flea and the Melrose Trading Post – both are curated with awesome vendors and miles of goods. The Rose Bowl Flea is massive (it’s at the Rose Bowl, after all) and occurs every second Sunday, while the Melrose Trading Post happens ever weekend. Pro tip: save some inspirations photos or lists before you go, and take a small measuring tape with you. It’s so easy for me to get overwhelmed with the all the options and forget what I’m even on the hunt for. The tape measure lets me measure pieces I like to see if it will fit the area I’m imagining.
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West Elm
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I don’t think West Elm is worth spending retail prices on, because the quality usually leaves a bit to be desired. I do like some of the classic pieces they have carry though, and ended up browsing though one of their locations last year. While cruising through their sale section, I accidentally learned a trick I almost don’t want to share but ok, fine I will. Cause you shouldn’t have to pay retail either! While waiting to check out with a piece of furniture that happened to be a floor model that I found on mega sale, the salesperson took a call. The caller was checking all the local West Elm stores in Los Angeles to see if they had a certain piece available for sale on the floor because they sell floor models for cheaper! I had never known this was a thing, and maybe it’s just a thing at West Elm but I doubt it. The piece I was getting was a floor model that was marked down significantly just because it was a floor model and they were redoing the store layout. Now mind you, the piece I got was not a trendy item or a piece from a limited collection, it is one of their pieces they always carry. SO, that means depending on what furniture they need to move in the store, your favorite piece might be available at a big discount. Oh and the floor model I got had two scuffs on it which deemed it necessary to sale. I got it home, used a magic eraser and it was good at the full price model!
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Once you find your favorites pieces, how are you going to get them home? If you’re like me, and you don’t have a huge car (even fitting the tiny record cabinet in the trunk took some finagling, you might need the app Buddy Truk! The salespeople at West Elm told me about this app and my life has changed! The app lets you find movers in your area to pick up and delivery (and install in some cases) large furniture (and other stuff!). Think of it as Postmates or Uber but for dudes with trucks and those Home Depot back braces.
Happy searching!
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