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Once More, With Savings
Emily Schoenbaum of the District picks out a board. Old wood is particularly popular.
(Photos By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)
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"We have never cut down a tree to make our product," he added with pride. "It's all from 100 percent reclaimed wood."
Some places specialize in certain products.
The Brass Knob, a for-profit store on N Street in Northwest Washington, has an impressive collection of cast-iron radiators, some from the early 1900s, that cost about $85 to $500. It also has more than a thousand used doors. There's a second location, in Adams Morgan, which operates under a different owner.
Ron Allan, owner of the N Street shop, said he attracts a lot of homeowners, architects and contractors who work on old homes.
"I've almost become a Victorian Home Depot," he said.
Jim Schulman, president of Community Forklift and a big believer in the reuse business, concedes: "This place is not for everybody. Not everybody is a do-it-yourselfer."
Sometimes, even the do-it-yourselfers bump up against a task too great.
That was the case with Pamela Preston of Clinton, who was at Community Forklift one recent Thursday with her 9-year-old son Jelan, hunting for kitchen cabinets.
She had been to Home Depot, which wanted about $5,000 for new kitchen cabinets. She picked out used cabinets at the Community Forklift for about $500.
They needed refinishing, which she said her husband would do. She seemed excited.
"I'm going to put him to work," she said with a smile. "Five thousand dollars is ridiculous when you have other things to do with your money."
She took pictures and measurements. She asked the store to put the cabinets on hold until she could talk to her husband.
By the next day, it was a no-go: Her husband thought it would be too much work.
