5 Reasons to Hit That Secondhand Store

All of the best things are not necessarily shiny and new — think of the gorgeous patina on an antique chest, the gleam of old silver and the complex flavor of a really special aged bottle of wine. So why does it seem like we’ve been trending toward disposable furniture and away from well-made old stuff? It may be easy to fill a home quickly with goods from a chain store, but we may be missing out on some pretty spectacular benefits by going all-new. Here are five reasons to consider adding vintage pieces, antiques and good old hand-me-downs to your home, and to appreciate the old stuff you already have.

1. Old things are unique and make your home more personal. Yes, those glossy catalogs are gorgeous, and designed and styled to entice us and your neighbors and friends, too — meaning that many of our homes end up looking strikingly similar simply because we have ordered furniture and accessories from the same places. But when you hunt down something in an antiques store or at a flea market, chances are you won’t see the same thing in your friend’s home. Working old stuff into your rooms also forces you to get more creative, coming up with interesting ways of putting things together you never would have considered if you were shopping solely at one or two stores.


Style tip: Rethink heirlooms. This table from a Paris flea market is so interesting — and it may very well be that your children or grandchildren will covet it more than a traditional box of fancy china. And regardless of whether you have kids, wouldn’t it be nice to own things that are bound to keep or increase their value?


2. They preserve a slice of history. Whether what you have is a valuable antique or a fun vintage find, old stuff is bound to be wrapped up in a story. It could be the personal story of how you found the piece (wandering the aisles of a seaside flea market), a family tale about the person who gave it to you (your great-aunt who used to haul the brass bed outdoors on hot summer nights), or a larger historical story about the era when it was made (a creamer used on an old steamship during the golden age of travel).


3. They’re better for the earth. Purchasing antiques and vintage pieces, trading hand-me-downs among friends and family, and caring for and passing along heirlooms is as green as it gets. Because you are simply using something that is already there, you are not creating any new waste — and in the case of salvaged and roadside finds, you can even be responsible for keeping something out of the landfill.

Style tip: Antiques don’t have to go with anything. Adding even one vintage or antique piece, like the chest shown here, can give your entire home more gravitas. Their age earns them respect, like they were always there and the home just sort of grew up around them.


Style tip: Restyle hand-me-down furniture with new upholstery. Take an old granny chair and reupholster it, so it suits your current style. If an old armchair has a good shape and the frame is in good condition, it’s worth it to reupholster — you can have the piece redone exactly how you want it, and for less than the price of a new armchair that matches the quality of construction. If you are unsure, bring the chair in to an upholsterer and ask for a quote and how many yards of fabric you would need to buy.


4. They’re lighter on your wallet. It’s true that in some cases, it will cost more initially to purchase a well-made vintage or antique piece than something from a chain store. But a piece of poorly made furniture is more likely to break and need to be replaced after a few years, costing more in the long term (because you have to buy it again and again).

You can buy a single high-quality piece of old furniture and keep it forever, even passing it along to your kids or relatives. And that’s not to mention the true steals out there — if you enjoy hunting through junktique shops, your patience is bound to be rewarded with an enviable find.



Style tip: Master the mix. Of course most of us don’t end up buying everything vintage; it makes sense to mix it up. Maybe you take a vintage screen picked up at an antiques store, a rug from your old family home and a cute garage-sale chair, and mix them with fresh bedding on sale at a local boutique, new art and a simple bed frame from a big-box store.


5. They don’t make them like they used to. Compare nearly any older piece of furniture with something purchased from a chain store in the past 10 years and you will instantly be able to tell the difference. Older pieces tend to be made of solid materials like wood and metal, while the new stuff often includes weaker blended materials like particleboard and plastic parts not designed to stand the test of time. Even pricier furniture made today often includes a few parts in less-visible areas (like the bottoms of drawers or the back of a chest) made from very thin, flimsy material.

Tell us: Do you buy mostly new, mostly vintage or a mix?

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