Home Goods: Shopping Second Hand
/Like many Madisonians, I love buying second hand. Luckily, Madison has no shortage of great spots for picking up vintage or lightly used home decor, furnishings & building materials.
While I know Madison metro has many second hand shops, these are my top picks. That said, new shops are popping up all the time, so if I’ve missed one that you think should be on the list, please let me know!
Isthmus
Pieces Unimagined- Their bread & butter is custom furniture built from salvaged & upcycled goods. They have a lot of items to take home today, plus they can create (almost) whatever you can think up. The also sell some new stuff (gift type items), and a good amount of vintage decor. This store is a real treat!
Saint Vincent De Paul (AKA St Vinnies)- They sell everything, but they’ve usually got a good selection of art, decor, furniture & homewares.
Rick’s Olde Gold- Jewelry, coins, guitars, decor, furniture, strange things you’ll wonder where the heck they came from. Antiques of all sizes.
Jane’s Junk- a mix of new & vintage. Mostly small stuff.
East Side
Retro Revolution (Madison)- Vintage decor, jewelry, home goods, some furniture. Great treasures & great prices!
Deconstruction Inc. (Madison)- Sells reclaimed, salvaged materials from old & historic buildings. You’ll find everything from old doors, windows, beams, built-ins, flooring, glass blocks, bricks, light fixtures.. The list goes on! Items range from 50-200 years old. My favorite find was the wood salvaged from an old bowling lanes, which was eventually turned into kitchen countertop.
Cozy Home (Monona)- A lovely consignment shop bursting with great decor & furniture.
Habitat For Humanity ReStore (Monona)- Buy new & used flooring, windows, doors, cabinets, sinks, building materials, furniture, light fixtures, etc. Your support affordable housing. ReStore is always a fun place to pop into.
Brass Tacks (Sun Prairie)- This store is about 15 minutes from the far east side of Madison, so it’s a drive, but if you have time, it’s worth it. They sell consignment furniture & decor & offer a lot of painted/refurbished pieces.
West Side
Habitat For Humanity Restore (West)- Same as east location, listed above.
Odana Antiques & Fine Arts Center- this place is HUGE! An antiquer’s paradise.
SWAP (Verona)- It’s farther flung than the other west side shops (which are are super close to each other) but it’s worth the drive. SWAP is the second hand store that exclusively sells items that have come from UW Madison & area state agencies. It can be hit & miss, but I’ve found some great vintage chairs, stools, desks & bookshelves there.
Interested in taking a road trip? Wondering how to assess the integrity of vintage pieces? Care to unlock the secrets on mixing vintage & new, or mixing different styles? Read what local expert, Krizia from Oak + Olive says about all of the above here.
Have any favorites you think we should add to the list? We would love to hear about them!
PS- And a little off track, but worth mentioning.. (south east of Madison) You can get free paint, solvents, thinners & pesticides through the Product Exchange Program at Clean Sweep. These free products have been dropped by community members, but are still usable.
