Think back to college. Think back to your dorm.
Specifically, think back to your very first couch, an overstuffed paisley number with missing springs, a stain on each cushion and a pair of poli-sci textbooks in place of one leg.
Wasn't it great?
Sure, it was cheap. Sure, it smelled like corn chips. But outfitting your dorm or first apartment with a $30 sofa you bought from a thrift store, junk heap or bulletin-board flier is almost a rite of passage among college students and first-time renters.
Furniture sales at junk stores and used-goods dealers always tick up in July and August, when parents and students are looking for ways to outfit a cramped living space for minimum cost.
"There is an increase in furniture sales during the weeks leading up to colleges opening," said Chris Ward, a spokeswoman for Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, which covers 10 counties in Central Florida. "They're definitely up at all of our stores."
At the Goodwill Store on Gandy Boulevard in St. Petersburg, which has over 4,000 square feet of furniture showroom space, the most popular items are couches, chairs, computer desks, bookcases, lamps and various accessories. Granted, most of it looks like set pieces from Eight Is Enough. But for the - how to put this? - indiscriminate shopper, it can suffice.
Unfortunately, just because something is cheap doesn't mean it's a smart buy.
"Some things may appear inexpensive, and they're good, and there are other things that are inexpensive and the quality doesn't hold up," said designer and thrift-store hunter Carmen Natschke, who runs TheDecoratingDiva.com. "You may pay less money now, but in the long run, it's going to cost you."
If you plan to hit a thrift store for your back-to-school shopping - or even if you're just looking for a cheap way to outfit a new apartment - here are some tips:
- Check the quality of everything you buy. Make sure tables don't wobble, desk chairs function properly, and couches aren't about to fall apart. Look under couches to make sure no springs are poking through. Pull up cushions and feel to see if the foam stuffing is crumbling at all.
- Clean your purchases - and we don't just mean with a bottle of Febreze. Some items are easy to wipe down with disinfectant spray. Wooden items might require a touch Old English furniture polish. If all else fails, you can always buy a slipcover for your "new" couch or chair. Even so, it's not wise to get too intimate with items you buy at thrift stores. For example, if you're in the market for a bed, you can buy the headboard, footboard and side rails at Goodwill, but you'll probably still want to splurge on a nice new mattress.
- Not all thrift-store furniture is cheap. For example, there is quality merchandise at the Salvation Army, but bargains there are often few and far between. (Unless you consider a $2,600 50-inch flat-screen TV, like the one we saw at a store on Nebraska Avenue, a bargain.) At another Salvation Army in Brandon, we saw a pair of matching love seats for $699, which isn't much less than you'd find at some new furniture stores.
- The prices you see aren't always the ones you'll pay. "I wouldn't call it haggling, but you can negotiate with them," said Natschke, who once bought a thrift-store buffet listed at $100 for only $25. It can't hurt to make an offer on a damaged piece, and see if the seller will take it.
PLACES TO LOOK FOR USED FURNITURE
1. Craigslist: Every day brings a new slate of goods to the Craigslist storefront. If you're like us, you'll skip the "furniture" section - though there are great deals to be found there - and head straight to "free." Sofas, desks, bed frames, car parts, puppies, golf clubs - all can be yours if you'll just come and get them. Just be prepared for caveats like this one, spotted recently on a posting for a free recliner: "Needs a good cleaning, and smells like a cat." You've been warned. Tampa.craigslist.org
2. Goodwill Stores: Plates are a buck, glasses and bowls are 75 cents, and flatware runs a quarter apiece. At the Brandon Goodwill, we recently spotted a futon in reasonable shape for just $30, a swiveling TV stand for $6, and a wall of VCRs for $5 apiece. But the best local Goodwill store for furniture is at 10596 Gandy Blvd. in St. Petersburg, next to Derby Lane. There you'll find a 3,800-square-foot furniture showroom full of couches, beds, desks and shelves. www.goodwill-suncoast.org
3. Sunshine Thrift Store: This South Tampa mainstay has lots of usable furniture at good prices. We recently spotted a pair of dinner tables for $20 apiece, a comfy recliner for $45 and a three-piece sectional sofa for $125. Their next big sale is Aug. 30; all clothes will be half price. 4304 S. Dale Mabry. www.sunshinethriftstore.com
4. Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores: At the thrift store on Nebraska Avenue just north of Fowler, we found comfy chairs for $20, a sleeper sofa for $40, and a TV stand and filing cabinet for $4.99 apiece. There are also stores in Clearwater and Ruskin. www.svdpusa.org
5. Second Image Thrift Store: Of the two Second Image stores in the area - the other is on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa - the Clearwater branch definitely has the most furniture. We saw computer desks and dinner tables for less than $30, and a nearly-new futon for $100. 10810 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater. www.secondimagethriftstores.com
6. The 8000 block of Nebraska Avenue: If you're near USF and you're in the mood to browse, head to the stretch of Nebraska between Busch Boulevard and Sitka Street. There, you'll find about a dozen used-furniture and appliance stores and a handful of carpet warehouses, which are good places to pick up dorm-sized remnants.
7. The curb: You'd be surprised at the stuff some people set out with their trash. Sure, you might not want to pick up that stained and moldy mattress, but you can find quality chairs, coffee tables, lamps, shelves and even artwork that will do just fine after a few squirts of disinfectant. A tip: Memorize the local trash pickup schedule, and plan to go hunting the night before. Here are some schedules to get you started:
Clearwater: Publicgis.myclearwater.com/solidwaste/solidwasteschedule.aspx
St. Petersburg: Stpete.org/sanitation/
Tampa: The city is still working on an interactive trash pickup schedule map. Generally, though, pickup days are as follows: From Fowler Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue, Tuesday and Friday; from Hillsborough to Leona Street in South Tampa, Monday and Thursday; and south of Leona, Tuesday and Friday. Call (813) 348-1111 for details.
Hillsborough County: The county handles trash pickup north of Fowler Avenue. Call (813) 272-5680
